Rufus_Rattus Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 I just recently bought a Toyota New Horizon over the weekend. It's in pretty fair condition for the age (1987) minimal rust, engine runs strong, one leak repaired awhile ago with no squishiness around where it happened. The problem is the electrical system in the back. Previous owner said he's not sure what happened to everything (it worked for his last trip, but not when I was checking it out) but I figured it was just that the house battery was dead. When he plugged it in, the pump and outlets worked. So I bought it and drove it home for about 3 hours. I figured that'd be enough to charge the battery to full if not near full, but I go to the back, hit the power panel and it lights up, but it shows the battery as just one dot fully charged! I looked at the deep cycle battery and it's not the original but it's not new either. The leads on it are fairly corroded... Are three hours not enough to charge a house battery? How long would it take to charge it? (if it were plugged in or if you were driving..) How would you tackle this problem..? I'm sure I could just google this but I'd love to hear about it from people with experience with Toyotas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaineErik Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Do a search in these forums for battery isolator, it's a small piece of hardware under the hood that allows the truck battery/alternator to charge the coach deep cell. The isolator on my camper was kaput and needed to be replaced. When not working properly the isolator will send no current to coach or too little (or will not disconnect when the key is out, but that's not the problem you are having). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBeery Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 On mine a previous owner had replaced that battery isolator and when he did he added a fuse in the wire from the alternator. That fuse had blown so I got no charging. I replaced the fuse with a self-resetting circuit breaker and all is well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 I'd pull the battery out and put it on a slow charger. While it's charging, I'd spend my time cleaning and reassembling any and all connections with dielectric grease. If the battery will take and hold a charge from the battery charger, I'd reinstall it and try it in place. An essential piece of equipment with any older vehicle is a multimeter/VOM. This will help diagnose and problems with the battery isolator, which is generally either 'On' or 'Off'. Or you could skip the battery charging step (but not the connection cleaning) and buy a new battery. Many find the ones from Walmart a good price/quality option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus_Rattus Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 So from what I gather, I should probably remove the battery, charge it, test it, try replacing the battery isolator and then try replacing the battery (if it doesn't hold a charge). Thanks, fellas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 3 hours driving is not enough to charge the coach battery if it was dead. Charge it first then check the rest of the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus_Rattus Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 Wow, I totally thought that 3 hours would be enough... Maybe I'll plug it in for a day before I do anything drastic... Thank you, that might save a lotta headaches. xD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanAatTheCape Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 3 hours is no where neat enough. With a multimeter you can measure voltage all along the circuit. Deep cycle batteries will have shorter lives IF they are deeply discharged and/or not kept fully charged (sulfation) Take the battery out and fully charge - have it checked at most auto parts/ walmart etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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