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Topic: Solenoid (battery boost) failures. (Read 1441 times) previous topic - next topic
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Solenoid (battery boost) failures.

Yahoo Message Number: 5130
My little darlin' just consumed its second solenoid, costing me another $150.00. The first time starting was intermittent and it took the Cummins dealer in Yakima over three hours to fix it. This time a mobile guy in the Coachella Valley area (Palm Springs/Indio) replaced it.

Three items that I learned:
1) The solenoid (located on the wall of the engine bay, lower right forward as you look in the access door to the engine --- below the oil reservior in my case, just forward of the the passenger side tail light) is only 80 amps. The guy who put the latest one in recommended a 200 amp Ford replacement. I am somewhat nervous about this approach, as I know that electrical circuit and component protection is a high design priority at CC. The lower amperage part may be acting as protection for the starter.

2) The mechanic told me that the reason they fry is because the system draws more and more current when the batteries are low (I forgot to plug my charger in when I parked it last time). Voltage is inverse to current, is what he said. This means that grinding the starter when the chassis battery is low is the kiss of death for the solenoid. Wiser to plug it in for 8-10 hours or run the genset if low voltage is suspected. I just replaced my chassis batteries (three years old) and I think that as they aged, it contirbuted to the earlier failure.

3) The soleniod is very easy to install and CC sells part 02427,
Soleniod, Battery Boost 12V, 80 AMP for $18.00!!! I now have one in my stash.

Appartently there is another solenoid in the starter circuit loacted behind the kick panel on the front of the dash on the passengers side (some of us have Davis cabinetry there). I have not had the pleasure of having one of those fail. It seems the back one is more prone to dying.

Regards, Chuck Gauthier
La Quinta, CA

Intrigue 11142 - 2000 40'

Incidentally, the service in the desert that I used is:

Premier Motorcoach Services
760 272-0963. Bermuda Dunes, CA

Beaver-Prevost-Monaco-Alpine-Bluebird-CC

He came highly recommended by other coach owners at our golf club.
 

Re: Solenoid (battery boost) failures.

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 5132
Quote
Three items that I learned:--- > > 1) The solenoid (located on the wall of the engine bay, lower right > forward as you look in the access door to the engine --- below the > oil reservior in my case, just forward of the the passenger side tail > light) is only 80 amps. The guy who put the latest one in recommended > a 200 amp Ford replacement. I am somewhat nervous about this > approach, as I know that electrical circuit and component protection > is a high design priority at CC. The lower amperage part may be > acting as protection for the starter.
They fry because the circuit may draw more than 80Amp. The rating on a solenoid is the maximum Amperage it is able to switch on/off (without frying, one might add). Thus buying one that is overrated is better, and helps prevent them from frying prematurely.
You will experience the same problem at home when you have a candle light with a small switch (say rated for a 60 Watt bulb). Now you screw in a 200 Watt bulb, you may hear that little switch spark and likely fry.

Quote
2) The mechanic told me that the reason they fry is because the > system draws more and more current when the batteries are low (I > forgot to plug my charger in when I parked it last time). Voltage is > inverse to current, is what he said. This means that grinding the > starter when the chassis battery is low is the kiss of death for the > solenoid. Wiser to plug it in for 8-10 hours or run the genset if low > voltage is suspected. I just replaced my chassis batteries (three > years old) and I think that as they aged, it contirbuted to the > earlier failure.
Chuck, forget that lesson. Your mechanic is confused about electical issues. When you draw more Amps from a battery, the voltage level will drop. He is incorrectly inverting this theory by stating that when the battery's voltage is low, the consuming circuit will pull more Amperage.
[with proper electronics, that is possible, but an engine starter motor is a very simple device without such electronics]
In summary, your mechanic did the right thing for the wrong reason...