Trik-L-Start

[stevek]

Well, I just got done installing a Trik-L-Start on my Born Free.
My thanks to Mel for giving me the idea.
I will keep you up to date on its operation and if all goes OK and no more dead battery.

I still had a problem with a dead starting battery.
Even though I had my Born Free plugged in to shore power, the last time I was ready to leave for a RV trip, my battery was dead.
And on top of that, my Aux. Start did not work.
Engine would turn over but would not stay running. I tried a number of times.
And the battery is only about a year old.
So I had to hook up my battery charger to get going. Lost a couple of hours before living on our trip.

..... I am hoping this Trik-L-Start will leave me with no more dead batts.

[whemme]

Well, I just got done installing a Trik-L-Start on my Born Free.
My thanks to Mel for giving me the idea.
I will keep you up to date on its operation and if all goes OK and no more dead battery.

I still had a problem with a dead starting battery.
Even though I had my Born Free plugged in to shore power, the last time I was ready to leave for a RV trip, my battery was dead.
And on top of that, my Aux. Start did not work.
Engine would turn over but would not stay running. I tried a number of times.
And the battery is only about a year old.
So I had to hook up my battery charger to get going. Lost a couple of hours before living on our trip.

..... I am hoping this Trik-L-Start will leave me with no more dead batts.

Steve,

Fact #1: Being plugged into shore line power will not provide any charge to your chassis battery.

Fact #2: If you engine would turn over, then your chassis battery was not dead. If your coach's engine would turn over but not start and stay running, a possible cause would be a bad fuel pump located inside the fuel tank. I don't understand why hooking up a battery charger to your chassis battery would allow your engine to start and keep running if in fact the engine would turn over before hooking up a charger to the chassis battery ??? That doesn't sound logical to me.

[stevek]

Thanks Bill... Fact 1, I agree.

Regarding Fact 2.
Let me repeat my event.
Went to start my BF
Battery Dead. Would not turn over. No clicks. I think the battery was fully discharged.
I pushed the Aux. Start Button.
Engine turned over, engine starts, but would not continue to run after I released Aux. Start Button.
Repeated.
Still engine would not run.

This has happened to me a number of times before.
I think when the engine battery is fully DEAD.
Battery is about a year old.

One reason for a dead battery is Radio.... I think.
When there is a Weather Warning, Radio turns on automatically.
Not sure if it turns off automatically, or just runs down batt.

[Mike Jean Bandfield]

When there is a Weather Warning, Radio turns on automatically.
Not sure if it turns off automatically, or just runs down batt.

You can be assured that if the radio is receiving weather warnings that it is turned on all the time. It may be in a low power mode (receive only) but it is still drawing current if it can receive a weather warning! The TrikL Start is a possible solution if it supplies a continuous current replacement larger than the radio's usage. Another solution might be a cutoff switch on the radio to use while in storage but that might erase presets. Is there a way to turn this weather alert feature off during storage?

I've been considering a new radio and your ongoing saga with this one is illustrating what to avoid.

PS. My diesel might be different but it doesn't begin charging the battery until ~30 seconds after the engine starts. If your V10 is the same it will loose spark and fuel for that period of time. ...could explain what is going on with the aux start.

Mike

[randallrae]

Steve we have 2012 with the built in weather radio , but it only works with the ignition on . You could check with Kim at the factory , maybe this was a problem with the radio when they started installing them , and maybe he would suggest a fix .

[whemme]

Thanks Bill... Fact 1, I agree.

Regarding Fact 2.
Let me repeat my event.
Went to start my BF
Battery Dead. Would not turn over. No clicks. I think the battery was fully discharged.
I pushed the Aux. Start Button.
Engine turned over, engine starts, but would not continue to run after I released Aux. Start Button.
Repeated.
Still engine would not run.

This has happened to me a number of times before.
I think when the engine battery is fully DEAD.
Battery is about a year old.

One reason for a dead battery is Radio.... I think.
When there is a Weather Warning, Radio turns on automatically.
Not sure if it turns off automatically, or just runs down batt.

Steve, concerning my Fact #2, now I understand better what you did. Evidently your chassis battery was discharged completely. When you started the engine using the AUX Start Button (engine now cranking from the house batteries), the engine started but when you released the AUX Start Button, the engine was connected back to the fully discharged chassis battery which did not have enough voltage to run the engine's ignition system and fuel pump so the engine promptly died. Makes complete sense to me now.

[oliverpsmile]

Is it required that the ignition key of the engine be on ON position when using the Aux Switch in order for the engine to continue running and providing enough voltage to all loads?

P.S. Do old BF can start the engine from the house batteries? What is the procedure?

[whemme]

Is it required that the ignition key of the engine be on ON position when using the Aux Switch in order for the engine to continue running and providing enough voltage to all loads? Yes

P.S. Do old BF can start the engine from the house batteries? What is the procedure? Born Free installed that feature in some of their coaches. The AUX Start Button when pressed caused the house batteries to be connected to the engine starter to be able to start the coach when the chassis battery was too discharged but had enough of a charge left to run the ignition and electric fuel pump.

My answers in red print above.

Below is copied this feature out of the Owners Manual for year 2015 Born Free coaches. I don't know if this a standard feature now or is an option.

[randallrae]

You can also use this switch if the coach batteries are to low to start the generator .

[ewagman]

If my 2003 BF has an emergency start button, I am not aware of it. Where should I look for it to be located? So far, I have never had the need for it, I keep a battery tender on the engine battery, it is always topped off.

[stevek]

On my Born Free, there is a large rocker switch located low on the instrument panel, left of the steering wheel.
Mine is not labeled. My switch was labeled with a paper sticky, but it fell off.
On the undercarriage, behind the drivers seat and fastened to the frame there is a solenoid associated with this Aux. Starting Switch.
My switch looks like the above picture posted by Bill H.
Good luck. Hope yours has it.

[oliverpsmile]

Steve

Did you have your ignition key on ON position when you were cracking the engine from the house batteries? Bill said that the key must be on ON position.

And if it were not the case, what was the mystery for the unsuccessful start ?

[whemme]

While holding down the Emergency Aux Start switch, the regular ignition switch must be rotated into the start position for the engine to crank.

That is explained in the graphic posted in my post above and repeated below.

[stevek]

Yes the key was on.
It will be interesting to see with the Trik L Start if I ever have a dead engine battery again.
Will keep you posted.

[bcope01]

You should be good Steve as long as you keep your coach connected to shore power.

I use a similar product called a Deltran Battery Tender Junior 12V @ 0.75A, a complete 4-step charger/maintainer (Initialization, Bulk Charge, Absorption Mode, Float Mode). I just plug it into the cigarette lighter receptacle to keep the chassis battery topped off while my coach is stored/parked.

Bill