Alternator warning light / alarm

[Dena Pou]

We have a 40 foot, 2005 Santiam with 350hp C7 engine. A few weeks ago the Alt Chg warning light & alarm came on. A diesel mechanic changed the alternator unfortunately the alarm did not go off. The mechanic checked the connection and said everything was working correctly. A few days later we tried starting the engine and the chassis batteries were completely dead. We replaced the batteries. We finally called the manufacturer of the alternator and found out that the wrong one was installed. We had the correct one shipped to us, it was installed by a different mechanic, this time an RV mechanic -Alt Chg warning still on. He found additional issues with the relay & solenoid. We replaced both -Alt Chg warning still on. The bus starts right up and according to the gauges the batteries are charging. We don't know what else to do. Any help with this issue is greatly appreciated.

[Gerald Farris]

Dena,
I wish that I could give you an easy answer to your question, but since I do not know what the "diesel mechanic" did to your coach, it is impossible to trouble shoot your problem with out much more information. You just need a qualified person to thoroughly diagnose your coach before they just start throwing parts at it. A qualified mechanic would not have installed the wrong alternator or any alternator until they knew what was wrong or sent you out with the original problem still present. Since the Santiam is an Indiana built coach, I am not familiar with the charging system, does it use a battery isolator or a "BIRD" system?

Gerald












 

[Dena Pou]

Thank you Gerald Farris. How do I tell if it is a battery isolator or a "BIRD" system?