1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with alternator/isolator/chassis battery questions

Topic: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with alternator/isolator/chassis battery questions (Read 2778 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #25 – April 28, 2024, 07:03:48 pm

Quote from: quickmagic – April 28, 2024, 06:00:15 pm

Do you think 160 amps is overkill?
So, what i need is a 160 amp 12 volt GM type alternator with an internal voltage regulator, and set up as a one wire? Is there any more?

Yes, that's all you need. It just has to match up with the existing mounting bolt holes, and position the drive pulley in proper alignment with the other pulleys, so the V-belt runs straight and true.

160 amp is not "overkill'. It may not be necessary with your present battery setup, but will provide some headroom if you later wish to add more storage (batteries).

Doesn't hurt anything to oversize an alternator (other than increasing the purchase price).

Our '93 U280 came with a 130A alternator (which was not factory original). I replaced it with a 200A Delco 28SI. Completely different engine and mounting situation than yours, but you might be interested in my installation.

Delco Remy 28SI Alternator Installation

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #26 – April 28, 2024, 07:30:09 pm

For the question about shore power there should be a receptacle on the left side of the vehicle. It might be silver metal or maybe white plastic. Lift up and you should see where to plug in the power cord. It should have a 50 amp cord.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #27 – April 29, 2024, 09:39:14 am

OK, check this out to make sure that I am doing this correctly. I am going to buy a GM type alternater ( for correct mounting holes),
A 16ne0 12 volt with an internal regulater. To attach, mount just as old alternater, do not use the exterior voltage regulator,
Buy an alternater with an internal voltage, mount it as usual, attach the cable from the positive from batteries, to alternater , and tjhen connect the negative cable to the negative post on alternater to ground.
Hereis the part where I'm not sure, first, do I plug the twin wire plug into alternater, or not, and can I just leave the old regular
wiring in place, and can I just wrap up and tape the wiring?
So that the way i understand it, is that correct?
Thank you for all your help!!

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #28 – April 29, 2024, 10:04:29 am

Quote from: quickmagic – April 29, 2024, 09:39:14 am

1. Buy an alternater with an internal voltage, mount it as usual
2. attach the cable from the positive from batteries, to alternater
3. and tjhen connect the negative cable to the negative post on alternater to ground.
4. Hereis the part where I'm not sure, first, do I plug the twin wire plug into alternater
5. can I just leave the old regular wiring in place, and can I just wrap up and tape the wiring?

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. No. The "twin wire plug" wiring harness is connected on the other end to the old voltage regulator, which is no longer required.
5. Yes

When you have decided what alternator you will purchase, if possible post a link to the description before you pull the trigger. Even if you are buying it at a local store, you should be able to find it for sale somewhere online, along with a listing of the technical specs and installation instructions.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #29 – April 29, 2024, 10:52:28 am

Fill out the signature form and tell us where you are,someone may be near you to help or may know of a shop near you,will help
with the process.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #30 – May 11, 2024, 09:56:23 pm

update, there is a battery isolater on the coach, I found it hiding way underneath. I did get and install CW 130 ALTERNATER, IT BOLTED UP JUST FINE, I wires it as follows, blur wire that wasn originally wired to the previous alternator, and was 12V ignition on, ignition off, 0 V. , That is conected to F terminal; the s conection post, i routed to the alternater + battery post on the rear of alternater.
Volt meter shows 11.5 V at the battery, and zero V at the alternater. So what in the hell could thaT BE, Battery disconnected during installation, so no shorts or sparks. The alternater is a brand new cs 160 style from Southwest Perfarmance parts in Phoenix. All I can figure is that I got a bad alternater. Any thoughts on this?

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #31 – May 11, 2024, 10:46:16 pm

More alternator amps may not charge your exact capacity battery banks any faster. Batteries can only accept a certain amount of input power. STD charging rates from most makers currently state eith 5C or 20C. C being the batteries capacity in amp hours.

So either 5% or 20%.

Thats why Foretravel used the 105? Amp alternator. More amps would not charge any faster normally. 105 would charge 2 8D's.

So a 250 amp hour 8D max charge rate should be 50 amps until it reaches the bulk charge voltage then a smart charger will taper down the charging amps to avoid over charging the battery.

The 81 FTX chargers were battery boilers. I killed a lot of batteries back then. A modern charging system will greatly increase your batteries life. I was a Foretravel stores sales manager in the 80's and have driven and rved in similar coaches.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #32 – May 11, 2024, 11:24:02 pm

Quote from: quickmagic – May 11, 2024, 09:56:23 pm

All I can figure is that I got a bad alternater. Any thoughts on this?

It is more likely that you are connecting the new alternator improperly, but unless you can post a photo of the alternator wiring terminals, along with a copy of the installation instructions, there is no way to help you.

We need more information.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #33 – May 12, 2024, 08:25:28 pm

With the battery isolator, you need a duvac alternator in order for it to charge properly. There are many posts here on duvac alternator and how to wire them up and troubleshoot them.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #34 – May 14, 2024, 07:01:36 am

OK, I'll shoot a pic of the alternater and see if ican send it. Any picture that I take wont be sharp enough to see the lettering. There is a 4 prongplug on the side, top of alt, those letters from the top down are P L F S, other than thatthere is positive post on the side and a ground in back. I'll follow with a pic if I can get it to work. Butmi will keep you informed. Thank you for your help,it is much appreciated.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #35 – May 14, 2024, 09:30:55 am

Quote from: quickmagic – May 11, 2024, 09:56:23 pm

1. there is a battery isolater on the coach, I found it hiding way underneath.

2. I did get and install CW 130 ALTERNATER, IT BOLTED UP JUST FINE

3. I wires it as follows:
A. blur wire that wasn originally wired to the previous alternator, and was 12V ignition on, ignition off, 0 V. , That is conected to F terminal;
B. the s conection post, i routed to the alternater + battery post on the rear of alternater.

4. Volt meter shows...zero V at the alternater.

5. So what in the hell could thaT BE...

6. All I can figure is that I got a bad alternater.

7. Any thoughts on this?

1. So you DO have an isolator. Now we need to know if the isolator is being used, or is it bypassed? Follow the B+ charging cable from the alternator - where does it go? Does it connect to the isolator center post, or directly to one of the batteries?

2. I take it you mean "CS" 130 alternator.

3. Wiring connections IF your alternator is similar to the diagram below:
A. The blue "Hot with Ignition ON" excite wire should not be connected to the F terminal. Try connecting it to the L terminal - see what happens. It may need a resistor to function properly.
B. The alternator S terminal is the "SENSE" terminal.
IF your alternator output cable is connected directly to one of the battery positive posts, then the way you have the SENSE wire connected (to the alternator B+ output post) will work OK (although it is not ideal).
IF your alternator output cable goes to the center post on the isolator, then you do not have the SENSE wire connected properly. With the isolator in the circuit, the SENSE wire must be connected DIRECTLY to the positive post on the start battery, OR to the START battery post on the isolator.

4. This is probably because the alternator is not "turning on".

5. It could be due to improper wiring.

6. Not too likely.

7. Yes - see above comments.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #36 – May 20, 2024, 02:40:26 pm

Chuck, The isolater hAS 3 POSTS, HOWEVER i CANT READ IT. tHE alternater goes to the moddle post, there is a heavy cable coming off the front post and back up front to the engine area, a wire comming off the 3rd post going to tnhe batteries, and a second wire attached to the middle post going towards the back of the coach. So, I will run a seperate wire from alternater directly to the batteries, What gauge wire should that be? Thank you for your help.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #37 – May 20, 2024, 04:58:09 pm

Quote from: quickmagic – May 20, 2024, 02:40:26 pm

1. The isolater hAS 3 POSTS
2. tHE alternater goes to the moddle post
3. there is a heavy cable coming off the front post and back up front to the engine area
4. a wire comming off the 3rd post going to tnhe batteries
5. and a second wire attached to the middle post going towards the back of the coach
6. I will run a seperate wire from alternater directly to the batteries, What gauge wire should that be?

1. This is probably a common 3 post diode based isolator.

2. Middle post is generally correct for the alternator cable, although some isolators do not follow this convention. The other posts should be connected to your batteries - one post to your engine start battery, and the other post to your coach battery. It doesn't matter which post goes to which battery.

3. So the cable running from the "front" isolator post goes where? You need to follow that cable and see where it terminates.

4. "a wire coming off the 3rd post goes to the batteries". Is this a lighter gauge wire or a heavy gauge cable? It sounds like this is the wire charging both of your batteries. If that is the case, then it needs to be a fairly heavy cable...not a light gauge wire.

5. "a second wire attached to the middle (alternator) post going towards the back of the coach" I have no idea what would be the purpose of this wire. You need to trace this wire and find out where it goes.

6. "I will run a separate wire..." You need to run this wire from the alternator "S" terminal to the POS (+) post on the engine start battery. This wire will not carry any significant current - it is just a SENSE wire that measures battery voltage. Any general purpose 14 or 16 gauge wire will be fine.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #38 – May 21, 2024, 03:06:05 am

Thank you very much, It has been pouring rain the last few days, andI didn't trace tjhe rear bound small gauge wire, or the engine ound heavy gauge wire going bsck towards the engine because the grass nwas wet and Imjust wanted to get off the grass as quick as I could. I'll let you know when I find that stuff out.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #39 – May 22, 2024, 02:32:57 pm

Chuck, I was looking at an article on how to install alternator on this application. I dont know if this is applicsble or not, but that article said when disconnecting regulartor to attach then far right wire to the far ledft wire, and njustr cap off the mioddle two leads on the wireas at trhe alternastor. Is this correct? You said in your wiring instrucrtions to use the blue wire as the excite wire,. and to run that to the L terminal at the alternator. The blue wire yiou are talking about, ismthat tjhe blue wire that was originally on the two wire connection to the alternator? If so, athend I detrach all wires from the regulator, will that still be usable as the excite wire? Im ready to go on tjhis, and those are the only concerns that remain.
Thank you!
Bill

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #40 – May 22, 2024, 02:48:41 pm

Bill,

I can't follow all the wires you are talking about, and I don't know what article you were reading. Go back and read Reply #35 again. I described how a CS130 alternator should be connected. You will need to figure out what wires to use, where the wires come from, and where they should go. The voltage regulator and associated wires are no longer required with the new alternator. You may or may not be able to reuse the voltage regulator wires. Without being there to see the stuff in person, there's only so much I can do to help you. Sorry, but providing long distance remote assistance with unfamiliar electrical systems is very difficult.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #41 – May 22, 2024, 04:53:12 pm

True, Am I correct in assuming that the current regulator should be disconnected?

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #42 – May 22, 2024, 04:58:46 pm

Quote from: quickmagic – May 22, 2024, 04:53:12 pm

Am I correct in assuming that the current regulator should be disconnected?

Yes, assuming that the new alternator has an internal regulator. Does it?

Did the new alternator come with wiring instructions? If so, that would be your best guide as to how it should be wired.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #43 – May 22, 2024, 06:27:44 pm

The alternator is internally regulated, it did not come with instructions. T traced the wire running aft from the isolator, IT runs back to whatn i believve is an air pump mounted above the rear axel, it also has a good sized wire running nto batteries. i began to follow the hose, it goes into the engine compartment next to the front left side. I'll track iot the rest of trhe way later. what strikes me as odd is the fact that there are no heavy battery cables comming from the iasolater to the batteries, all heavy leads going to the batteries look to me like they are comming from up[ front, and just go to batteries directly. I'll look at that closer.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #44 – May 23, 2024, 06:10:36 am

I dont think that the isolater is connected.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #45 – May 23, 2024, 07:48:19 am

You really need to find someone familiar with the alternator/isolator on your coach.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #46 – May 23, 2024, 09:14:25 am

Bill,

I agree with Brett (above). It sounds to me like the wiring on your coach is a mess. It is hard for you to describe to us what you are seeing, because you don't know what the correct wiring should look like. It is hard for us to tell you how to correct what you are seeing because we aren't there to see it in person. You need to find someone who understands exactly how your coach should be wired, and can then make the corrections, or else start over from scratch and do it right.

In Reply #35 I told you how a CS130 alternator should be connected, with or without an isolator. You (or someone) must decide which setup is most appropriate, and then connect the alternator according to the instructions.

Your coach, with one alternator and two batteries, should have a very simple charging system. It can be made to work just fine with or without a battery isolator. The line diagram below shows how the components on your coach would be connected if you wish to use a battery isolator. If you don't want to use an isolator, then you just run the charging cable directly from the B+ post on the alternator to the B+ post on the start battery.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #47 – May 25, 2024, 09:11:46 pm

Hi Chuck, Duvac alternator came in today, I'm gonna take some pics of it before I install it, and see if I can fifgure out how to get them on here for your wviewing pleasure. And if you would be willing to share some advice on how this should be wired, I would appreciate it. If there is a nything other than what we have already duiscussed, or if you wa nt clairification, please let me know what you need to give me your best shot at it. This czme with directions too, I'll t
include them as well. Thank you very much for your help, most people or youube videos dont have a lot on installation for RV app,lications.

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #48 – May 25, 2024, 09:34:58 pm

DUVAC alternator is pretty simple - should have either three or four places to connect wires.

1. Alternator B+ output: battery cable goes to the alternator post on the isolator, OR (if no isolator) then direct to B+ post on engine START battery.

2. Alternator SENSE terminal: wire is connected to either the START battery post on the isolator, or direct to the B+ post on START battery. The SENSE wire is HOT all the time.

3. Alternator EXCITE terminal: wire is connected to a voltage source that is HOT only when ignition switch is turned to ON position.

4. Alternator NEG post (if it has one): cable connects to a good clean (bright metal) grounding point on the engine block or the frame.

That's all there is to it. Page linked below has a diagram of a basic two battery DUVAC alternator hookup:

https://www.dixie-electric.com//tsb/TSB_704.pdf

Re: 1984 FORETRAVEL - New owner with questions

Reply #49 – June 06, 2024, 05:58:05 am

THANK YOU!

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