RV Repair: 1984 pace arrow starter relay and wiring, pace arrow, ft motor

Question
I am working on a 1984 pace arrow fleetwood 34.5 Ft. motor home. I went to change the battery and while removing the starting battery a negative wire  that hooks to one of the acc. batteries shorted out on the pos side of the one i was removing. After that all I get is click click click when i turn the key. I think i fried what I assume is a starter relay. It looks like advanced auto's part number35777 except mine is a 4 blade. I ran into an issue finding one, no one can even order it including the dealer. I finally decided to try a  universal relay but best they had was a 30 amp. Now when i start it I still get just a click, I even removed the  starter hooked it up to the vehicles wiring on the ground and then turned the key  the gear just jumps in and out like it is engaging but it doesn't spin. starter tested good with a battery but i took it to a parts store and had it checked first test  said hi  amp draw, second test said it was ok. My question is  is the relay still causing the issue, or starter? even with a 200 amp starter hooked up i get same results.

Answer
I am going to repeat what you said in your question so we can make sure we are on the same page.  You were removing the START batt.  A NEG from the ACC batt touched the POS from the START batt.  This caused sparks and you think you shorted the starter relay.  If I am right, I have a few questions. If I am wrong, my advice may be off key.  You can follow up if needed to clarify.  

1.  was the START batt connected when the ACC batt NEG touched the POS of the START batt?

         if you simply sparked the terminals, this could be nothing.  why were you changing the battery?  Was this maybe a problem that was already there?  



2.  why do you assume the RELAY is bad?

         Did you use a DVOM to test the RELAY for electrical flow?  Does this look burned?  If the starter is engaging, the relay might not be bad.


3.  the starter BENDIX is engaging, but the starter will not turn the motor?

         this many times turns out to be bad connections.  You say you took the starter to the store and it tested bad then good.  sounds like you put on a new starter anyway and it will also not turn.  disconnect the battery from the starter and see what voltage you are getting at the starter when you turn the key.  



4.  what type of motor is this RV?  Ford, Chevy, Dodge????


     Ford has problems with a fender mounted solenoid sometimes.  Chevy tends to corrode at the starter terminals.  




OK, in any event, here is what I would do.  

1.  check the battery voltage at rest.  should be 12.6V and no less than 12.2V.


2.   With the RV off, go to the battery terminal at the starter.  put your test lead on the wire and the other on the frame of the RV.  You should have the same voltage.  If your RV is a ford setup, go to the battery side terminal at the fender mounted solenoid for this test.  

this rules out battery and cables.


3.  Have someone turn the key as you see the voltage on the battery drop.  How far does it drop?  should be no more than 1V.  That means you should not see a reading less than 11.2V.

If the battery goes less, the battery is bad.  

4.  If this test passes at the battery, then go to the starter and test the same thing.  On a ford, switch side at the solenoid.  Then go to the starter if all is well.  

if this fails, suspect cables or corrosion


5.  If these tests pass, you can try this next test.  I warn you that this can be a little dangerous, but worth the try.  You will turn the key on to the run position in the RV, like your driving down the street.  Then at the starter you will see a small wire and the batt terminal.  IF the small wire and the batt wire are capped, expose them a little but do not disconnect.  You take a screwdriver with a good insulated handle and connect the small wire to the batt terminal and the starter should try to start the RV.  If you touch that screwdriver to any other metal, you will get a spark and possibly cause your battery to blow up.  Unlikely but possible.  That is the danger.  If all is well with this test, then you need to check the system that the ign wire is part of.  Possible the relay.  If you have a Ford setup, these terminals are on the fender solenoid.  


I suspect the starter is bad, a connection is bad, or the battery is bad.  The fact that the bendix is engaging but the starter wont turn the motor means the system is trying to work.  



One last thing to consider testing.  Is the motor on your RV locked up?????

Try turning the motor with a wrench.  



feel free to follow up with any questions.