Dead Auxiliary Batteries

Post your general and technical information, questions or responses in this forum. Viewing messages is open to all with no registration or log-in required. Prior to posting a new message or a response to an existing message, registration or login is required. Please do not post FOR SALE or WANTED ads in this section!

Moderator: bfadmin

User avatar
karls
Posts: 118
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2006 9:55 pm

Post by karls »

Together with your mechanical aptitude and Bill Hemme's excellent "how to" mentioned earlier in this thread by cmeadows I'd go for it.

I did the switch last year and it was easy with Bill's description.

Karl
User avatar
cmeadows
Posts: 156
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 5:54 pm

Dead Auxiliary Batteries

Post by cmeadows »

Jeff,

You can do this.

In addition to Bill Hemme's instructions, you may want to read the installation and operation manual for the Progressive Dynamics PD4655V.

Link to PDF manual . . .
http://www.progressivedyn.com/pdfs/4600 ... _guide.pdf

General information . . .
http://www.progressivedyn.com/pd4600_co ... ement.html

I chose to install the whole kit including the new DC circuit board with the Wizard Mode Button. The Progressive Dynamics PD4655V unit does a good job of keeping the batteries charged and I've not found many reasons to use the wizard button.

You might want to charge your batteries one more time and take them in to be load tested. This will tell the story as to whether they need to be replaced. If they are dead, you may as well ask for an adjustment toward a new pair if you know where they were purchased.

Chuck
Chuck & Laura Meadows
'99 24RB PSD
jefe

Post by jefe »

Update for anyone interested.

The initial problem I had was exactly as Bill and Sam and Chuck and everyone have described. Both batteries were toast, surely because they were left charging for the past few months while the coach was on a lot for sale. One battery was covered under warranty and I replaced the other. I bought the PD converter which ironically was shipped out from their shop about 5 miles from my house. This was a relatively easy upgrade with Bill's walkthrough. Everything is working well and hopefully my batteries will enjoy their new friend. Thanks to everyone for their help, it made the fix so much easier.

One last question for Bill -
Why did you opt to upgrade from the original 45amp parallax to a 55amp PD. PD claims you shouldn't increase amps, probably for liability purposes, but I did so anyhow because I assume you have your reasons.

Cheers
bill crommett

Chargers

Post by bill crommett »

Jeff: There is a different physical dimension to the various chargers. I opted for the 45 amp deal and had a difficult time finding room for it. The bigger one has different dimensions and would have been a better choice for finding replacement space.
User avatar
whemme
Posts: 2110
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2005 8:05 pm

Post by whemme »

jefe wrote:One last question for Bill -
Why did you opt to upgrade from the original 45amp parallax to a 55amp PD. PD claims you shouldn't increase amps, probably for liability purposes, but I did so anyhow because I assume you have your reasons.

Cheers
jefe,

When I did my original upgrade to a 3-stage Progressive Dynamics charger/converter back in 2005, their model PD4655 that I now recommend was not available yet. I actually installed their available at that time PD9160A which of course was a 60 amp unit. That unit did not come with a mounting chassis that was directly interchangeable with the Parallax 7345 charger/converter requiring that the chassis for the Parallax 7345 be gutted and reused to mount the PD9160A inside it. As Bill Crommet notes in his post above, it is hard to believe but the 45 amp model PD9145A is actually physically larger than the PD9160A and would not fit in the Parallax chassis. The PD9160A unit was enough smaller to enable it to fit inside the Parallax chassis.So, I have been running this 60-amp PD9160A in my Born Free now for 9 years the higher charge current output has not caused any problems.

Therefore I have no problem recommending the 55-amp PD4655 charger/converter. This unit is much easier to install as it comes built into a chassis that is directly interchangeable with the Parallax 7345 chassis.
Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad
Post Reply

Return to “General and Technical Information, Questions, and Responses”