Alternator Changed NOW red Light is on Argh!!!

[KenEhresman]

Ok, Installed the new alternator today.... Went in pretty easy.....

Battery Connection to the Isolator easy..... the Field Wire (had 2 red wires on crimp connector) moved to new field connection. Relay connection from 50DN moved to AC/Relay connection on EMP 450 alternator... mounted every up and started her up..... (capped oil lines yes)

Voltage jumps right up to 27.4 ish and is rock solid, even under loads... YEah!!!! It works!!!!

But the darn Red Light on the dash with the Battery Symbol is now lit solid from the time I turn the ignition on until I shut her down... So Off I went to recheck all my connections.... seems ok...

So I put a MM on the output and 27.8 at the alternator running, Yeah, working.... then I check the AC terminal line it is reading 14.4 ish... Seems normal from what I read, this 12V sense line feeds that light via a relay I think Maybe? 1999 chassis

Any ideas?

[Gil_J]

I'll have to look at the coach's wiring diagram. Generally the alternator light is wired between the field and sense terminals of the voltage regulator.

[KenEhresman]

As unlikely as it sounds, Relay 33 in front panel was bad.... go figure, never had a single issue with it, so how it all the sudden failed in coincidence with the alternator will baffle me.. Chased the 13 VAC from the AC terminal right to the relay, and then checked the ground side, all appeared good.... pulled relay and light goes out ( it should as it is the NC contacts that turn the light on, and when it energizes the light goes out.... tested the relay ( which for what its worth is a 12VDC unit, NOT an AC unit) and it clicks normally when you energize it, but the continuity from the common terminal to the NC never opened on energize test... All that to actually prove it, so then I plugged in a replacement and the light went right out and functions now as it should... Mystery why all the sudden it failed? but I guess we will never know...

Now on to replacing the fresh water valve, it appears to have developed a leak after the -10 weather in Wyoming in December... go figure lol.... I"m guessing it is cracked somewhere but should be a pretty simple fix to cut the PVC and piece in a new unit and glue it in and test... just would like it a little warmer to work on it...

Talking about the fresh water... this Vantare uses some kind of tube system to monitor tank levels? and it isn't worth a darn since I have owned the coach... mostly just reads nothing, but every once in a while it works... was told to remove the rubber hose and blow air through it and did that a couple times and it actually seemed to work once or twice then stopped again....

Since it seems extremely likely it is headed to Florida to have Doug from excalibur to install the front and rear fairings, and new awnings on the driver side with the simulated on the other side here in the next month.... Looking forward to it.... Had REALLY hoped to be able to get that sexy XLII windshield update I saw on one of his coaches, but in speaking with him the glass was only proto-typed and he said he no longer does that... shame, because that TOTALLY changes the look of the coach.. best of both worlds... looks like an XLII but has Rivets lol...

[Gil_J]

Ken,

Good news. I was about to reply and suggest the relay. However, I would have had you looking for R37. I must be looking at the schematic for a different year. Anyway, great news it was an easy fix.

It sounds like you have a Headhunter tank level system. If so, it uses a micro pump to burst a small volume of air down the tube to clear it. It then measures the pressure of the liquid that fills the tube. You might want to make sure there are no leaks from the pump to the end of the tube.

New awnings, exciting. Are you going with Zip Dee or Girard? What a job it would be to install XL-II windshields and modify the interior cabinetry! FWIW, I saw an XL with XL-II windshields. I was not impressed with the cap modifications.

14214

[KenEhresman]

Yeah. According to the schematic R37 is in the rear box and it energizes when the ignition key is on. This allows the sense line to then feed the coil on R33 in the front elec panel this energizing the relay and extinguishing the lamp be moving the normally closed contact to open. So there are 2 relays that can impact it. But I had the 13.3 vac on the R33 coil
winding when the motor fired
so I knew the R37 was good. Will be going with the Gerard