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Alternator Not Charging House Batteries

January 23, 2010, 03:50:05 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 55906

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Question for the floor: My alternator is charging the chassis battery but nothing is going to the house batteries. I checked the fuses that I thought might be involved and all test ok. I'm not sure which breakers could be in that line. Can anyone offer some direction or advice? Dick May

2002 Intrigue, #11438

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Re: Alternator Not Charging House Batteries

Reply #1 – January 23, 2010, 07:10:47 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 55910

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Dick,

Do the house batteries charge when you depress and hold the battery boost switch? If YES, then you may have a defective oil pressure sense switch - mounted on the engine. If NO, a solenoid that connects the chassis and house battery banks when the engine is running may be defective. You should be able to hear the solenoid close when you press the battery boost switch.
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Tom Harsch 2002 Allure #30791
Quartzsite, AZ

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Re: Alternator Not Charging House Batteries

Reply #2 – January 23, 2010, 10:33:01 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 55916

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Thanks, Tom. I'll check that out tomorrow.

Dick May

2002 Intrigue, #11438

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Re: Alternator Not Charging House Batteries

Reply #3 – January 24, 2010, 12:09:00 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 55929

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My rig has a battery isolator attached in the engine compartment to the battery bank enclosure wall.
The alternator lead attaches to the isolator center lug and the house and chassis battery leads to either side lug.
Perhaps you have such an isolator and it has failed on the house side?
Also, be sure that the positive battery connections at your house battery are clean and can pass voltage.
Have you taken voltage readings at the house battery and isolator to be sure that the battery bank is not receiving voltage and maybe is just failed instead?

Dean

95 Magna 5280

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Re: Alternator Not Charging House Batteries

Reply #4 – January 24, 2010, 07:06:17 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 55935

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Tom,

The boost switch DOES send power to the house batteries. It appears from the schematic that the boost switch and the oil pressure switch attach to the same lug on the solenoid. Do you think that I can "assume" that the oil pressure switch is bad ("assuming" that the wiring is ok)?
If it ever stops raining I'll break out the multimeter and take some measurements. Any idea where the oil pressure switch is?

Dick May 2002 Intrigue, #11438

"The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you are finished."
Where we are: http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=648

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Re: Alternator Not Charging House Batteries

Reply #5 – January 26, 2010, 08:00:12 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 55986

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Final (I hope) update:

I pressed, as suggested, the battery boost switch and found no power goes to the house bank. My plan was to test voltage on both sides of the relay, assuming the weather cleared. Well, it cleared so much that I played all day Monday!
I took to the road again this AM, tried the boost switch again and, guess what: power to the house batteries! I watched it all day and arrived at my next campground had full batteries.

Thanks to all for the advise.

Dick May

2002 Intrigue, #11438

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