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Old 08-30-2017, 06:57 PM   #1
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What am I missing?

Hi y'all -

First time poster and a new Sportsmobile owner, so be gentle, please!

I just bought a 2008 Dodge Sprinter with a minimal Sportsmobile buildup - floor, walls and headliner in the back (it was used with a wheelchair lift for a disabled man). The previous owner had zero documentation from Sportsmobile. There is a Sportsmobile-installed 'house' electrical system for some added lighting in the cabin of the Sprinter with a Blue Seas fuse panel, a Blue Seas 7620 automatic charging relay and a battery charger all concealed near the driver's side wheelwell and a couple of large AGM batteries under the floor near the fuel tank (driver's side, sort of forward).

None of the Sportsmobile installed stuff works. I have 13.09 volts on the vehicle battery side of the 7620 relay and 0 volts on the other side, so it appears to me that the AGM batteries are dead. I drove the vehicle for three hours back from where I bought it yesterday, so I am surprised that the vehicle didn't charge the house batteries somewhat. Even more strange, when I plug the battery charger in to AC power, it does nothing - no fan comes on, the little "Charge Wizard" control unit doesn't light up - I get nothing.

What is it that I'm missing? I would think that even if the AGM batteries are toast, the battery charge unit would try to charge them, but it seems to be totally lifeless also.

Would be very grateful for any suggestions!

Pete

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Old 08-30-2017, 08:10 PM   #2
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You need to check the actual house battery voltage. Where you measured on the 7620 should have given you something other than 0 volts. I expect maybe a blown fuse or disconnected. If the battery is really 0, then I expect it or they are dead. I would not expect the 7620 or house charger to work on a battery that low.

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Old 08-30-2017, 08:57 PM   #3
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The Blue Sea 7610/7620 has a low voltage cutoff where it won't connect the battery banks....looks like 10V on either battery bank. That's to prevent dragging down the good bank when the bad bank is toast.

http://assets.bluesea.com/files/reso...FAQ_Matrix.pdf

Where are you located??
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Old 08-30-2017, 10:08 PM   #4
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Additionally, it should have a voltage (13.5?) that it has to exceed on the charging side of the relay to close it. What does it read while your engine is running? Should be 13-14.5
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Old 08-30-2017, 10:10 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scalf77 View Post
You need to check the actual house battery voltage. Where you measured on the 7620 should have given you something other than 0 volts. I expect maybe a blown fuse or disconnected. If the battery is really 0, then I expect it or they are dead. I would not expect the 7620 or house charger to work on a battery that low.-greg
Thanks, Greg - I'm measuring at the terminal from the house batteries at the ACR (Terminal A, I think) and get 0 and at the terminal for the vehicle battery (B) and I get about 12.8 volts with the ignition off and 14.0 or so with the engine running. I'll investigate at the house batteries and see what I can find there.

Pete
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Old 08-30-2017, 10:11 PM   #6
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The Blue Sea 7610/7620 has a low voltage cutoff where it won't connect the battery banks....looks like 10V on either battery bank. That's to prevent dragging down the good bank when the bad bank is toast.

Where are you located??
Got it - thanks for that insight.

I'm in Reno, Nevada.

Pete
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Old 08-30-2017, 10:20 PM   #7
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Additionally, it should have a voltage (13.5?) that it has to exceed on the charging side of the relay to close it. What does it read while your engine is running? Should be 13-14.5
It has that when the charging system on the vehicle is running - over 14 - so I guess the problem could be that the house batteries are below the threshold voltage required for the ACR to supply charging current to the house batteries. Any idea why the supplementary line powered battery charger isn't coming on? Same concept - is it a 'maintainer' that won't even kick on unless a minimal threshold voltage is exceeded? Maybe it's just DOA?

Thanks for the assistance - it's very helpful!

Pete
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Old 08-30-2017, 11:34 PM   #8
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Here's the closing and opening voltages for the 7620. A quick read here will tell you what you need to know.

http://assets.bluesea.com/files/reso.../990180180.pdf

Sounds like you have a meter so test your house battery directly at the terminals.

Trace the house battery positive cable back from the battery terminal and look for a fuse. It should have one inline someplace. If the house battery had voltage then look for that fuse and check it.

Check the fuse on the wizard as well. Check all inline breakers etc.

Be careful here as it's either a really simple thing or something bad happened and shorted a bunch of stuff. Maybe make a little diagram for yourself as these things can get complicated really fast. Check all your 120V wiring as well. Take some pics and post them here. If there was a blown fuse or breaker, use caution as you would want to know why it blew.

Even a really beat down battery should have a little voltage on it.

Good luck.

And oh yeah, did you check that 13.09 volts right after you had the van running? Batteries that were just under a charge will read a bit high and will normalize after a bit. Check that again when van has been sitting.
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Old 08-31-2017, 07:45 AM   #9
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Quote:
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Even a really beat down battery should have a little voltage on it.
I agree. Even years old batteries that have sat on a shelf will show a couple volts. Something is turned off or unhooked, especially if you get nothing when connected to shore power. It there a fuse or breaker near the 7620? A big red switch in a footwell or in the back cabinetry, under the dash or around driver's seat pedestal (since it's a Sprinter)?

Also, you can call Sportsmobile with your VIN and they can get you info on the build. Be patient. If it was built at the Fresno location be really patient.

Pics of the rig not only entertain us but may help as well.

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Old 08-31-2017, 01:11 PM   #10
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I agree. Even years old batteries that have sat on a shelf will show a couple volts. Something is turned off or unhooked, especially if you get nothing when connected to shore power. It there a fuse or breaker near the 7620? A big red switch in a footwell or in the back cabinetry, under the dash or around driver's seat pedestal (since it's a Sprinter)?
Good point......check continuity (with an ohmmeter) between the positive house battery cable and the Blue Sea and the negative cable and ground ...with the battery cables disconnected.
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