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1. You say you have a new battery, and that a battery shop has tested it and found it to be good. That's good news. And as part of this, I assume that the battery water level is correct.
Bill
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Yes the water level is correct.
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(b) Something in the TM (something in addition to the refrigerator) is sucking a lot of additional current, and the total is more than the tow vehicle can provide. If there is a phantom load in the TM that is sucking perhaps another 15-20 amps, then the tow vehicle might not be able to cover the total. I can't think of what such a phantom load could be, but it is possible. To your knowledge, are there any other electrical loads while you are travelling? Are there any lights on? Are you sure you have turned off the furnace blower (even though the propane is off)?
Bill
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All lights are off except exterior lights. Positive the furnace is off. I can think of nothing else which has any draw except the refrigerator.
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3. If there is no phantom load, and the tow vehicle is expected to supply only enough current for the refrig (10-12 amps), and if it can't do it, then you need to know why it can't. Possibilities:
a) Undersized alternator in the tow vehicle. But I think you said you have a tow package. That should include a hefty alternator.
b) Bad (loose or corroded) wiring somewhere between the alternator and the TM battery. This is the usual cause of charging problems, but is hard to localize. The usual spot is corrosion in the connector between the Tow Vehicle and the TM. Give both halves a good visual inspection, and brush out any corrosion.
c) As a variant of b), there could be a blown fuse in the Tow Vehicle's charge line.
Bill
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Yes, we have a factory installed tow package. Will check with Toyota to see if it is a "hefty" alternator.
The receptacle on the Toyota for the 7 prong plug was newly installed when we bought the TM last summer. Visually it looks great. I suspect we've had undercharging problems from the beginning. Bought the new battery last Fall because the battery which came with the TM was old and not charging well. We had a boon docking trip coming up and needed a dependable battery.
There is a very small amount of corrosion on one of the set of 7 female clamps on the TM side. The brass looks tarnished on all of the clamps but that doesn't surprise me. Of the seven clamps, 2 are spread farther apart than the other 5 and thus would not clamp as tightly on the male prongs on the tow vehicle side. These I consider suspect.
Will brush the clamps and see if we can close the gap on the two which seem somewhat "sprung".
How do I locate the fuse in the tow vehicle's charge line? Would that be in my Toyota owner's manual or is it part of the plug installed on the Toyota? How does one determine which is the charge line?
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Now, you need to know how much current the tow vehicle is providing, and how much of it is reaching the battery. Do you have access to a DC voltmeter (VOM) and a DC ammeter? Do you know how to use them? Without them, it is hard to localize the problem.
Bill
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Know we have a voltmeter. Will check on the ammeter. My knowledge of how to use them is very elemental. Usually limited to checking small batteries, checking continuity in wiring. Very simple stuff. But if I know what I am supposed to look for (readings) I'm optimistic that I can turn up someone who can help me accomplish the task. My guess is that I need to know volts and amps coming from the tow vehicle. If that tests ok then testing what passes through the 7 prong plug to the TM. Would guess this will be somewhat more complicated.
Thank you very much for taking the time to problem solve in such detail. We'll get started on what we can do right away. As we get things eliminated, I'll post our progress.
Betty Ann