Bjohnsonmn

27 minutes ago, Ivan K said:

I stop filling when high pressure at the compressor reaches the upper value for given temp at condenser. Depending where you hook up, the compressor side suction port is a bit lower than the table in my case but works fine and safe on high pressure side. Make sure you have air going through the condenser. I like to do it at high idle rpm to be closer to cruising situation. 

Thanks! I'll be hooked up right under the condenser location in the front generator bay of the RV. Thanks for the feedback!

4 hours ago, Georgia Mike said:

 

Is this reliably universal, or do I need to adjust for the amount of piping involved?

Does anyone have a pressure chart for a system like mine from 2000? (Windsor 32PB) I have the gauge set and the knowhow to make it work, but don't know the pressures that my system needs. There is not a nameplate in my front or rear bay that shows the level of oil or 134 that is required for my system.

I had nearly the same experience with my 2000 Windsor 32PB (A.k.a Loaf, A.k.a. "Shorty No-slides")

The newer alternator will work, but you will need to do a few things to simplify the system.

I ended up having only four connections: 1. Negative, 2. Battery Positive, 3. Remote sense, 4. Relay (Controls the Alt Fail light)

I had originally connected the ignition wire. The newer alternator ign connection is bi-directional and will let voltage on the line AND detect ignition on.

Two choice: 1. Leave it disconnected, 2. Install a Diode

Our RV didn't have the big blue battery isolator of doom. It had a trickle (from the factory) charge green box that allowed voltage to charge from the chassis to the battery and a large solenoid that was connected to a momentary switch to act as a "booster" bridging the systems for a self-contained jump.

I talked with a tech at Delco about how the internals of the SI alternators worked. Very interesting.

If you have that big blue box of unhappiness, then you do have some other work to do. But, if you are setup as I was from the factory, it is a MUCH easier system to support with the SI series as those are on the shelf and affordable to acquire at any good truck service location.

Solved!

I got on the phone with a technical representative from Remy Delco. Nice guy. We talked about the Leece alternator (he was familiar). He shared that there is a compatibility chart that states which of their alternators work and don't work as a drop in. Because I had removed the DUVAC requiring components (moving to DC-DC controlled charging), I was a free agent and that the 28si is a solid choice.

Here's the key difference.

The 28si IGN stud IS bi-directional. It can take 1amp in and it pushes 1amp out. As he put it, it is for running indicator lights in most applications.

Solution: Remove the IGN wire and tape the connector at the end of the IGN wire. Boom. Worked perfectly, no alt warning light, and everything ran smoothly.

I'm not sure this is the fix for everyone, but the 6v relay seems to still get that 12v IGN power via the rest of the circuit.

3 minutes ago, Ivan K said:

On ours, the generator and hydraulic pump get power from the same post in FRB. That power comes from high current RRB.

I might add that this power is supplied by chassis batteries in my case but it shouldn't make a difference in the big picture. 

Hmmmm.... I'm going to have to take a look at that!

2000 Windsor 32PB, 7500w Onan

I am in the process of completing my LiFePO4 conversion. One of the final items is inspecting the 12 "trunk" cables connecting areas of the coach. I've got the core house wiring figured out, but I am having a real hard time locating where the positive 12v supply is tied in for starting the generator.

The factory wiring diagram is marginally helpful:

It is unclear where that tie in between the genset wire and the main lead that goes to the RRP domestic stud.

The small size of our 32PB is great! We love it.... however... it makes projects like this challenging. Here's what it looks like

The bays are... limmited.

Does anyone have a guess as to where the generator is getting its power from?

Thanks!

4 minutes ago, TomV48 said:

I put mine in the battery compartment but handled the explosive gas issue by using agms for the engine batteries.   Was able to put three Red Top Optimas in place of the two gr 31s that were there.

That's a good idea. I'm not sure if I can make that work in mine, though I'll take a look. I have one of those mega 143 pound batteries in my rig.

Happy I could share what's happening with you! This forum has been quite helpful in our efforts to renovate and reinvigorate our rig.

Cool. Then it sounds like I don't actually need it hooked up as the 28SI is self-exciting!

Something to test out tonight in the Bread Box (what we call our shop).

3 minutes ago, Frank Bergamo said:

Had this same problem after replacing a LN with a Delco alternator. I installed a diode in the ignition circuit at the alternator. It was back feeding through the ignition circuit preventing shutdown of engine. Hope this helps.

That does help! SO, voltage is allowed from the IGN circuit TO the IGN terminal on the 28si? (Confirming). Which diode did you use? I am guessing something that supports 12-15v up to a few amps?

Thanks!

Thanks! I went with the two sub-sub panels to have a local disconnect in the inverter compartment. Technically, they are not likely required as those lines are protected at the main 110v panels inside the bedroom, but I wanted a way to affirmatively isolate the inverter when I'm working on things. It also made it easier to wire in by giving me a really solid place to add more 110v wire length.

I have the cerbo, but haven't reached that stage of the installation. That should be coming up soon!

Looks nice! Ours is even more compact than that. the house and chassis batteries were together (stacked with slide trays) in the rear-most bay on the passenger side. Only the rear electrical bay (house and chassis switches, solenoid, fuses etc) are behind it. The next closest bay is at the middle of the coach and where I put the new house batteries, solar controller, etc. The inverter had to go in the basement where the Trace was located. I don't have enough vertical clearance to mount the MP2 upright, so I have it mounted on its back (verified compliant with Victron folks, they just don't want it on its side).

Here's a few photos of my work so far:

Making custom 4/0 cables without a ratcheting cut tool will turn you into Popeye!

1 minute ago, Ray Davis said:

If I'm not mistaken electronic engines ( ECM ) do not use the alternator for the tackometer.  Earlier mechanical engines used the pulses of the alternator so the pulley size is important for accuracy.

That makes total sense to me. I'm going to assume (dangerous I know) that the ign connection to the tach is therefor  for the backlight or something?

1 minute ago, Tillman111 said:

I cannot give you technical details surround the why but I can tell you I spent alot of time and money trying to first get my Leece Neville rebuilt with cheap internals " I did not know any better at the time "  That failed instantly. I then used the same Delco 28si and I had the same exact outcome. The engine would not shut down. I then started to diagnose the ignition switch. I swapped the switch and still had the same issue. I finally took the advice of this forum and many others. Took my Leece Neville to a very reputable shop in my area. Spent $1000 for a all original leece neville internals. Completely rebuilt and upgraded with heavy duty. Installed and never had an issue again.  From my understanding the 28si can only be used when the Duvac system is eliminated. Hope this helps!

I had considered going that route, but did end up completely removing the DUVAC system. In the case of the 2000 32PB, it didn't have the full diode isolated big blue block. It had something closer to a trickle charger that kept things topped off and used a high-capacity solenoid to bridge the two 12v systems. Plus, I wanted to be setup such that if I had a failure on the road, I wasn't left high and dry looking for a part that can have weeks of lead time.

I'm wondering if the Leece ignition post behaves differently than the Remy does. There should be some way forward with a diode, a relay replacement, or something else. The challenge is figuring out the difference between the IGN post on the old and new alternators.

2000 Windsor 32PB

We are rounding the corner on completing the renovation of our beloved "Loaf". There are a few things left to complete, one is the location of our DC-DC charger from Victron.

The 32PB is a short and slide-less model. Perfect in size for us, but a little tight on space for anything below the floor. I have a Victron DC-DC charger to pull power from the chassis 12v system and top off my house 12v system with LiFePO4 batteries.

The options I have for locating the device are limited. According to the documentation, it can get hot and shouldn't be located where there are flammable/explosive gasses. So, that rules out the bay where the chassis battery is located (but that would be the ideal location). It also rules out the inner core of my rig where my inverter and other new 12v equipment is located. Bummer.

Where would you locate this thing? It's about the size of a Miriam Webster dictionary and a bit on the heavier side for its size. We replaced the chassis battery with a new style, non-serviceable one. I don't think that means sealed as it must have a breather hole.

The question I am pondering: Is the warning about explosive gasses closer to an actual warning with a high likelihood of happening? Or, is it closer to the Pro65 warning that I see when I board a plane in LA saying the area I am entering contains substances known to the state of California to cause cancer?

Just now, JDCrow said:

Awesome! Looks familiar 😂😂😂

 

BTW, our big dog calls our coach (we call her Pearl)

”The rolling breadbox of death” 

 

That made me laugh pretty hard!

We call our shop where we store and work on Loaf the "Bread Box"

Our other project is a 2005 Bobcat UTV named "Crouton". It is crusty, rusty, and quite stale. But, we love it.

Funny that this post is following an post called "Engine won't start".

2000 Windsor 32PB, House and Chassis 12v systems fully isolated (LiFePO4 house swap)

As is the case for many of us, my DUVAC Lacee alternator generated its final amp and died in rather remarkable fashion. When I pulled it from the engine, the positive post pulled out of the alternator. It had somehow been acting like a foundry and was melting the various metals surrounding the stud in the alternator into some kind of new metal that surrounded the threads. The cause: the stud had cracked and separated about a half inch into the alternator and had been welding and unwelding itself to the point it had every color of the rainbow burned into the stud.

I went the Remy Delco 28SI route as other have had great luck with them here and on that other RV owners forum. Easy install, direct fit, and my local heavy truck shop had one at a very good price on the shelf with a new pully. Now, I have an alternator generating voltage in the low 14's at high idle reliably. As I state in the title of this post, I have removed the connection between the house and chassis 12v systems and will be placing a DC-DC device between them in the future.

The problem is, I fixed it too well. Now, the engine does not stop until I turn the disconnect switch off. My assumption is that by removing power to the ECM, it is signaling the fuel shutoff solenoid to fire.

I have all three terminal connections reconnected on the new alternator. There's the ground and positive lugs + 3 connections: Relay, Ignition, and DUVAC/Remote Sense.

The Remote Sense is a 20amp fused connection to the battery distribution stud. Now harm in leaving that connected. I did remove that fuse to see if that was the source of a back feed to the ign line, but it kept running. I'm ruling that out.

The Relay is a possibility, but I am not sure that would do it. Plus, that is the terminal signaling the tach. It is listed as half voltage (6ish v). I suppose that could be it if the HAMSAR 6v Alt Fail relay is stuck, but it was fine before the alternator swap.

My hunch is that it is the Ignition connection. Others have had this issue and have left the IGN terminal disconnected from the alternator. I've been reviewing the chassis schematics for my rig, and it doesn't appear that it is a critical connection for the system. Any unintended consequences for leaving the 28si disconnected? The 28si is self-exciting. The installation manual explicitly states that the alternator works fine with only the positive and ground connections made. (Though the RV does need/use the relay connection).

My next step in troubleshooting is to remove and tape the ignition connection that goes to the alternator.

Any other thoughts on this subject? I searched "Engine won't shut off" on the forum and didn't find any posts about this topic.

Cheers!
Brad

I thought I'd share this with all of you fellow Monaco owners. My wife (who is a graphic designer for a big company) wanted to have a fun sticker for our rig. So, she made some! I don't recall where she ordered the stickers from, but they turned out great.

Perhaps an idea for other owners who want to show off their Monaco pride in ownership when away from their rides. They weren't very expensive and the way our rigs are painted makes it fairly easy to design the sticker.

Hope it brings you the same smile it brought me when she opened the envelope!

Cheers,
Brad

1 hour ago, jacwjames said:

Can you take a picture of the passenger side rear electrical bay and post it here.   If it is similar to my 2002 Windsor I should be able to help you out

Pouvez-vous prendre une photo de la baie électrique arrière côté passager et la poster ici. 

Si c'est similaire à mon Windsor 2002, je devrais pouvoir vous aider

 

Your photo looks nearly exactly how ours looked before I started our reconfiguration. (Though we still had a large solenoid connecting the house and chassis with a relay delay type device in the space to the left of where this photo was taken).

With our conversion to LiFePO4 batteries and the fact that it was time for a new alternator (The positive post on the alternator itself was broken and in the process of making a new metal alloy inside the alternator), we have completely isolated the two systems. I do have a DC-DC charger from Victron that I will wire in if we find that we want to take advantage of the chassis charging while driving, though with more than 400w of brand new solar on the roof, I am hoping that will help. The generator could also help in those situations.

I am nearly done with the full conversion of our 2000 Windsor 32PB (@adventureswithloaf on instagram if you want to see progress photos that my wife is posting). Once it is complete, I plan to do a write up on the process in a way that others can learn from our project including what you gain, lose, and benefit from in our approach. The 32PB is the most space constrained of the models that we are aware of given it is only 32ish feet long and has no slides. We had to get creative.

To the person looking for help: What are your goals? Is it to eliminate the DUVAC? Is it to clean it up? Is it to just be able to keep it going as is? Each of those paths will have different advice associated with it.

If it does happen to fully go out, I have one that I pulled from my 2000 Windsor (Looks like it was a replacement for the original one). We went to LiFePO4 batteries, so we needed to change it.

As for serviceability, it could be heat. I can check the original manuals (if I can find them soon) for any troubleshooting steps it may have for this scenario. What kind of load was it under?

I've just gone through a similar process with my shop.

The Coop ran Underground Service Wire (this is a specific bundle with specific insulation) from the transformer (your meter/service point in your case) to a panel (your RV pedestal in your case). My service is 200AMP, but there is a UG Service wire for 100AMP 240v with the wire gauges you need. The coop direct buried the wire with a vibrating plow with the exception of the length under the road (direction bore conduit).

How does this apply to you:

There is a specific direct bury UG service wire that will work for your use case. Menards sells it (I like that Eaton box as well as the RV supply one) I would ask a local electrician what your local code is as well as what gauge wire to use. Each county or state (in our case) has their own rules for bury depth. I would suggest going at or below the minimum. Running red plastic marking tape (cheap on amazon) about a foot down as you refill the trench gives you or someone else a visual indicator that they are approaching a wire.

22 hours ago, Matthew said:

 

Hello I would like to buy your converter. Is it still available?

My number is 9545545087 

thanks 

MatthewThomas

Pending our call on Monday for others who see this post.

Thanks!

B&K

1 minute ago, waterskier_1 said:

Brad, the second diagram (with the Hamstar relay at the bottom, shows the ALT-FAIL wire at "S5" continues to the right and is labeled "TACH".  That wire continues on to the TACH on the dash. 

  - Rick N 

I think you mean the alt relay wire. As I read the diagram, the relay at the bottom that drives the Alt-Fail light is triggered when there is not a charge across the Alt-Relay wire.

Here's the relevant snap shots from my wiring diagrams:

This is from my 2000 Windsor 32PB