Bought our Sprinter (2008 Winnebago View) this May

[Docs9788]

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest -- Oregon!

We purchased our 2008 Winnebago View(Model 2008 WD524H) here in Oregon in May. After much research, we opted for the Gasoline model). With the current price of fuel, we figured we could purchase a LOT of Gasoline for the 10 to 12 thousand dollars more that a Diesel model would cost us. It was brand new and had just the mileage on it that it took to deliver it from Factory to dealer. So far we are averaging about 12 MPG on the road with the Cabin Air going. Our trips have been less than 500 miles. It is September and we have put about 3700 miles on it with short trips within the state.

We did have to have the TV replaced...a faulty Pixel or something. We also responded to a recall for the instrument cluster....and are awaiting replacement parts.

The PUZZLER problem we are having is an intermittent...complete...discharge of the Starting Battery (NOT THE HOUSE BATTERIES). One time it will completely discharge with 4 days of sitting...another it will take 10 days of sitting. It has been VERY frustrating as the RV dealer we purchased it from can and does service everything from the cab back...but we have to drive an hour from our home to have an "Authorized" dealer in another city to address service issues from the cab forward to the engine. The little V-6 engine has amazed us with both mileage and overall performance. We were in the mountains and engine climbed them with a full load with no problems at all earlier this summer....all with the cabin air conditioner going.

The battery discharge problem has ONLY occured (Thank God) when we leave the vehicle sitting in our drive at home. Have never had a problem while on the road. We even did a week of dry camping and no problems at all.

Anyone else have this electrical issue???? We think we probably have a trickle discharge somewhere but it could take a lifetime to trace it down and I have the mechanical ability of a Cloistered Nun. Our techs have calls out to Winnebago and Daimler/Chrysler...just wondered IF anyone here had a similar issue.

Thanks

[sikwan]

Welcome and congratulations on your purchase! :clapping:

One thing you could do is to disconnect the starter battery entirely (below the driver's floor) and see if you can find all the accessories that run off the battery. This way you can find out whether you have items that are supposedly running off the house batteries, but are actually running off the starter battery.

[Docs9788]

Welcome and congratulations on your purchase! :clapping:

One thing you could do is to disconnect the starter battery entirely (below the driver's floor) and see if you can find all the accessories that run off the battery. This way you can find out whether you have items that are supposedly running off the house batteries, but are actually running off the starter battery.

Thanks, so much for the suggestion. We took it in and had a LOAD test....discovered that there is a 1.8 amp Parisitic discharge from the retractable side entry steps. We had left the switch ON when NOT using the motor home. We are NOW shutting the switch OFF when NOT using it and seems to have corrected the problem. Yep OPERATOR ERROR ****BLUSH***

Thanks for the help.

[aljimenez]

Thanks, so much for the suggestion. We took it in and had a LOAD test....discovered that there is a 1.8 amp Parisitic discharge from the retractable side entry steps. We had left the switch ON when NOT using the motor home. We are NOW shutting the switch OFF when NOT using it and seems to have corrected the problem. Yep OPERATOR ERROR ****BLUSH***

Thanks for the help.
It does not sound right that your entry steps are powered by the engine battery. Something is not right also with this leakage, that shouldn't be happening; is there a light when this switch is energized? Don't these Views come with a dash switch to turn the engine battery off and use the house batteries?

Al

[Docs9788]

It does not sound right that your entry steps are powered by the engine battery. Something is not right also with this leakage, that shouldn't be happening; is there a light when this switch is energized? Don't these Views come with a dash switch to turn the engine battery off and use the house batteries?

Al

HI Al....FIRST...I was WRONG....the Parasitic discharge is NOT 1.8 amps but rather .8 amps. NO there is NO light to indicate that switch is activated. Switch is located near the side exit. NO there is NO dash switch to turn OFF engine Battery. What we have learned IS: The dealer ONLY addresses issues from the Cab BACK...if it involves ANYTHING Under the HOOD....we have to take the vehicle to an "Authorized" repair facility an hours drive from us. Neither one seem to be very knowledgeable about the problem and are contacting Winnebago and Daimler. In the meantime we are being careful

[kmessinger]

Welcome and congratulations on your purchase! :clapping:

One thing you could do is to disconnect the starter battery entirely (below the driver's floor) and see if you can find all the accessories that run off the battery. This way you can find out whether you have items that are supposedly running off the house batteries, but are actually running off the starter battery.

Have you tried the above yet? The very first thing I would look at is the propane gas detector as it is always on (but should be connected to house batt.) and then your tv (if you have one) - some say off but they are not and share some wiring with the radio. Lastly, if what sikwan suggested doesn't show anything, start pulling Sprinter fuses until the discharge stops. That way you isolate the circuit.

Your starter battery should be totally isolated from the house battery. Look at the battery. Are there any additional wires connected to the + side?

Regards,

Keith

[dickreid1]

For the record,

In the Winnebago View and Navion motorhomes, the electric steps and the slide-out are powered exclusively by the same line from the engine battery.

The step control unit has two input lines: one checks the magnetic switch on the coach door. If the door opens the steps go out. The other checks the ON/OFF switch. If "ON" the line is powered by +12v (0.8amp). When the door is closed the steps retract. If "OFF" the line is not powered and the steps stay out when the door is closed. As a safety feature, the steps retract when the engine is started.

Dick from Florida

[aljimenez]

For the record,

In the Winnebago View and Navion motorhomes, the electric steps and the slide-out are powered exclusively by the same line from the engine battery.

The step control unit has two input lines: one checks the magnetic switch on the coach door. If the door opens the steps go out. The other checks the ON/OFF switch. If "ON" the line is powered by +12v (0.8amp). When the door is closed the steps retract. If "OFF" the line is not powered and the steps stay out when the door is closed. As a safety feature, the steps retract when the engine is started.

Dick from Florida
If I owned one of these I would immediately change all the power to come form the house batteries. I can't see the reason to power the steps from the engine battery. Is it to retract when the engine starts? If so this could be accomplished and still get the power to energize the steps from the house batteries. But many steps on RV's are manual and don't need the "safety" of retracting when the engine starts... Al

[dspain1000]

How fast do you drive when you get the 12mpg? How much weight to have in the rv, number of people supplies, etc and have you spoken to any other gas version sprinter view owners to find out what they are getting
thanks

dave spain

[Docs9788]

How fast do you drive when you get the 12mpg? How much weight to have in the rv, number of people supplies, etc and have you spoken to any other gas version sprinter view owners to find out what they are getting
thanks

dave spain

HI Dave;

We were driving 55 to 60 65 MPH most of the time when we got the 12 MPG. The vehicle was loaded to within 700 pounds of MAX load and the Cabin Air Conditioning was ON most of the time. This was this summer and we were in the Steen's Mountains area of Eastern Oregon. The terrain CAN be quite steep with some serious hills. Our speeds were NOT constant 55 to 65 MPH but certainly averaged. I don't have an EXACT weight for that trip...but can get it for you as...YES...we did stop and weigh. My wife is a stickler for details and being NEW owners we wanted to make sure everything was "Kosher". NO...we haven't met ANY OTHER gas version owners yet. In this area, Diesel is the Popular version. When we made our purchase in May of this year...Diesel was selling for considerably MORE than Gas and while the Diesel model is STANDARD....the Gas Option was 10 to 12 THOUSAND dollars LESS so we figured we could purchase quite a few Gallons of Gas for the difference. There IS a good argument that the Diesel will last many more miles...but we are in our 60's and retired so will not be putting 2-hundred thousand miles on the rig and Gas just made sense to us. I am consistantly amazed at how well that little V-6 performs. It has chugged up every steep grade I have asked it to and never even seemed to break a sweat. :clapping:

Hope this helps,

"Doc"

[Docs9788]

Have you tried the above yet? The very first thing I would look at is the propane gas detector as it is always on (but should be connected to house batt.) and then your tv (if you have one) - some say off but they are not and share some wiring with the radio. Lastly, if what sikwan suggested doesn't show anything, start pulling Sprinter fuses until the discharge stops. That way you isolate the circuit.

Your starter battery should be totally isolated from the house battery. Look at the battery. Are there any additional wires connected to the + side?

Regards,

Keith

HI Keith;

YES we have tried ALL of those things. We took the rig into an INDEPENDENT RV repair facility to have the battery checked out...THEY tested EVERYTHING and stated that the battery was just fine and that there was a .8 amp "Parasitic" discharge from the automatic steps and that the amount was within allowable parameters. They suggested obtaining and using a solar powered Battery Maintainer. We NOW have the rig at an "AUTHORIZED" Sprinter service facility in Salem, Oregon and they are completely going through it. Winnebago and Daimler BOTH stated that connecting the steps and some other things to the Starter Battery is STANDARD and that it is NOT isolated. So we are hearing ALL kinds of things and are still seeking a solution....we are picking the rig up later this week and SHOULD have some answers...will post what we learn when we get the rig back. Thanks to all for the input.

"Doc"

[claudalfa]

Getting 15.3MPG Canadian going 65-75 MPH

[Docs9788]

Getting 15.3MPG Canadian going 65-75 MPH

GRRRRRREAT! THAT is the difference between Gasoline and Diesel!! At the price of Diesel here in Oregon (Currently Higher than Gasoline), we opted for the Gasoline engine option. So far have been impressed and pleased with the performance of that little V-6. We figured for the 10 to 12 THOUSAND Dollars MORE that a Diesel engine would have cost us here AND the higher price of Diesel fuel....that we could buy a LOT of Gasoline. There is a VALID argument that the Diesel engines last longer etc etc etc....but at our ages, we aren't going to be putting 200-thousand miles on our View at all. :) Aside from a couple little glitches (The electrical problem that started this thread), we could NOT be more pleased. It is a wonderful sized unit for us AND the customer service we have received from the Dealer who sold us the coach and works on the coach components Behind the Cab....AND from the dealer in Salem who works on the engine components has been STELLAR!!!! If a reader of this forum is considering a purchase, lives in Oregon and would like a referral to a dealer with REAL principles drop us an e-mail (Not sure about propriety of dropping names in the forum) and we'd be happy to tell you who we have dealt with.

Doc

[ilovemyview]

:hmmm:Hello Doc. My story sounds much like yours. We bought our 2008 View H in March this year. It is also a gas model and our reasons for buying gas were almost word for word the same as yours. We also have been having battery issues and I was wondering if you ever found the solution to yours or not. We traveled much as you did this summer. Many short trips in state (Indiana) and Michigan (no mountains). We also averaged 12 mpg. The only problem we encountered was on our first trip out the refrigerator would not run off shore power, only on propane. Seams there was a board that had shorted out and once that was replaced it was smooth sailing. When fall came we had it parked about a week. I went out to start it the first week of Nov to take it to be winterized and it was dead. I started it off the boost and we drove it some that day to recharge the batteries. It had been cold that week. After parking it inside the barn we built for it for 3 days I tried to start it again and again it was dead:yell: I took it to our Dodge Sprinter dealer. They said "bad battery" we had to wait a week for a battery to come in. Get it home and three days later. Guess what? Dead again. Now we know we have checked everthing inside and nothing was left on. Thought perhaps it was the step motor that was draining so we charged up the battery again then disconnected the red switch by the accelerator. So there should have been no drain off the battery at all. Checked it after 3 days and it was again DOA. It is back at the sprinter dealer right now. They say bad battery again.???? They said Winnebago had a bad batch of batteries. This time they are supposedly ordering it from another supplier. When they placed the order last week he said we were 60th on the waiting list for a battery. When Called him today we are up #4.
He said the whole batch was bad and as soon as the weather got cold they all started dying. I'm a bit skeptical that is why I'm on the web doing a search. If it is just a bad battery, GREAT. It should be fixed. But I have my doubts. The real shocker was, (hold onto your shorts)
the cost for a new battery is $400. and $125.or the service! Good thing it still under warranty. Hope you found a solution for your problem and if you did I'd love to learn more.

happy travels
jd mcalhany

[Docs9788]

:hmmm:Hello Doc. My story sounds much like yours. We bought our 2008 View H in March this year. It is also a gas model and our reasons for buying gas were almost word for word the same as yours. We also have been having battery issues and I was wondering if you ever found the solution to yours or not. We traveled much as you did this summer. Many short trips in state (Indiana) and Michigan (no mountains). We also averaged 12 mpg. The only problem we encountered was on our first trip out the refrigerator would not run off shore power, only on propane. Seams there was a board that had shorted out and once that was replaced it was smooth sailing. When fall came we had it parked about a week. I went out to start it the first week of Nov to take it to be winterized and it was dead. I started it off the boost and we drove it some that day to recharge the batteries. It had been cold that week. After parking it inside the barn we built for it for 3 days I tried to start it again and again it was dead:yell: I took it to our Dodge Sprinter dealer. They said "bad battery" we had to wait a week for a battery to come in. Get it home and three days later. Guess what? Dead again. Now we know we have checked everthing inside and nothing was left on. Thought perhaps it was the step motor that was draining so we charged up the battery again then disconnected the red switch by the accelerator. So there should have been no drain off the battery at all. Checked it after 3 days and it was again DOA. It is back at the sprinter dealer right now. They say bad battery again.???? They said Winnebago had a bad batch of batteries. This time they are supposedly ordering it from another supplier. When they placed the order last week he said we were 60th on the waiting list for a battery. When Called him today we are up #4.
He said the whole batch was bad and as soon as the weather got cold they all started dying. I'm a bit skeptical that is why I'm on the web doing a search. If it is just a bad battery, GREAT. It should be fixed. But I have my doubts. The real shocker was, (hold onto your shorts)
the cost for a new battery is $400. and $125.or the service! Good thing it still under warranty. Hope you found a solution for your problem and if you did I'd love to learn more.

happy travels
jd mcalhany

Jim;

Wow what a nightmare! We are in Oregon and have NOT had issues dues to COLD weather. We, TOO, were told that it MIGHT be a bad battery and that IF we had a recurrence of the issue..the dealer would have justification to replace it UNDER WARRANTY (NO COST TO US). What we have learned and its SEEMS to be working is this:

Like you, we would park our View and in 3 to 5 days time the battery would be dead. What the service manager suggested was this: Disconnect the "Battery Isolater" (Red thing under or near the Accelerator pedal) READ and follow the directions for Disconnecting and Re connecting it...ie., leaving the key in the ignition for 20 seconds BEFORE doing ANYTHING etc. We started doing this...I know...I know....seems one should NOT have to...but it works. Mind you....we never, ever, ever had a problem when we were camping and the vehicle would sit for a week or more hooked up to shore power.

Anyway...NOW...this winter we DISCONNECT the "Battery Isolator" and ONCE a month..(When we needed to Exercise the Generator) we go out and REconnect it...and guess what? VROOOOM...starts right up after sitting for 30-days without being started. YES...I checked the battery with a Volt-Ohm meter before we start it and it usually reads between 11.8 and 12.3....averaging 12.0. Over the winter...and we have had some temps in the low TEENS but no sub zero...and we park our vehicle on our drive..uncovered and unprotected...and it has started up EVERY time. We STILL have the ORIGINAL battery...and so far...appears we have SOLVED the issue. IT has been TWO months...we have done this TWICE this winter...between 3 weeks and a MONTH...so it's NOT a LONG time that has passed...BUT SEEMS to have taken care of it. YES I am disappointed that we have to take this step ...don't have to do that with other vehicles and the View is NOT a low end CAMPER.

Also...for what it is worth...we have freinds who travelled last summer and connected shore power in a brand new park that had a Brown out.....the power situation TOOK out almost ALL their electrical system and it cost the a BUNDLE to get things REwired. They installed a SURGE guard (One for a view cost us $325.00 here in Oregon) What IT does is to protect you from BOTH LOW voltages and HIGH voltages when connecting to shore power. They did a NICE installation in the shower power hatch and its some of the CHEAPEST insurance we have obtained. When you connect someplace IF there IS an issue..low voltage or High voltage...it will light a caution light and REFUSE to pass power into the coach..like a breaker switch. It also will function as a breaker IF there is a surge or INCREASE in voltage or Decrease in voltage while already connected. You might consider installing one.

Here is a LINK to the Manufacturer...YOUR dealer MAY carry them and your service dept can do a nice hardwire install which I recomend...the other type that you plug in have "STEAL ME" written all over them. :)

[URL="http://www.surgeguard.com/"

I hope this is helpful to you and that you are able to resolve your Battery issues. SO FAR ours now seem solved. We simply DISCONNECT the "Battery Isolator" when we are planning to be parked and not hooked to shore power for longer than 5 days. We would be VERY interested in hearing from you...ESPECIALLY IF you replace the battery...IF THAT fixes things without having to disconnect the Battery isolator for long term storage of the vehicle...we would gladly PAY for a new battery...even though OUR service dealer indicated that IF the battery is at fault...we would be covered under warranty and there would be NO charge.

Best regards,

Docs9788

[hkpierce]

HI Keith;

THEY tested EVERYTHING ... and that there was a .8 amp "Parasitic" discharge from the automatic steps and that the amount was within allowable parameters.
"Doc"


My .84 parasitic load depleted the battery after about 3-4 days. See http://www.sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5207&highlight=parasitic

[ilovemyview]

What I'm wondering is.... If it is a prasitic draw from steps. Why did it work fine all summer even when it was parked, unstarted for a week or two at a time. As soon as it got cold the problem showed. I should say it started "after" we took it in for that recall in the instrument cluster. I've asked it something they did there could be shorting something out but they say NO. Since it sounds like you haven't gone in yet for that recall they are probably right. We never disconnected the battery isolater until we had the problem. You are right , we shouldn't have to do that. Not to confident the guys at our sprinter dealership know what they are doing with the RV. Not sure they've seen many if any at all. When we took it in with the dead battery I had to show the guy how to start it off the boost. The next day when I called they said they hadn't gotten it in yet because they couldn't get it started. DUH. I explained to the service tech AGAIN how to start off the boost. The manager said that since it isn't standard Sprinter, it is a Winnebago add on, they are trained on add ons. See why I'm hesitant to feel confidant they will have it fixed??? Now that I've found this site I will definatly keep in touch. I was on a View/Navion yahoo web group but no one there was much help with this problem. They just wanted to bash the gas models. Any way. The local RV show is this weekend and we may be looking.

[ilovemyview]

Well we went to the RV show. (Ours is stil in waiting for the new battery to come in) I was very disappointed at what they had there. The trairlers we looked at were cheap and tinny looking. The only trailer, 5t wheel or RV (class A's) that we saw that even came close to the
view in quality were bigger than what we still want. We did look into the surge protectors. You are right about the ones saying "steal me"
That is the first thing I thought. We did get the info and will look into getting one hard wired soon. That was a very good suggestion. Thanks. I will post again when we've had a chance to see what the new battery does.

[ilovemyview]

And the problem continues... We took the view back to the Sprinter Service Center for the 3rd battery. He assured us that that was the problem.. They (Chrysler) had a batch of bad batteries and that "this" one they special ordered from another supply house. It two weeks to get. We were 60th on the list??? Well guess what. On the 4th day the battery was dead again. We have charged it back up and put a battery tender on it. My husband called the RV dealer in Michigan where we purchased it and explained the problem to the service tech there. He said there is no way the battery should go dead like that. There has to be something drawing it somewhere. So we are taking your advise and taking it to them to have surge protector hard wired in and while it is there they are going to check to see if they can see where the drain is coming from. If it is not from the step motor they have a sprinter dealer there that does a lot of work for them and is actually familiar with the RV. So If they can't find the draw we will take it to them. We would really like to get this resolved before it is out of warranty. will keep you informed. Travel time is almost here. YEAH:bounce:

[Docs9788]

And the problem continues... We took the view back to the Sprinter Service Center for the 3rd battery. He assured us that that was the problem.. They (Chrysler) had a batch of bad batteries and that "this" one they special ordered from another supply house. It two weeks to get. We were 60th on the list??? Well guess what. On the 4th day the battery was dead again. We have charged it back up and put a battery tender on it. My husband called the RV dealer in Michigan where we purchased it and explained the problem to the service tech there. He said there is no way the battery should go dead like that. There has to be something drawing it somewhere. So we are taking your advise and taking it to them to have surge protector hard wired in and while it is there they are going to check to see if they can see where the drain is coming from. If it is not from the step motor they have a sprinter dealer there that does a lot of work for them and is actually familiar with the RV. So If they can't find the draw we will take it to them. We would really like to get this resolved before it is out of warranty. will keep you informed. Travel time is almost here. YEAH:bounce:

WOW!!! Four Batteries....We would be SOOOOOO angry IF we were enduring what you seem to be. With the disconnection of the Battery Isolator (Under the Accelerator pedal)...we have now MINIMAL discharge and after sitting for one month...we re-connect the battery Isolator and VROOOOM....she starts right up. YES...we STILL have discharge...IF we do NOT disconnect the Isolator (Which in MY Opinion...should NOT be Necessary) but doing so DID resolve the issue for us...OR at least appears to. The installation of the Surge protector was yet ANOTHER issue for us based and a bad experience friends of ours had in a Brand new Camp ground in California. So we had one installed as insurance...but it in NO way affected the discharge issue.

We would be VERY interested in what your DEALER does to assist you. OUR dealer absolutely REFUSES to address ANY issue that has to do with the CAB forward...ONLY the "House" or Camping area Behind the Cab. ALL CAB issues are referred to a Chrysler Repair facility which is a ONE HOUR drive from our home. They have offered to replace the Battery under warranty IF our problem persists. They are in a quandry as to what causes the problem and have mentioned NOTHING about faulty batteries. Their ONLY suggestion was to disconnect the battery isolator when unused for a period of time. They ONLY offered to replace the battery IF this procedure (Disconnecting the Battery Isolator) did NOT work and the battery continued to go dead. So far, disconnecting the Isolator APPEARS to have solved the issue for us...as UNNECESSARY and INCONVENIENT as it seems to be.

We, too, are anticipating getting out an enjoying Spring. We have milder weather here in Oregon and are itching to get going. Please keep us informed as to your progress in solving this issue. Obviously, Winnebago has a design flaw that has gone UNADDRESSED and their NEEDS to possibly be a recall and a permanent FIX for this. 4 Days on a Brand New Battery is completely unacceptable....can't imagine being out in some remote area, dry camping for a week and having that happen....GRRRRRRRR

Best Wishes,

Doc

[ilovemyview]

Well, I'm optimistic that our battery problem has been fixed. After getting back from the Sprinter dealer that put a 3rd new battery and it going dead also in 4 days we decided not to waste anymor time with them. We called the RV dealer that we purchased from and talked to their service department. They said there was no way the battery should be going dead in that amount of time. We took off one afternoon and took the View back to them to look at. (Two hour drive) We dook two viehicles and left the View there. We also had them install the surge protector. OT. The service manager said what a good choice that was. He said they get several service visits each year with electrical problems from surges and brown outs. We also got 15% off since we bought our RV there. Also got the oil changed while it was there. Only $89 there. Everyone close to us was quoting close to 200 for the oil change.

OK back to the battery issue. He said they found to large of a draw coming from the satalite radio hook up. (Sprinter dealer said there was no abnormal draw) They called for the specs for the hook up and found that it was wired incorrectly. It may be just a coincedence but we used the free 6 months that came with the RV of the Sirrius Radio. It expired in October and it was November when we first found the dead battery. I'm wondering if the with the incorrect wiring the radio kept searching for the Sirrius signal. what ever the case it has been home now for over a week and the battery started it today with no hesitation. So I'm hopeful for the first time that it is fixed. I love the staff at General RV in Wayland Mi. They have been so good to deal with and so helpfull. Will post if anything more develops.

[Docs9788]

Well, I'm optimistic that our battery problem has been fixed. After getting back from the Sprinter dealer that put a 3rd new battery and it going dead also in 4 days we decided not to waste anymor time with them. We called the RV dealer that we purchased from and talked to their service department. They said there was no way the battery should be going dead in that amount of time. We took off one afternoon and took the View back to them to look at. (Two hour drive) We dook two viehicles and left the View there. We also had them install the surge protector. OT. The service manager said what a good choice that was. He said they get several service visits each year with electrical problems from surges and brown outs. We also got 15% off since we bought our RV there. Also got the oil changed while it was there. Only $89 there. Everyone close to us was quoting close to 200 for the oil change.

OK back to the battery issue. He said they found to large of a draw coming from the satalite radio hook up. (Sprinter dealer said there was no abnormal draw) They called for the specs for the hook up and found that it was wired incorrectly. It may be just a coincedence but we used the free 6 months that came with the RV of the Sirrius Radio. It expired in October and it was November when we first found the dead battery. I'm wondering if the with the incorrect wiring the radio kept searching for the Sirrius signal. what ever the case it has been home now for over a week and the battery started it today with no hesitation. So I'm hopeful for the first time that it is fixed. I love the staff at General RV in Wayland Mi. They have been so good to deal with and so helpfull. Will post if anything more develops.

Greetings from Red Bluff, CA. We are on the road...on our way to visit my Mother in Las Vegas. We took our view into the Dealer in Salem, Oregon (Dick Withnell Dodge) and had it gone through again....they spoke with BOTH Winnebago and Daimler Chrysler and Chrysler set us up with a rental car and told Withnell motors to go through it again...again NOTHING problematic was found...so we,,,AT OUR EXPENSE installed a Battery/Charger/Maintainer.....it is a low power gizmo like is used for maintaining the charge on a trolling motor battery (12-volt, 1.5 amp, under hood charger/maintainer that you PLUG in) and that is the "Solution" so far. To date we have had NO problems when we disconnected the Battery Isolater (the plug under the gas pedal)...but Daimler/Chrysler INSISTS that should NOT be necessary...so the Battery Charger/maintainer was set up as a stop gap solution until someone comes up with something better. We are STILL on the battery we got with the rig...no replacement of the battery has been necessary....YET...and since we plug the rig into the Charger/Maintainer when not in use...VROOOOOM starts right up....SO FAR!! What is the latest with YOUR Saga???

"Doc"

[Altered Sprinter]

Greetings from Red Bluff, CA. We are on the road...on our way to visit my Mother in Las Vegas. We took our view into the Dealer in Salem, Oregon (Dick Withnell Dodge) and had it gone through again....they spoke with BOTH Winnebago and Daimler Chrysler and Chrysler set us up with a rental car and told Withnell motors to go through it again...again NOTHING problematic was found...so we,,,AT OUR EXPENSE installed a Battery/Charger/Maintainer.....it is a low power gizmo like is used for maintaining the charge on a trolling motor battery (12-volt, 1.5 amp, under hood charger/maintainer that you PLUG in) and that is the "Solution" so far. To date we have had NO problems when we disconnected the Battery Isolater (the plug under the gas pedal)...but Daimler/Chrysler INSISTS that should NOT be necessary...so the Battery Charger/maintainer was set up as a stop gap solution until someone comes up with something better. We are STILL on the battery we got with the rig...no replacement of the battery has been necessary....YET...and since we plug the rig into the Charger/Maintainer when not in use...VROOOOOM starts right up....SO FAR!! What is the latest with YOUR Saga???

"Doc"
Question : Your unit on your Winnie should have an on-board 12v integrated distribution control panel & energy systems, to visually see whats going on, when not in use.
This is an exclusive stand alone unit that does not interfere with Mercedes Electrics?
My thought as to my question is! What did Winne put in your van, to monitor the electric system?
Richard
Winnie-the poos down under.
12206

[gpross]

I am not surprised at the dead battery issue if the steps indeed draw .8 amps. Taken over 24 hours x 4 days is a drain of about 80 amps on the starter battery. That type of load would significantly deplete any Deep Cycle Battery, let alone a starter battery.

The construction of the two batteries is somewhat different as the the starter battery is designed to deliver short bursts of high amperage to turn a starter motor, where the deep cycle has heavier (and fewer) plates to allow for longer drain. I honestly doubt that any starter battery, in any modern vehicle, would be happy with this level of drain over 4 or 5 days. Just try leaving the dome light on in your personal car for 3 days.

I believe the step is wired to the vehicle battery to ensure the steps deploy when the master coach battery switch is turned off. Probably a product of a lawyer wanting to avoid a lawsuit should you enter the vehicle thru a passenger door and attempt to exit through the coach door when the coach power is off. The fall would be painful at best.

I am not saying it is great, or necessary..just that it is that way. The only solution I see is to use the disconnect under the dash on the drivers side, or to rewire the steps. I suppose you could trip the circuit breaker that controls the slide and steps instead.

BTW On the Diesel models, a cross over switch allows you to use the energy in the coach battery to start the rig when you deplete the starter battery. Something I have done 2 x in 1 month of ownership. Is it not there on the gas rigs?

Gary in Oregon

[Docs9788]

I am not surprised at the dead battery issue if the steps indeed draw .8 amps. Taken over 24 hours x 4 days is a drain of about 80 amps on the starter battery. That type of load would significantly deplete any Deep Cycle Battery, let alone a starter battery.

The construction of the two batteries is somewhat different as the the starter battery is designed to deliver short bursts of high amperage to turn a starter motor, where the deep cycle has heavier (and fewer) plates to allow for longer drain. I honestly doubt that any starter battery, in any modern vehicle, would be happy with this level of drain over 4 or 5 days. Just try leaving the dome light on in your personal car for 3 days.

I believe the step is wired to the vehicle battery to ensure the steps deploy when the master coach battery switch is turned off. Probably a product of a lawyer wanting to avoid a lawsuit should you enter the vehicle thru a passenger door and attempt to exit through the coach door when the coach power is off. The fall would be painful at best.

I am not saying it is great, or necessary..just that it is that way. The only solution I see is to use the disconnect under the dash on the drivers side, or to rewire the steps. I suppose you could trip the circuit breaker that controls the slide and steps instead.

BTW On the Diesel models, a cross over switch allows you to use the energy in the coach battery to start the rig when you deplete the starter battery. Something I have done 2 x in 1 month of ownership. Is it not there on the gas rigs?

Gary in Oregon

Greetings! Well....we've been the route with this issue. Winnebago AND Chrysler do NOT understand it. The BOTH say it SHOULD NOT be occurring. their SHORT TERM solution was to have us install a Battery Maintainer under the hood and plug it in when its going to be parked for a while. We have done that and, to date, that has SOLVED the problem. Again..this is NOT the solution either Winnebago or Chrysler is satisfied with...ONLY a short term solution while they CONTINUE to work on the issue.

NOW as to the NEW list of Wonderful issues. The Front Center Support Bearing failed while we were traveling in Las Vegas last month (April 2009) and we had it replaced ONLY to be told the REAR bearing was also gone...we drove home and had it replaced ONLY to be told the Drive shaft was also "Soft" and needed replacement.....We are currently awaiting the new drive shaft. ALL this on a Vehicle with 7-Thousand ORIGINAL Miles!!! Go figure....
Will keep forum updated on what occurs with both issues.

"Doc"

[Altered Sprinter]

12941
Richard

[gpross]

Hi "Doc"


Where do you get your chassis work done? Withnell in Salem or some one in Portland. What were the symptoms of the bearing failure?

Keep us posted

Gary

[ilovemyview]

What's up doc? Bet you get sick of hearing that, but I couldn't resist. Hope things are going better for you. I'm afarid after your second problem there with the View I'd have had a for sale sign on mine. Things are going well with us. We have the view out of storage and de-winterized. It (and we) are ready to roll in two weeks. Have your RV service people check the wiring to the satalite radio. That is what they fixed on ours and it has not gone dead since. We did put a battery tender on but have not had to use it since they fixed the wiring for the radio. YEAHHHH. Keep us posted.

[adker]

Try moving the "Radio Power" switch from Engine to House and see if the house batteries discharge in four or five days. This is an obscure but known problem which causes the front radio to draw powerall the time. I believe it is a wiring problem in the satellite wiring.

[glas1700]

Since this thread is pretty old, I just skimmed it for the relevant facts. I didn't see the battery disconnect switch under the dash mentioned, but I may have missed it. It's the easiest way to isolate the chassis battery when the coach is being stored. Pertinent info is in your owner's manual.

Many members of the Yahoo View/Navion group have installed a Trik-L-Start to maintain the chassis battery whenever the coach is connected to AC power. They're inexpensive, easy to install and I have yet to read of a major problem with them.

Byron 07 Navion

[NavionIQ]

I have a 2008 (Diesel)...battery problems from the start. Dealers replaced 3 batteries. I finally found the problem. It was the "battery cover" under the floor mat. It was touching the cable wire connection and shorting out. One year latter and no problems. I do disconnect at the gas pedal if I am going to leave the unit for a week or longer.
NavionIQ