Battery Disconnect Box, what are these parts?

[Kambaku]

OK, I'm giving up trying to ID these parts on my own and ask for help.

This is the photo of my battery disconnect box. It is the box to the rear of my main battery box. It was terribly packed full of mud when I got it but I cleaned it out.



In that box there is the main battery disconnect switch, I think, an engine ECM 60A circuit breaker, a dual Relay Interconnect Controls (DRIC relay), and unidentified 3 solenoids along the back wall labeled front to back, FT, RT, L. It is these 3 solenoids that I'm trying to identify. Example, I want to know what they are for. In addition, I have been searching and searching for the Battery Load Controller which in spite of a lot of looking I can't find. The 3 solenoids are labeled on top as being manufactured by Cole Hersee CO. III. Looking at their website I can identify these as a Matrix Solenoid III Continuous Duty Cycle. However, I don't know what they do and why they are labeled front to back on the wall of the box, FT, RT, and L.

As stated above, when I got the truck the box was full of mud. I cleaned it out but because it was filthy there is a lot of rust and corrosion on these solenoids. I will probably have to pull them to see if I can get a number off of them and go to Cole Hersee's web site for a part number.

Here's a current photo.



And a little more close up.



Unfortunately all the TM's I look at don't show this battery disconnect box, or I missed it. If anyone can help me ID these parts so that I have a better understanding of how my vehicle is set up I would greatly appreciate it.

Thx

 

[Suprman]

The batt load controller should be the same as the polarity protective box in the first gen trucks. Yours is supposed to control battery charging it should have an extra connector in addition to the 4 main power posts. Its under the spare tire. Only some of the A1 trucks have that battery cutoff like you have pictured. The solenoids are easily source-able if they go bad. The one far back is very expensive though. I dont have the manuals to figure out what each one individually does sorry.
Will

 

[Kambaku]

Many thanks once again. You have mentioned more than once about the box under the "spare tire" so I have no excuse now than to look. What do these solenoids do? The "one in the back", are you talking about the newish looking one? It is Cole Hersee part number 24812 called a 12V Insulated Continuous Duty SPST Solenoid. The three along the back wall labeled like I mentioned all look the same.

Sorry, I saw that you mentioned that you do not know what they do...

 

[Suprman]

I understand the basic setup and how the newer style load box works but I dont have much A1 truck experience so I couldnt say what each individual relay does. The one in the back is a higher current relay compared to the other ones. That is probably the main disconnect. Since yours is a van maybe the smaller ones control power to the back. You may be able to disconnect the batteries and then disconnect each individual output from the relays one at a time and use a toner to trace them. This is what the load control looks like:

 

[Kambaku]

I'm learning...you indicated that the smaller ones are easily sourced and replaceable if they go bad, that's a good thing. I just need to ID the part number and get that off Cole Hersee's site. Therefore, in addition to finding out what they go to, I need to learn how to test to see if a solenoid is bad. Perhaps Google has the answer. Unfortunately, those of use with newer trucks are at the mercy of the TM's being the new ETM or IETM which we don't have much access to. That would certainly help. No worries now, because things are working, I'm just in the process of trying to learn about this so that when the time comes or something's not working I know where to look.

 

[Suprman]

I have the Miltope software it wont let me install all of it though it complains my machine is not miltope. I have the load controllers also. For some reason I cant post pics today though. You can test the solenoids with a multimeter very easy to do.

 

[Kambaku]

This I think is the battery load controller. It is not from my truck, but it is from a 2008 1078A1. You would think that if I have a photo of it I could find it but...

 

[Keith Knight]

I have lots of experience with both of those items on my A1. That photo you posted of the battery load controller, if bad (mine was) had a trouble light in the dash showing not charging even though mine was charging it also has a small hard to find LED light on the load controller green when working properly red when not working. I cleaned all my connections and grounds still had the problem, replaced it and all good. The box behind the battery box, mine only has two things inside of it the manual disconnect switch and the automatic disconnect switch, I'll post pictures of the automatic disconnect item. The rest of it I believe is related to what GEV installed and would only be guessing what they are for. To test a solenoid with it disconnected apply proper voltage to the coil and with the volt meter test continuity and resistance on the other lugs.

I'm having intermittent trouble with this automatic disconnect switch, some days I have the idiot light in the dash say "Battery Disconnect" but it not disconnected some days no idiot light. I tracked down a new item they only want $800.00 for it and goes by a different number than 3106. But I have a hard time paying for it until I've exhausted all possibilities of what may be causing it, just to get rid of the light in the dash.

 

[Kambaku]

Thanks. I'm beginning to think that as these things went down the line during manufacturing that they just had a box full of parts. The guy on the line just grabbed what he thought might work and installed it. The more I look at vehicles of the same age and vintage as mine I for the life of me can't find commonality. Take these solenoids for example. One I know was a retrofit. The others for all intents and purposes seem to be OEM. Another case in point. The photo of the load controller is from a buddies truck with a manufacturing date same month and year as mine. I can't find that box. His vehicle also has the remote start switch. Mine does not. I know there are different builds but this is incredible...

 

[Keith Knight]

Here is a picture of the inside of mine after cleaning the mud out and painting it.

 

[Kambaku]

VERY NICE! You have now show me that I have a bunch more work to do to clean mine as well. I just have more parts (of unknown purpose) to work around, but if you would have seen how much mud and crap was in this box when I got it you would think that mine was rather clean now. Photos to follow, i.e., when it warms up a bit!

 

[scottmandu]

Where is your NATO slave receptacle?

 

[Kambaku]

There is not one on the truck. There is a plate on the battery disconnect box that is covering up the hole where it apparently was at one time. I would like to put one back in.

I have come to the conclusion that the mystery solenoids that are in that box may have been retrofits. Although I have no idea what they are intended for as the labeling baffles me. When the weather breaks, I will do my best to trace wiring to see if I can find out.

 

[reelclassic]

I had to search hard to find a replacement for my truck. The replacement number for the SP3106 Battery Disconnect is EMS300-1224-D-00. Try ASE Supply Company (800) 289-2737. They should have
them in stock.

 

[Kambaku]

The mystery solenoids have been identified, sort of...

To all who have tried to help me solve the issue of the mystery solenoids in my battery disconnect box I thank you. However, I have to confess that this is a bit of an embarrassment on my part.

We finally got a break in the weather and following sound advice I traced the wires out of the box only to find that they had been cut. Whatever, those solenoids and that rats nest of wiring went to, it's no longer there. It likely also explains why there probably wasn't a NATO connector in the box as well, because with all this crap there wasn't room for another thing.

So like many who have gone before me, I too am learning more and more about these beasts everyday. Sometimes you're a hero, and sometimes you have a red face, in this case it may be the latter.

So to all who tried to help me identify the mystery parts, my hats off to you...

Here' the mess that is no more. I hope it has a positive effect on fuel consumption!