Forum Discussion

turbojimmy's avatar
turbojimmy
Explorer
Dec 24, 2013

Converter and Furnace Questions

Hi all - first post here.

Just got an '84 Allegro. Not sure what it is - NADA doesn't show a 31 footer but my insurance company does. The model number on the tag under the dash stars with M31 so I'm thinking that's what it is. It has a bedroom with twin beds in the back which I have not seen before. It popped up on Craigslist for about the price of the tow to my house so I couldn't turn it down. The 454 in it needs rebuilt or replaced, which is no big deal for me (yes, I know it needs to come out the driver's door).

It had been sitting for 5 years. It was properly winterized and *almost* everything seems to work. With the engine being the #1 priority, there are a couple of other things that would be nice to remedy while I'm inside working on the engine.

First, lights are pretty dim. The more I turn on, the dimmer they get. When the furnace blower turns on, the lights noticeably flicker. Now, all 3 batteries are beyond gone. None hold any sort of charge. I'm wondering if the dead batteries have anything to do with the apparent struggle the converter is having? The 6.5kw generator won't turn over either (though I was told it works) - clicks like when you have a low battery.

Second, the motorhome has 2 furnaces. A Suburban NT-30 in the front and something smaller in the rear (Suburban as well, but can't find a model number). Front furnace works great and it's pretty apparent that the rear furnace is necessary to keep the back bedroom warm. It doesn't work. Fan runs, I have gas to it. It doesn't try to fire. No clunk from the gas solenoid; no click from the ignitor. Where do you begin troubleshooting? There's a lot of info on the web, but I'm not sure what pertains to something of 1984 vintage.

Beyond that, the thing was nicely maintained and is nicely appointed. I look forward to firing up a fresh 454 and getting on the road with it.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
  • The Charge isolator is just a 3 pole silver solenoid. On your year, Tiffin installed it on the front outside firewall. Drivers side. It is just a 12 volt activated solenoid. When the Ignition is ON it connects both battery banks. Doug
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Your converter size is also determined by your battery size, Two G-27's are around 200 amp hours tops, that means a 60 am converter (But you are likely ok at 75) had you gone with a pair of TRUE DEEP CYCLE six volt in series (230 amp hours) your converter size would be 70 amps. on a motor home with Trick-L-Start or a Bi-Directional Isolator, 80 amps is OK, and 75 just about IDEAL and you get 15% more power stored for less money and more usable as well than with your Marine/Deep cycle batteries.
  • dougrainer wrote:
    The Charge isolator is just a 3 pole silver solenoid. On your year, Tiffin installed it on the front outside firewall. Drivers side. It is just a 12 volt activated solenoid. When the Ignition is ON it connects both battery banks. Doug


    Thanks. I installed an isolator in my limo for a trunk-mounted battery and it looks like a big solenoid. It's from Painless and has 3 settings: always connected, connected with the ignition on, and always disconnected. There was something that looks just like it mounted to the alt bracket. But the documentation I have is for a Sure Power unit which looks different.

    I bet you're right, though. The big solenoid I took off the alternator bracket is probably the isolator. If that's the case I need to be more careful with it because one lug is from the house batteries. It's just dangling under the hood there at the moment. I'll have to trace the wires to be sure.
  • wa8yxm wrote:
    Your converter size is also determined by your battery size, Two G-27's are around 200 amp hours tops, that means a 60 am converter (But you are likely ok at 75) had you gone with a pair of TRUE DEEP CYCLE six volt in series (230 amp hours) your converter size would be 70 amps. on a motor home with Trick-L-Start or a Bi-Directional Isolator, 80 amps is OK, and 75 just about IDEAL and you get 15% more power stored for less money and more usable as well than with your Marine/Deep cycle batteries.


    Thanks. It sounds like I'll be okay for now. I plan to wire up a trik-l-start, but since the chassis battery is disconnected while the engine removal is going on, it doesn't make any sense to install it now. I have a smart charger on it while it's sitting.

    I really don't plan to do a lot of dry camping in it, so I don't need a ton of battery capacity. It's too old to consider long trips. I got it mostly for tailgating, overnight trips to the shore or the Poconos. All 100-mile or less stuff - weekend warrior type stuff.
  • wa8yxm wrote:
    Your converter size is also determined by your battery size, Two G-27's are around 200 amp hours tops, that means a 60 am converter (But you are likely ok at 75) had you gone with a pair of TRUE DEEP CYCLE six volt in series (230 amp hours) your converter size would be 70 amps. on a motor home with Trick-L-Start or a Bi-Directional Isolator, 80 amps is OK, and 75 just about IDEAL and you get 15% more power stored for less money and more usable as well than with your Marine/Deep cycle batteries.


    CONVERTER size is determined by the RV 12 volt appliances and what the total load (amps) of those appliances. NOT how many batteries or what size they are. Doug