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Topic: Advice installing new 8D Lifeline batteries. (Read 922 times) previous topic - next topic
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Advice installing new 8D Lifeline batteries.

Yahoo Message Number: 101282
Just purchased 2 new lifelines for my 2008 allure.  Looking for guidelines to install them. Looks pretty straight forward, will take  a picture of the cables before I start. Have two young ones to do the lifting.  What order do I disconnect the cables, I will disconnect shore power first. Do I  turn off the inverter? Anything else need to be done?

Mike Spinetti

2008 allure #31619

Re: Advice installing new 8D Lifeline batteries.

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 101283
Really pretty straight forward. Disconnect shore power, turn the inverter off and try to shed as many 12vdc loads as possible. Take a picture of the cable layout, also tag the connectors and note how many go on each terminal. Remove all cables from the batteries starting with the negative cables first. and then bring in the muscle. Install the new batteries, recheck your pictures and reconnect the plus cables first and then the negative. Turn everything on.
 The reason I say count the cables per terminal is that a friend of mine missed one which fell down behind the battery and it caused him all kinds of problems.
 When I installed my AGMs, I used a transmission jack to get them out of the truck bed and into the battery bay

Don

'02 Intrigue 11427
'02 Intrigue #11427

Re: Advice installing new 8D Lifeline batteries.

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 101284
I do shut off all the battery draws (inverter, etc) before I disconnect or connect batteries.  Good practice to prevent arcing or sparking when connected the circuit.

I would also disconnect the chassis and coach main disconnects.

I usually disconnect main ground first, then the other battery ground, then both positive.  I reconnect in opposite order.

Hope this helps,
Brian

Re: Advice installing new 8D Lifeline batteries.

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 101289
I'm about to do the same thing to an Allure that's only 8 coaches older than Mike's.  Guess that makes the two of us cousins, at least.  However, I'll be installing 6-6 volts.  His questions, though, equally apply.
 I'm concerned about the pre-disconnect set up.  Here's what I was planning to turn off.  Please see if I missed anything:

* battery disconnect at front door * breaker on main 120VAC distribution panel * breaker on sub-120VAC distribution panel * pull shore power plug
* inverter

From the very helpful posts above: * What/where are the "chassis and coach main disconnects"? * What do you mean by "other 12V loads, etc."? IOW, are there some specific blade fuses I need to pull on the 12VDC distribution panel?
 Mike (or anyone else who knows), do you know the AWG of the battery cables on our coach?  I'm betting they are 0000; but they could be 00.  I donno how to measure them.  The insulation could be any thickness; so, a caliper is useless.

Jerry Lewis

Re: Advice installing new 8D Lifeline batteries.

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 101299
In my 2007 Allure the coach main disconnect is located at the front door (like yours) and my chassis main disconnect is located in the battery compartment on the vertical panel with the red buttons (circuit breakers for major 12 V systems).  The "main disconnects" disconnect the 12V systems from the batteries.  My 2007 has the inverter is wired independent of the disconnects.  If you turn off these 2 main disconnects and the inverter there should be no other 12V loads to shed - you do not need to pull additional fuses (they are all located after the disconnects and inverter "off"switch.

My cables are 2/0 AWG on the batteries.  I suspect yours are similar.

Hope this helps.
Brian