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While we were troubleshooting a major electrical issue in our 2014 Born Free Freedom Rear Kitchen/Bath, we noticed a wire that was not connected to the Bi-Directional Isolator Relay Delay. It either goes to the Coach Battery or the Genset. (see photos) It is located in the driver side footwell.
Please find attached the manual for the 00839 bird.
The wire should connect to the "coach bat" connection.
Before connecting the wire, you could verify with a voltmeter 12v that should match the coach battery voltage. This wire is needed to operate the solenoid with the dash switch to manually engage the bird to send current from the coach batteries to the chassis battery.
The "genset" connection is used to prevent the bird from operating when the generator is running.
cmeadows wrote: ↑Mon Aug 22, 2022 9:44 am
Please find attached the manual for the 00839 bird.
The wire should connect to the "coach bat" connection.
Before connecting the wire, you could verify with a voltmeter 12v that should match the coach battery voltage. This wire is needed to operate the solenoid with the dash switch to manually engage the bird to send current from the coach batteries to the chassis battery.
The "genset" connection is used to prevent the bird from operating when the generator is running.
Follow on question: I do not see a wire to connect to the Genset plug. The manual states that it is to ".. prevent the generator/converter combination from supplying power to the chassis functions which might over-load the converter or the generator circuit breaker"
Is this a problem for us?
Also, just to note, we have always had the Chassis batteries drain while plugged into shore power. I compensated by adding a portable smart trickle charger while camping and storage. This wire and connection sure looks like the reason!
Hooking up a genset wire for the bird lockout is optional. Since the momentary switch on the dash is the only way to manually activate the bird, it is highly unlikely that it could be held long enough to cause harm. Even if the generator was running and the converter was charging the coach batteries, there are breakers to protect them. So, the genset lockout wire is unnecessary.
Like you, I also use a small smart charger to keep the chassis battery charged. I have it hardwired with a plug inside the coach and plug it in as needed.
Hope you got your major electrical issue straightened out.
Yes, the major electrical issue was a real challenge. We had a family emergency and had to take off from Washington State to San Diego immediately. Hopped into the Born Free (which is always well maintained), connected up our Tow Vehicle, loaded the pets and were just about to leave the driveway when I performed the regular pre-trip check. Turned out that the back of the RV had no lights. Neither did the tow vehicle. Front lights, turn signals, hazard lights all worked. Every other Coach item was working also. It was just the back end of the RV.
First check was the interior fuse box, fuse 6. (blinkers and such). It appeared good, but still replaced it. No change. We were in a hurry, but after a LOT of calling around (all RV Service places were booked for months), we were told to seek out a bad ground. I checked every ground I could find, cleaned, reinstalled and double checked them. No change.
Hired a Mobile RV Technician. We worked for three more hours into the night. No change. So, we found a place to take the pets and took off in just the Toyota 4Runner, driving for two days down and two days back from San Diego. Forced to stay in hotels and use Rest stop bathrooms. NOT something we ever want to do. Total cost for fuel and hotels: $1,500 for 4 days of travel.
Got back home and had the same Mobile RV Technician come back for a more exhaustive troubleshooting. He said that he believed he isolated it down to the fuse box itself. His resolution was to find a Vehicle Repair shop to remove the Fuse Box, locate the wires to Fuse 6 on the back, cut them and wire an independent fuse to handle the power load of the rear lights and tow vehicle. He was sure that overloaded power needs had melted a solder point on the wires.
I decided to call my son and just have one more look at the vehicle before taking it to a Vehicle Repair shop. Even after listening to the "Fuse Box is the problem" story, he decided to start at the rear of the Coach and methodically work his way forward. He isolated the drivers side rear turn signal wire by hooking up an external 12volt car battery to only the one wire. Then, started making his way forward along the Ford Factory wire loom.
It wasn't long before he found a section where a couple wires split off and headed to the top of the vehicle frame located just before we reached the back tires and next to the Fuel tank area. Feeling along that wire he found where it terminated at a bolt on the frame itself, and the bolt moved side to side...... While he pressed down the wire and bolt, I checked the lights and THEY ALL WORKED! The bolt was obviously stripped and there were no threads left in the hole to secure the bolt tightly. (How it worked this long is a miracle?). We cleaned and secured the bad ground and everything works!
Bottom-line: Bad Ground. Problem: Really tough to find.
Glad to hear you found the ground problem before incurring additional expense. Ground connections are just as important as positive wire connections.
I was driving home from college when my headlights went dim. Stepped on the dimmer switch to turn on all 4 and got no additional light. Came into a town, stopped at a red light and noticed the lights got bright when I pushed in the clutch. Got it home, used a crowbar to apply some leverage pressure from the shock tower to the clutch shaft and saw sparks. Added a 1" ground strap between the engine and the frame and the problem was solved. Lesson learned.
Twenty years later sitting around the lunch table, one of the engineers at work complained his Chevy Astro van was eating alternators and starters. His mechanic had also replaced the battery and it still wouldn't start reliably. "It's the ground" was all I said. His mechanic added ground wires and solved the problem.
When we bought the Born Free, I refreshed all of the frame grounds with an angle grinder, and reinstalled the bolts with liberal amounts of grease on the frame, wires and bolts. Grounds are a pet peeve of mine.
