AmericanCruiser00
New Member
Hello! I'm brand new to this forum and just bought my first RV last week. A 2000 American Cruiser re2000 on the Dodge 3500 chassis. I've camped the last couple nights in it in my driveway plugged into my house outlet to make sure everything is working properly. Everything was good.
Today I took it to the beach an hour away. While headed back home I keep hearing this clicking noise coming from the fuse box under the dinette area and a humming sound like a fan trying to come on inside there. So I hit the battery disconnect switch while I'm driving to turn power to the coach off thinking this would stop the noise. But the noise continued. Nothing was being powered by the house battery.
About 20 minutes later I smell electrical burning and smoke filling the van. I put on the flashers and pull off the road immediately turning everything off and scrambling to get my two dogs out as well as grabbing the fire extinguisher as fast as I could. I get the dogs tied up to a highway sign and go back to the van. There was no fire since I turned the engine off just in time thank God. Smoke cleared so I went to work. The burning smell was coming from behind the breaker box area under the dinette. I opened that up and flip everything to the off position. I go out and check the house battery and it was too HOT to touch. Yes the plastic casing was burning hot. So I disconnect the main positive and tape it up so it won't touch anything metal. So this cut power to whatever was overheating inside there and I was able to drive it home safely.
On the way home my headlights and dash lights get dim so I'm wondering do I have a bad chassis battery as well? When I get to my driveway I shut it off then try to start it again. Nothing. The van won't start. My question is what is happening?? Does this bad battery have something to do with my house battery overheating and the electrical burning smell coming from the fuse box? Again I'm brand new at RV's so bear with me here. Help! Thanks!
Today I took it to the beach an hour away. While headed back home I keep hearing this clicking noise coming from the fuse box under the dinette area and a humming sound like a fan trying to come on inside there. So I hit the battery disconnect switch while I'm driving to turn power to the coach off thinking this would stop the noise. But the noise continued. Nothing was being powered by the house battery.
About 20 minutes later I smell electrical burning and smoke filling the van. I put on the flashers and pull off the road immediately turning everything off and scrambling to get my two dogs out as well as grabbing the fire extinguisher as fast as I could. I get the dogs tied up to a highway sign and go back to the van. There was no fire since I turned the engine off just in time thank God. Smoke cleared so I went to work. The burning smell was coming from behind the breaker box area under the dinette. I opened that up and flip everything to the off position. I go out and check the house battery and it was too HOT to touch. Yes the plastic casing was burning hot. So I disconnect the main positive and tape it up so it won't touch anything metal. So this cut power to whatever was overheating inside there and I was able to drive it home safely.
On the way home my headlights and dash lights get dim so I'm wondering do I have a bad chassis battery as well? When I get to my driveway I shut it off then try to start it again. Nothing. The van won't start. My question is what is happening?? Does this bad battery have something to do with my house battery overheating and the electrical burning smell coming from the fuse box? Again I'm brand new at RV's so bear with me here. Help! Thanks!
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