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Ignition Key

Yahoo Message Number: 89187
Country Coach Owners Association
An answer if you would, to a very stupid move.
In our SOB, there was a momentary switch for opening and closing slides. CC opted for walking forward and turning on the ignition key and remembering to turn it off before leaving the coach. Seven years we've had the unit, have always been afraid I would forget the ignition key one day. There is no buzzer (and never been one) when the key was on and engine not running. Whelp, it happened and it was on for 48 hours before I fortunately discovered my mistake. It was hooked up to 50amp, indoor storage. Can anyone tell me what damage I might have done? It starts and runs, inverter was warm but that's all I can make out for now. It seemed to cool down quickly. Don't understand why the inverter would have gotten warm, it was not on. But then again, most of the gremlins running through wiring are a mystery to me anyway.
And, any insight on what to do next, other than running a string from the ignition to an appendage on my person? Replies, directly or otherwise, most appreciated.

Lon

'06 Inspire

Re: Ignition Key

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 89189
Lon, I don't think anything got hurt except your pride. The inverter was warm because it was charging your house batteries because the Echo charger was charging your chassis battery because you left the key on.

Don

'02 Intrigue #11427
'02 Intrigue #11427

Re: Ignition Key

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 89201
I too doubt any harm was done. But it prompts me with a question about the Inspire's. Is opening and closing the slide without the engine running OK to do. My 04 Allure manual says to run engine when operating slide. So, we run the engine when doing so. (We also open a window, as we found out the hard way what happens if you have two roof air cranking, and the windows closed and try to open the bigger slides:)!
Curious about if different CC's slide's are OK to operate without running the engines?

Thanks, and best to all,
Smittu
04 Allure Sold to a nice new owner! Now enjoying a 07 Magna Rembrandt 45' ISX600 #6775
"We're ONDROAD for THEJRNY!" (Toad and Coach license plates, say Hi if you see us!)

Re: Ignition Key

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 89203
Smitty,

I believe the reason that CC states that the engine should be running to operate the slides is to insure there is always sufficient voltage to operate the motor for the slides. If there is not enough voltage, the motor will not operate at all. As a matter of practice, I always run my engine when operating the slides.

Fred Compton
2005 Magna #6454

Re: Ignition Key

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 89227
If the slides power from the chassis batteries, being plugged into shore (or gen running) gets the inverter charging the house batteries. Now depends on the battery combiner, some can pass high amperage and some only pass very low. If it is one that is low, and the chassis batteries are weak or even somewhat weak then it wont be able to keep up with the demands of the slide motor/pump motor. Always a good idea to have the main engine running when operating to keep voltage up. And even if the slides draw from the house batteries, having the engine running is just as beneficial since the alternator charges both banks somewhat equally.

Jim

From:seeya2003 Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2013 12:22 PM To:Country-Coach-Owners@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Country-Coach-Owners] Re: Ignition Key

Even when hooked up to 50 amps?

Quote from: "Fred Compton"
Smitty,

I believe the reason that CC states that the engine
should be running to operate the slides is to insure there is always sufficient voltage to operate the motor for the slides. If there is not enough voltage, the motor will not operate at all. As a matter of practice, I always run my engine when operating the slides.

Quote
>

Fred

Compton

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>

2005 Magna #6454
From: mailto:Country-Coach-Owners%40yahoogroups.com [mailto:mailto:Country-Coach-Owners%40yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of GSmith77_7

Quote
Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2013 9:49 AM >
To: mailto:Country-Coach-Owners%40yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Country-Coach-Owners] Re: Ignition Key

Quote
>

I too doubt any harm was done. But it prompts me with
a question about the Inspire's. Is opening and closing the slide without the engine running OK to do. My 04 Allure manual says to run engine when operating slide. So, we run the engine when doing so. (We also open a window, as we found out the hard way what happens if you have two roof air cranking, and the windows closed and try to open the bigger slides:)!

Quote
>

Curious about if
different CC's slide's are OK to operate without running the engines?

Quote
>

Thanks, and best to all,
Smittu

--- In
href="mailto:Country-Coach-Owners%40yahoogroups.com">mailto:Country-Coach-Owners%40yahoogroups.com , Lon Walters wrote:

Quote

> An answer if you would, to
a very stupid move.

Quote

>
>

> In
our SOB, there was a momentary switch for opening and closing slides. CC opted for walking forward and turning on the ignition key and remembering to turn it off before leaving the coach. Seven years we�ve had the unit, have always been afraid I would forget the ignition key one day. There is no buzzer (and never been one) when the key was on and engine not running. Whelp, it happened and it was on for 48 hours before I fortunately discovered my mistake. It was hooked up to 50amp, indoor storage. Can anyone tell me what damage I might have done? It starts and runs, inverter was warm but that�s all I can make out for now. It seemed to cool down quickly. Don�t understand why the inverter would have gotten warm, it was not on. But then again, most of the gremlins running through wiring are a mystery to me anyway.

Quote

>
>

> And, any insight on what to do next,
other than running a string from the ignition to an appendage on my person? Replies, directly or otherwise, most appreciated.

Quote

>
>
> Lon
>

> �06

Inspire

Re: Ignition Key

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 89232
I'm a little confused.

At the end of a driving day and after I plug into shore power, why do I have to be concerned about having the engine on or not when I put out the slides? Are not my batteries (House and Chassis) charged to full capacity? And after I set the leveling jacks, if I start the engine how does that effect the airbags?
I leave my back up camera on while I pull out the slides to remind me that my ignition key is 'on'

Michael

05 Inspire 51381

**************************************** Note: Do Not Use @...
email: met6195@...

Michael Title

Halfmoon Bay, BC, Canada
CDN Cell: 604.741.3328

San Miguel De Allende, GTO Mexico MEX Cell: [52] 415.100.1543
 

Re: Ignition Key

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 89292
I recently had my coach at HWH and they discovered a diode in the ground wire to the hydraulic pump for the slice. They could not determine why it was there and removed it. Before the diode was removed I had to run the engine to operate the slide. Now I don't.
At the Cody CCI rally I ask Eric from Premiere Coach why the diode was installed. He thinks the diode was place on the ground wire to protect the pump from a possible voltage spike that the Xantrex MSW inverter can put on the ground. He told me to make sure the inverter was turned off before trying to operate the slide. Apparently there is a large capacitor that can discharge with the MSW inverter causing the voltage spike on the ground. He said that a pure sine wave inverter like the Magnum does not have the same problem.

pete

2000 40' Magna, CAT C10 #5890
Pete
 2000 40'  Magna #5892  CAT C-10