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HELP “BAL” icon won’t go away!!!!
CRISIS!!!
After almost 4000 miles of trip…we pulled into a beautiful campground last Thursday in McCloud, CA. Friday I had several conversations with PressurePro during which I turned the main power switch on….and apparently left the doggone thing on until Monday AM when we were to leave.
OK>>>starting batteries were low…Jumper switch immediately got me cranked…no problem….BUT: The “BAL” battery icon was on….most of the dash is dead including my PressurePro, GPS and Dash cam…which is all powered from under the dash. No fuel guage, turbo, oil pressue, speedo, odometer, tachometer.
Let it run a few minutes thinking the starter batteries were low and when they charged up, things would straighten out…no soap! Called Jeff…he had me check a few things…since it appeared to be running fine…just no guages, speedometer, tachometer, etc, he suggested to drive 20-30 miles and lets talk again. Did that….called him back to report the dash was still dead but was still running good. Thankfully the cruise, DDEC, and Jake were all functional.
Since I was headed to Marathon in Coburg, I found the Prevost recommended service folks there and called them. They looked at it….could find nothing and, in fact, said they’d never seen this problem before. Yikes!!!
So I’m sitting in the yard waiting for Marathon to do a few little chores but this electrical glitch is bad news…what ever it is.
Anyone got any thoughts on what the hay is going on with this?
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8 Replies
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I would suspect the ignition switch and any associated fuse or relay. Obviously the ignition part works, the bus is running, but the feed for the dash and instruments is dead.
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What you described as not working is the 12 volt side of your chassis electrical system.
Using a voltage tester check the voltages at the lugs on the bottom of the Vanner equalizer that should be located above your chassis batteries and to the right on the bulkhead.
The 12 volt reading should be 1/2 of the 24 volt reading within a 1/2 volt. If it is not the equalizer may be the problem. But if the chassis batteries were dead it may take some time to bring them back to life either with a charger or by running the engine. Give it a little time for them to recharge and the fastest way would be by running the engine on high idle. Be patient and turn off all chassis loads like GPS, Pulse, radio, etc.
If the 24 volt reading gets above 24 volts and you still do not have the 12 volt reading 1/2 of that you may have an equalizer problem and in that case I would suggest you either get one shipped to you to replace the existing one, or if you need to drive somewhere for service get a 12V battery charger and connect it to the 12V post and ground on the equalizer until the 12V reading is at least 13V. Avoid heavy chassis 12V loads like headlights, but other than that you should be OK to get it somewhere for repairs.
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Check in the front electrical junction box for CB 129 that is 12 volt battery power to the dash cluster and CB28 that is 12 volt ignition power to the dash cluster. One or both may have popped when you tried to start the vehicle with low power or even with the jump from the conversion batteries.
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They (Marathon) checked under the dash and found the voltage coming into a “junction box” of some kind. Apparently, the dash pod has been replaced previously. There was a block where the ‘old” plugs connected….then the “new’ plugs connected from there. They found power going in….they found power right up to the dash panel. Then. nothing! UGGG!
Ordered a replacement overnight from somewher in New Jersey…heaven help how much it will be ($)….but ya’ got have it….otherwise, no dash!!!
More later…ty
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Hey BTom and Miss Dot, this is bill Stanley from Gainesville Fl. good to see you guy out and about. Billy and myself got to see you in Naples earlier this year. Hope all is well and safe travels… hopefully we will meet down the road.
Bill S.
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Bill…thanks…good to hear from you.
We’re currently in Portland, OR, headed to AK. Hope you’re wearing that bus of yours out!!! ty
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My crisis has ended.
The CB2 breaker was tripped…..and that, after checking in that compartment a dozen times by 3 or four different people.
So…just remember if your dash goes dead, head back to the start-battery compartment…along the top of the compartment there is a row of red-buttons….the CB2 was marked as 12V and was tripped.
Me, the Prevost shop in Coburg, and Marathon had spent hours looking for the problem. They ordered an instrument cluster overnight from New Jersey….still the same…dead as a brick. All along, that simple little breaker was the total problem….
Let me put in a word for Marathon Coach in Coburg, OR. I just can’t say enough good about them. Everyone, and I really mean EVERYONE was terrific. They are courteous, very deferential to their customers and make every effort to fix whatever you task them with. At times there were 3 or 4 guys working on our coach at one time..several operations being conducted simultaneously.
The whole facility has the aire of quiet efficiency– calm, clean, focused, orderly, methodical. A tour of the assembly area will show cabinet building and finish work at an extrodinary level! Many, many of the employees have been there for 20 years and longer. Rob, who is in sales, sold my coach originally…I met a fellow in the plant that remembered my coach and had worked on it.
One last word…about the elusive electical problem….they finally found it…corrected in exactly half a second…then proceeded to write off all the labor, the shipping, etc. associated with the multi-day search. I’m a satisfied Marathon customer! ty
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Tom,
Glad you are back on the road, hope you enjoy the rest of your trip. Good to hear your experiance with Marathon Coach, sounds like they did the right thing by crediting you all the work they did before reseting the breaker. That has been my experiance with Marathon. I am also a happy Marathon owner. Again enjoy your trip to AK and back, look forward to hearing about it some time…
Bill S.
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