is there a switch inside that changes from battery power over to plug in power,,,,,i noticed that sometimes it seems change automatically ...when i plug in everything works..when i unplug lights still work..but when i start the rig lights go off fer a time then go on by themselves ....i dont have a generator hooked in at the moment can u explain the system here?

On mine there is no switching needed unless you use the generator. I wonder if you might have the house power tied into the starting battery somehow. Could be at the battery isolator under the hood. The battery isolator lets the engine charge the house batteries and starting battery at the same time while the engine is running but won't let the house lights and such draw off the starting battery.

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

I know this is an old thread, but here goes anyway...

If your vehicle is still in it's original format with a 30 amp receptacle for generator input just aft of the battery box in the long compartment on the driver's side, and if you're battery isolator is still the "Echlin type", which is an ignition-activated normally open continuous-duty relay, there shouldn't be any delay at all. These isolators are really simple (and rugged) and there is no way they could stick in the open position. On the other hand, in my view of things, they also have a flaw in their design. When the ignition is turned to the "Run" position, your house and chassis batteries are electrically tied together, which is great for charging both batteries when running down the road. However, if you manage to run your house batteries down while camping and you don't have a generator on board for recharging them, when you attempt to start the engine it is quite possible for the low house batteries to also drag down the chassis battery voltage to their level. This is because when several batteries are connected together, either in series or parallel, the entire set will automatically drop to the voltage of the worst battery (or cell) in the system. I work with large off-grid battery systems all the time and it's the same with them as it is in a vehicle.

This has nothing to do with your particular problem (if it IS a problem) at the moment, but I worked around the issue in my GTC by replacing the original isolator with an electronic one that is a "true" isolator that won't allow the problem to occur. Kind of pricey and fun to make the change, but worth every penny and minute!

Is this type of isolator the one that looks like a Ford starter solenoid? I still have the old style one and my rig normally isn't plugged in because it's in the street a lot. The house batteries go down to where not even the 12v lights inside work but the engine always starts fine. I don't seem to have any drag down by the house batteries. I thought this was the whole point of the isolator.

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

Yep. That's the item, alright. The purpose of the isolator is to separate the batteries when the ign is in the "off" position while camping. Contact is made when the switch in in the "run" position, and in my case, it was also in contact when in the "accessory" position. Someone probably mis-wired it thinking that they were making it better. The way these switches function is that power to the solenoid coil is provided via the ignition switch. You get the picture.

I should have also added that it's possible that your isolator isn't working, which would definitely keep the batteries from draining each other. You should also check the in-line fuse on the battery box on the positive input from the switch. I went through several of them that appeared to be fine, but weren't! My plan is still to replace that fuse with a DC breaker because of the vulnerable location and the need to keep a spare fuse.

I know that when I run the engine, the house batteries are getting charged. I run the engine for a while every month and drive it around a couple blocks just to keep things going. I think my system is working properly. Same way my other motorhome works.

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Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com

Then your solenoid is different from the one that I removed from mine. Lucky!

My Brougham has a solid state one in a big aluminum heatsink.

Sent from my HTC One M8 via Tapatalk 4 Pro

_________________
Nick Taylor - Green & White 1974 Hall GTC.
www.NicksGarage.com == www.HallGTC.com == www.NicksTeardrop.com