alternator not charging

I want to thank everyone for their replies. I did find an access panel in the rear compartment. The guys at H&R parts and equipment Port Angeles Wa.had a replacement alternator and installed it this morning.I would recommend them. Thanks again. 6string

Simpler to connect positive terminal of house battery to positive terminal of chassis battery with jumper cable. Then run generator.

96bounder wrote:

Ivylog wrote:
No, you are not stuck. Crank up your generator and let your inverter/charger do the work of the alternator by holding your boost switch down. Wedge something under it and you only need it on for 10 minutes/hour.

Probably not a good idea to do this ,the solenoids (on my coach and many others I have seen) used for this are not designed for continuous duty and will overheat and melt,causing you other problems.

As designed by RV Custom Products for Fleetwood, the isolator relay in your BCC is indeed a continuous duty relay. It may look like an old Ford intermittent duty starter relay, but looks can be deceiving. On almost all coached built in the last 20-30 years, the isolator relay is engaged when the engine is running so all batteries are charged. That requires a continuous duty relay.

Richard

Start with the simple things. Make sure your cables are fastened securely to the battery posts and check the ground strap. Using a meter, measure the alternator's electrical output. If you determine it is the alternator, Ivylog's suggestion on buying a battery charger would be my plan of action. By the way, I carry a heavy duty 20 foot pair of jumper cables for emergencies to be able to bypass my chassis battery and run off the house.

I recommended "10 minutes/hour" which will not overheat/melt it and should be enough to keep the engine battery charged.

Ivylog wrote:
No, you are not stuck. Crank up your generator and let your inverter/charger do the work of the alternator by holding your boost switch down. Wedge something under it and you only need it on for 10 minutes/hour.

Probably not a good idea to do this ,the solenoids (on my coach and many others I have seen) used for this are not designed for continuous duty and will overheat and melt,causing you other problems.

The battery charger is a great idea.Not sure of your setup but it may be possible to tie house/coach batteries together using a jumper.Start generator and it will keep batteries charged until you get home.

With the rear radiator that direction is blocked so you either access the engine from the bottom, top or sides. There should be a panel in the rear storage bays that you can remove for some access but most engine work is done thru the top via a hatch either under the bed or in the rear closet floor.

As mentioned you can run the generator and use the AC to DC convertor to charge the battery when on the move. Depending on the battery control center (aka BCC) you might not need to hold the AUX START switch to feed the chassis battery bank. My coach BCC will charge both my house and coach batteries from either the engine alternator or convertor but yours could be different. Give Tiffin a call Monday. Friendly bunch of folks in Red Bay.

Also check into having it rebuilt lot cheaper then buying a new one.

No, you are not stuck. Crank up your generator and let your inverter/charger do the work of the alternator by holding your boost switch down. Wedge something under it and you only need it on for 10 minutes/hour. Or buy a 10-15 amp battery charger and using your block heater outlet to power the charger (unhook the heater) and use it (and the generator) to keep the battery up while traveling home if necessary.
It could be the regulator or even a loose wire on the alternator. I'll assume you have a rear radiator so in your rear closet there should be an access hatch in the floor. OR it may be on the bottom of the engine and he'll have to slide under. Good luck and a $50 battery charger may be your best bet.
Where are you as I carry a spare alternator but I doubt on that new a MH it needs replacing.