No power to Igniton switch

[iamflagman]

Originally Posted by isp2952

I want to thank one and all for your eagerness to help. You all are valuable friends, even though we have not met. I owe you all a lot of gratitude for trying to help a total idiot. At least that is the way I feel. It will become obvious later in this message. I am one of those people that is completely in the dark when it comes to anything automotive. I know how to build a house, wire it, plumb it, and do other light mechanical work on appliances and mowers and so on. But something about anything to do with automobiles or in this case a coach and I vapor lock. Out of frustration I called me good friend Bob, the P.O. Bob is aware, as all of you good folks aren't, that I am lacking a lot in knowledge of anything to do with auto mechanics. So the first thing he asked me was to tell him what the DC Volts Engine gauge read. It read 0. He told me that the coach batteries were replaced last year but that the engine batteries (3) were old enough that he could not recall when they were installed. He told me to put a meter on the two jumper posts at the rear. I told him I didn't have one because most of my stuff was in storage, but that I would go buy another and check it. He suggested that I put a charger on the two posts and try charging them to see if I get anthing going at all. So, I put the charger on and in less than 10 minutes there was enough voltage to register on the guage. I turned the key and the buzzers started and there was a light on the transmission button, in neutral. So I removed the 3 batteries and I went to my local Interstate battery dealer and bought three batteries at a total of $307.21 including tax and core exchange. Guess what, it started! I felt like an idiot. I assumed I would have some warning the batteries were about to fail. Not only that I also assumed the Auxillary Battery switch would get me going if the engine batteries were weak. I guess it will when they are weak but not when they are totally useless.
So, as I am writing this, we are sitting at the shores of Lake Michigan, by the beach, enjoying ourselves. All thanks to all of you and your willingness to come to the aid of someone that is much less knowledgable than you. Just as a side note I wasn't sure I was going to make it here even after discovering the batteries were my initial problem. Note, I said initial problem. When I started the coach the Safe-Line buzzer would not stop. The antenna was down, the coach was unplugged from shore power. I opened up the overhead guage compartment and unhooked the buzzer. I then noticed that the 12 volt lights in the rear of the coach flickered about every 15 seconds. I noticed the guage for Leg One flicker in unison with the lights. I threw all the breakers, switches, and anything else you can think of and nothing stopped them because they still were working off the house batteris. I wear hearing aids and can't hear as good as normal, even with them. So I called my wife out to the coach and asked her to listen if she could hear anything when the lights flickered. She traced it to the rear closet in the bedroom. Underneath there are a number of relays, I guess that's what they are. I could hear the clicking once I opened up the floor in the closet and saw the stuff in there. I saw six relays(?) all marked with black marker 1-6. I touched each one at the time the light flickered. When I got to #6 I felt a distinct vibration inside. I pulled one of th wires and they stopped!!! I'm not sure what it does. Everything seems to work as it should or at least everything that is in use as I right this. I don't know if either one of these problems have anything to do with the fact that the engine batteries were bad or what. But I guess I need to come up with a new relay(?) if that is what it is.
As a side note about everthing I touched the last couple of days broke or needed some sort of attention, gas grill, camp stove, Zip Dee Awning. It has been one of those times you wonder what the **** else could go wrong!!!
In conclusion to this long reply is that all of you that said, "Don't overlook the obvious." you were so right! Nobody said it but "Keep it simple stupid" comes to mind also. That is why I panicked at first because I read all the posts about all the different problems others have had and how complicated they were. Like the Brian Altier situation mentioned above. So I will again say thanks for all of you that responded to my plea for help. I hope to someday get to meet all of you and personally thank you.
Jim

Jim,

I'm just glad that you got your 'Bird to start and you and your wife are enjoying yourself. Now to the important stuff, I have been known to take a little advantage of some of our members "MISADVENTURES" in the past just like I did with Blair when he woke up one morning while on vacation and when he got ready to leave the campground he found that all of his batteries were rapidly going dead and most of his exterior lights were on, so I came up with this;

http://www.pbase.com/iamflagman/image/39275052.jpg

Here is a description and the solution to that problem that is a very common occurrence especially in the older 'Birds. Check out http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/.../message/11887

Then there was this one that I came up with for Rob, when I noticed while we were both at Randy's visiting, that he had left his spot light on the roof on all night long, he was lucky that he was plugged into shore power at the time.

http://www.pbase.com/iamflagman/image/39342762

Of course I am always aware that Payback Can Be H*#l, so I more or less expect it to happen and it usually does, but that is all in the fun part of this forum we like to have a good time.

Now that brings us to your situation, it has my head spinning with all kinds of ideas at the moment, but I'll let it slide for right now, but be prepared and this will also give you the opportunity to come up with some ideas of your own for the payback

[fxdwg]

Jim,
Glad to hear things were that simple. Just another example to truly check the absolute basics before heading off in another direction! At least once you fix all the broken stuff, you'll be good to go for a while!!!! As previously mentioned, the is a switch next to the flashing light that will turn off the shore power buzzer. I've seen in smaller vehicles a bad battery to suck up enough juice that a high powered charger/starter won't be able to overcome it. Enjoy the trip!