Dashboard Alternator light

dougrainer wrote:
14.0 and over WILL cause both a FORD and a Monaco Roadmaster chassis dash Alt Idiot light to come ON.
Monaco has a fix for this as this ONLY happens when you drive and have engaged the Genset and the Inverter/Charger goes to BULK(higher voltage) charge. A few ways to stop the dash light. ADD a higher amp draw while driving. Turn the Headlamps ON and the Dash AC . Usually this will cause the voltage to drop enough to turn on the alt light. WAIT until the Inverter/Charger system drops its bulk charge(usually less than 1 hour) and the light goes out.
OR, as Monaco did, install a Bosch relay into the Ign retract step circuit hot wire and the Hot wire that engages the dual charge solenoid in series with the Genset hot hour meter wire. What Monaco did was WHEN you turned the engine ON, the solenoid joins both battery banks. So to stop the higher bulk voltage causing the error, they had us wire in that bosch relay so that when the relay saw the Genset hot wire it opened the 12 volt wire to that dual solenoid. This did not cause a problem as when in transit, if the Genset was ON, your coach batteries were charged by the Inverter Charger. When in Transit and Genset OFF, that Bosch relay transmitted the 12 volt signal to the dual solenoid to allow the engine Alternator to charge the coach battery banks. Monaco actually has a TSB for this from the early 2000's. Last there is NO problem caused by that higher voltage other than the light being an annoyance when driving. Doug

Thanks!

The Monaco solution is so far above my abilities I'm embarassed, but turning on the headlights is brilliant. Even I can do that. In fact, if I drag my TOAD along I have to because I wired the TPMS repeater into the taillight circuit of the coach.

Ignoring is also an option. My OCD might preclude that, but it's something to try. The solar controller will drop out of bulk in 2 hours and into absorbtion at 13.8v and that should solve the problem. That's just another test I'll have to perform, but I agree, 14.6 volts is not a bad thing.

Thanks again,
Eric