Battery Parallel Button and Unknown Switch Function

[Devin W]

On our '94 Liberty main interior electrical panel we have a battery parallel switch. Unfortunately all of my owner's manual info is for a '96 vs. the '94 so there are some discrepancies on information and there is no mention of the parallel switch in my manual.

My question is: how exactly does this switch work? It is a rocker that automatically returns to center (like a generator kill switch) and my assumption (wrong as it may be) is that it is to either help jump the chassis off of the house batteries OR jump the generator battery off of the house batteries. The latter makes more sense because the switch is located on the panel and not the dash near the driver -- which would certainly be convenient when trying to start the bus.

I do have one unknown switch on my dash that I can't seem to be able to determine what it does and I'm wondering if it could be a similar switch. It's located on the left panel in between the starboard and port cargo lights. I thought it could be aft lights, but I have another labeled for that already. See below:

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x150/cs427fanatic/Prevost%20Liberty%20Coach/dashswitch.jpg

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Let me take a shot at this Devin.

I have to make some assumptions which you will need to verify before you believe a word I am saying.

I assume your house DC electric circuits are split in two. In other words two of your house batteries are "house 1" and two are "house 2". I am guessing you have four house batteries. So verify that your DC circuits are split like I described above. It may even be that your inverters are dedicated to specific batteries.

Assuming the above is correct continue on. If my assumption above is wrong, what follows is equally wrong.

The parallel switch merges both sets of house batteries so your batteries and inverters are all tied together.

If the above is incorrect here is another assumption, but one I have significantly less confidence in its accuracy. The parallel switch may be used to merge the house and chassis batteries such that you can jump start the bus if the chassis batteries go dead. I'm not comfortable with that theory.

You may need to get out your voltmeter and measure the voltage in the circuits when you do certain things like turning off inverters (use the correct sequence of turning them off to prevent damage) to see if my assumptions are correct.

[Devin W]

John,

I have three 8D 12V batteries that are wired in parallel for the house, although I do have two inverters as a result of the dual DC circuits as you've described. I was hoping someone might already have some experience with "that button", but, as you recommend, I may need to just dive in a bit deeper.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Ignore my answer.

No clue what the switch is. Pull the switch and read the circuit numbers from the back and post the question again with those numbers.

Someone of your vintage such as Tom Roberts may have the books and may be able to look up the number and answer the question.

[truk4u]

Devin,

I did not have that switch, but did have one on the electrical panel in the galley that tied in the house batteries and gen battery.

[Jeff Bayley]

I apologize for this semi thread creep but it's not totally off topic. To keep from clustering up the side with new threads I like to squeeze a question in where I think I can get away with it.
See that first picture of the dash that Devin posted. Well I'm on a campaign to get a lot of annoying things fixed so one of them has been getting all the dead bulbs working. But my dash gauges from 97 have collected a bit of dust inside on the glass. Can these be removed and disassembled and cleaned. Correct that can the be cleaned and still go back together in one piece. It's one of those "not really necessary" projects you know. Additionally, I seem to have a variety of illumination from the gauges which is probably a 12 volt bulb where a 24 volt bulb belongs. Can kill two birds with one stone if I get back there. The dash holding the gauges comes out pretty easy so I'm just wondering if anyone has done the interior cleaning of the glass or not.

[Devin W]

Devin,

I did not have that switch, but did have one on the electrical panel in the galley that tied in the house batteries and gen battery.

Tom, I think I created some confusion with my original post, but you answered one of my questions. The first part of the question was about the switch in the galley electrical panel. It's labeled battery parallel, but it sounds like that ties the gen battery to the house? That makes more sense than connecting to the chassis batteries because my arms aren't long enough to push the button and try to turn the ignition key at the same time. So now, the mystery button on the dash that's shown in the picture I posted. I'll pull it as Jon suggested to see what I can read off the back and post that up.

Thanks!

[Devin W]

I apologize for this semi thread creep but it's not totally off topic. To keep from clustering up the side with new threads I like to squeeze a question in where I think I can get away with it.
See that first picture of the dash that Devin posted. Well I'm on a campaign to get a lot of annoying things fixed so one of them has been getting all the dead bulbs working. But my dash gauges from 97 have collected a bit of dust inside on the glass. Can these be removed and disassembled and cleaned. Correct that can the be cleaned and still go back together in one piece. It's one of those "not really necessary" projects you know. Additionally, I seem to have a variety of illumination from the gauges which is probably a 12 volt bulb where a 24 volt bulb belongs. Can kill two birds with one stone if I get back there. The dash holding the gauges comes out pretty easy so I'm just wondering if anyone has done the interior cleaning of the glass or not.

Jeff, I've got a few lamps out myself and even missing a complete cover and bezel for one of the indicator lights for the bus outline so info here is good for me as well.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Those Prevost type switches, the snap in colored plate or legend and the bulbs are all available from Prevost parts. If in doubt stop at a service center and they can help you sort out exactly what you need.

[Jeff Bayley]

Jon- I think you mean to refer to the rocker switches which I have ordered the replacment lenses for those switches before (this would be good info for my failing attempt at little bits and pieces and parts) What I refer to and what Devin refers to that he also could use is info related to the dial gauges on the dash. The temp gauge, spedo, RPM, etc. The OEM source for those if anyone has them would be useful. Or maybe one has to remove the original and get the OEM and part number off the gauge for various converters and years. My question related to dissasembly and cleaning the dust on the interior of the glass lens on the round dial gauges. I would rather clean the ones I konw are correct for the bus rather than try to track down a replacment as that may or may not match as long as mine are all working which they are.

Anybody ever dissasemble and clean their gauges ? Are these the kind of projects that take place at POG Ralley. A table of a few guys dissaembling gauges while the owners dig them out and reinstall. ??? Maybe there's more important things to tend to. I don't know how much tinkering with each others coaches goes on but I'm hoping a lot. Even if I'm just helping on a project and handing tools to someone for their project it's a chance to learn something and see how other convereters do things. I've decided to sell my bus and buy a Liberty for one main reason. Jon is more likley to know the answer. I think I'll buy the same year he has. he,he Perfect.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Jeff, even though I shine the inside of my tire valve stem caps, I have never cleaned the inside of the dash gauges. Sounds like a project for you to do, document and teach at Kerrville.

[Jeff Bayley]

Jon- I was thinking I would hold the class on putting interesting Avitars. But I am also an expert on aux generators and could talk about how wonderful those are and demonstrate.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

As long as you want to be on the agenda talk about your alternate fuels concept of a 200 gallon waste oil tank hanging off the rear.

Let's see......gauge polishing, gas powered generators, and alternate fuels. I'm thinking you might be on to something.

That is a neat avatar but I don't know what it is.

[Jeff Bayley]

The waste veg oil was worth running it up the POG pole. It got vetoed down and that's where it remains despite a very encouraging (interesting ?) documentation of a diesel pusher that didn't coast to coast. I'm going by memory when I say it is www.liquidsolar.com

Regarding the Avitars, of course I don't refer to the current one. I meant to say more interesting ones that were not POG approved. Those PG rated Avitars are banned now and it is a good thing they were because there were lots of young kids that were dying to get on this RV forum (being bored with their video games 8 hours a day) and they wanted to enrich their lives by participating in this forum. But because there was a womans form, it became impractical for responsible parents to let the it young ones on POG to discuss these so interesting topics that fascinate a teenager. They were stopped in the it tracks from being able to discuss travel destinations and technical difficulties. As a result, these POG members that evidently relied on their children to do their maintenance and planning. But now POG is free from any PG rated images and Avitars and this has allowed the children to resume their proper position in the POG community.

So Jon, you are correcT to say you don't know what the one I have now is. I think it is called Yin Yang maybe. The others are bad.