Faint GEN light, voltage gauge reads 10, HELP!

D

Deb

New member
Oct 23, 2016
358
6
3
Hi folks. Well my coach (I guess I'm now the PO) is on it's way to the east coast of the US, and the fellow driving reports that the GEN light came
on his morning & stayed on and has faded but still faintly illuminated. Coach started just fine this morning. Voltage gauge reads apparently 10
volts with the coach running. It was just checked over by a good shop in WA and they said everything was in excellent shape. No mechanical issues
whatever. I have had no problems with the alternator.

He is currently between Missoula and Garrison Montana. I am going to check the black list for him. I have just told him to pull off into Garrison in
case he is running on battery alone and decides to die on the highway!

Suggestions, assistance and comments all welcome. Thanks Deb
--
Deb McWade
Logan Lake, BC, CAN
GMC Alumnus
It's Bigger on the Inside!
 
If he gets stranded, he can start the generator, jumper the isolator from
the generator to the engine lugs, and drive to a larger city where he may
have better access to rebuilders to fix his existing alternator. Just make
sure the jumper wire is 10 ga. or larger.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Oregon

On Sun, Aug 23, 2020, 11:43 AM Deb McWade via Gmclist <

> Hi folks. Well my coach (I guess I'm now the PO) is on it's way to the
> east coast of the US, and the fellow driving reports that the GEN light came
> on his morning & stayed on and has faded but still faintly illuminated.
> Coach started just fine this morning. Voltage gauge reads apparently 10
> volts with the coach running. It was just checked over by a good shop in
> WA and they said everything was in excellent shape. No mechanical issues
> whatever. I have had no problems with the alternator.
>
> He is currently between Missoula and Garrison Montana. I am going to
> check the black list for him. I have just told him to pull off into
> Garrison in
> case he is running on battery alone and decides to die on the highway!
>
> Suggestions, assistance and comments all welcome. Thanks Deb
> --
> Deb McWade
> Logan Lake, BC, CAN
> GMC Alumnus
> It's Bigger on the Inside!
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
Thanks Jim. Got in touch with Jon in Montana on the Blacklist. We have the Onan running and the battery is charging. Coach started right up and the
driver is on his way to Garrison Junction in MT. If everything is good there, and the battery is still charging properly off the Onan, he will then
make his way to Butte and see what the deal is with the alternator. He will be calling Jon as well when he gets to Garrison, who will walk him
through checking the connections between the alternator and battery.
Fingers crossed.
--
Deb McWade
Logan Lake, BC, CAN
GMC Alumnus
It's Bigger on the Inside!
 
Glad to help. Us GMCers got to stick together. Black's list works.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Oregon

On Sun, Aug 23, 2020, 12:34 PM Deb McWade via Gmclist <

> Thanks Jim. Got in touch with Jon in Montana on the Blacklist. We have
> the Onan running and the battery is charging. Coach started right up and
> the
> driver is on his way to Garrison Junction in MT. If everything is good
> there, and the battery is still charging properly off the Onan, he will then
> make his way to Butte and see what the deal is with the alternator. He
> will be calling Jon as well when he gets to Garrison, who will walk him
> through checking the connections between the alternator and battery.
> Fingers crossed.
> --
> Deb McWade
> Logan Lake, BC, CAN
> GMC Alumnus
> It's Bigger on the Inside!
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
And this is why I never had a second thought about getting a GMC... Where else will you get this kind of help at the drop of a hat?
Heard back from the driver. Battery volts sitting at about 13 and change. He spoke with Jon and is on his way to Helena where he can get some help
with that alternator. Continuing on with the Onan running till someone can take a look.
--
Deb McWade
Logan Lake, BC, CAN
GMC Alumnus
It's Bigger on the Inside!
 
And it would seem that the belt is gone! Driver was looking in the wrong spot. Sent me a picture - no belt on the alternator. Asked if it gone or
just slipped off. Haven't heard back.
PITA. New belts - all 3 of them last summer.
--
Deb McWade
Logan Lake, BC, CAN
GMC Alumnus
It's Bigger on the Inside!
 
Well, son of a gun. Seems like he would notice that.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Oregon

On Sun, Aug 23, 2020, 1:24 PM Deb McWade via Gmclist <

> And it would seem that the belt is gone! Driver was looking in the wrong
> spot. Sent me a picture - no belt on the alternator. Asked if it gone or
> just slipped off. Haven't heard back.
> PITA. New belts - all 3 of them last summer.
> --
> Deb McWade
> Logan Lake, BC, CAN
> GMC Alumnus
> It's Bigger on the Inside!
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
I would have thought so. But... Someone (non-mechanic guy) came and helped him out - put it back on, started using Batt boost (the Onan had run out
of gas so the coach battery was dead again!) and it immediately flew off (I don't think it was on all pulleys) and it is now in several pieces after
going through the gauntlet of drive belts.
Got the Onan running again - had air in the fuel lines/pump/carb after running out of gas, and he is now on his way to a destination with a population
greater than 200. Battery is sitting at 13+V again.

I just want to see him get somewhere besides the side of I-90, at the end of the day!
I have passed along the BELTS gmcmotorhome.info page, as well where to look in the maintenance manual supplement for tensioning the alternator belt so
whoever ends up getting that belt sorted out, will have what they need to make sure he gets a 7/16" belt and it's on correctly!! Told him to tell
whoever he is getting that belt from to get his 10mm wrench out, and if it goes over the belt.... wrong size belt!
I also suggested that he might want to have the battery checked since it has been drained down to dead twice in 12 hours. Might not want to take a
proper charge any more. It isn't a new battery, but it's a nice Interstate AGM and I have had no charging problems with it. But it's about 6 years
old now.

Now that he is back on the road, and hopefully en route to his destination, I think it is time to sit down and have some lunch!
Thanks for the help folks.
--
Deb McWade
Logan Lake, BC, CAN
GMC Alumnus
It's Bigger on the Inside!
 
See if alternator spins freely by hand. If bearings bad it may keep throwing belt, which is probably bad by now.
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
Any issues of finding the 27si alternator. Napa has a distribution center
in Billings Montana. Napa number in 213-4022
(406) 255-6272

On Sun, Aug 23, 2020 at 6:33 PM John R. Lebetski via Gmclist <

> See if alternator spins freely by hand. If bearings bad it may keep
> throwing belt, which is probably bad by now.
> --
> John Lebetski
> Woodstock, IL
> 77 Eleganza II
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Bruce Hart
1976 Palm Beach
Milliken, Co
GMC=Got More Class
 
John & Bruce. Thanks for the info. I will pass that along to him. He is safely in Bozeman, thanks to the GMC community and a great Onan, and will
be searching for a shop this morning. A decent mechanic will be able to check that alternator (but I'll tell him too so he can maybe take a look at
it himself before he takes it in) and the alternator part number is very good to have on hand if he needs one. Thanks folks. Deb
--
Deb McWade
Logan Lake, BC, CAN
GMC Alumnus
It's Bigger on the Inside!
 
Deb,
I don’t know if you have seen this information or already have it.

http://bdub.net/gmcmotorhome.info/engine.html
and
http://bdub.net/gmcmotorhome.info/engine.html

Gives great info on how and why the alternator light glows

J.R. Wright
GMC Great Laker MHC
GMCGL Tech Editor
GMC Eastern States Charter Member
GMCMI
78 GMC Buskirk 29.5’ Stretch
75 GMC Avion (Under Reconstruction)
Michigan

>
> John & Bruce. Thanks for the info. I will pass that along to him. He is safely in Bozeman, thanks to the GMC community and a great Onan, and will
> be searching for a shop this morning. A decent mechanic will be able to check that alternator (but I'll tell him too so he can maybe take a look at
> it himself before he takes it in) and the alternator part number is very good to have on hand if he needs one. Thanks folks. Deb
> --
> Deb McWade
> Logan Lake, BC, CAN
> GMC Alumnus
> It's Bigger on the Inside!
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
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