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Anon
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Curious Problem
Ok, I've started two threads since looking at the camper for the first time this year, one on why it would start after being left all winter, the next about the water heater not working, both solved, or at least not problems in the first place. just needed a good run and a few tries. the things is still in good shape.
since then I've painted the outside and begun decorating the inside, the thing has gained a new nickname, I'm gonna paint 'the heap' in big yellow letters on the side, on top of my ugly brushed and rolled green paint.
I've been away for my first weekend, no real problems until about 10 miles from home. The fan belt snapped, didn't think it would be any real problem, went to parts dealer just round the corner, got two for under a tenner, went to put it on. Seems the alternater was almost completely falling off. sliding bracket snapped in two, one of the mounting bolts broken out of the mounting, the other almost dangling off. managed with help of step-dad to fix brackets and get all ready to go on, but have two questions.
1) is it normal for bolts to come loose, the year before I ad trouble with the battery and alternater, warning light was on almost constantly, bought new alternater, but ended up leaving the old one on as after a bit of tightening seemed fine. the warning light stayed on, but the leasure battery kept getting charged so didn't really worry about it. this time I'm actually gonna use the new alternater, but should I be mindful of bolts loosening on the mountings of the alternater.
2) there is also a wire run directly off of one the the alternater wires, directly to the positive side of the battery, why would this be. they have literally connected a wire onto one of the brown wires on on the alternater, straight to the positive of the battery, connected on the actual connecter of the battery, I've messed about with the battery loads of times and I've noticed something happen when this wire is a bit loose on the battery, what woud it be for and should I try to get a better connection between these points. I think they had taped the connecter to the battery just to make sure it stayed tight, I kind of ripped it of after a few times of jump starting the battery(had an ancxient and completely blown up as in growing and expanding leasure battery for about a year).
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 Sat 03 Mar 2012 @ 18:29
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Anon
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Hi,
in answer to point 1, if the threads have stripped, its quite (very likely) for them to come loose, especially id anti shake washers are missing. Its good practice to use new nuts n bolts if available for any job.
As for point 2, what type of alternator do you have? can you post pics?
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Sat 03 Mar 2012 @ 19:01
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Anon
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on my beddy 1983 cf petrol there is a purple wire from the alternator to the live terminal of my engine battery, this i presume is what charges my battery!! 
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Sat 03 Mar 2012 @ 20:30
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Anon
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I don't have pictures, I'll take one tomorrow, but I mean this wire really does look like an add on, although they have obviously done some kind of work to the wiring on the alternater.
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Sat 03 Mar 2012 @ 21:15
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Anon
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Purple wire is an add-on.
Which alternator wire is the purple wire connected to?
Choice of thick brown, thin brown & thin brown+yellow.
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Sat 03 Mar 2012 @ 22:50
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Anon
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ok forget curiousity, I have a real problem with my alternater.
I can't upload the photos, yet cos i'm not on my laptop, on my mom's at the moment.
but nearest i can say is, my old alternater had two wires connected to it, with three connecters on one side of the alternater and another connecter on the other side. so two connecters where there were three connections.
fixed all brackets and tried putting new alternater on. new alternator has one connecter on it, the odd one on the other side, and no other connecters on it. It does have two bolts on it though, one with a + on it and another with a - on it. my problem is which wires go where.
the connections to alternater or wires are one thick brown, then there is a strange connecter, with three small brown and yellow wires each to a different point, one of these b+y wires has a red wire clipped to it, and then fed straight to positive on battery. the b+y wire with red wire clipped was the only part of strange connecter, connected, there was a small blue wire coming from this to one of the connecters on the alternater.
so basically old alternater had one thick brown wire connected to it and another blue wire leading to brown+yellow wire with red clipped to it.
I don't know what the positive and negative should be used for.
I've actually tried both already. thick brown to positive results it starting and electrical parts working, although red battery light stays on and eventually engine cut out.
thick brown wire to negative lead to nothing, not even the stereo working.
I've spent all morning, messing about, I've looked at the electrical diagram on the cf manual, on that it says it is true that you should have one brown wire and one brown+yellow wire to alternater, only it says that both the points it should go to are + which was one last confusion before i gave up for something to eat.
and it really is kind of important to know why someone would have put this red wire from the + battery terminal to the alternater brown+yellow wire.
any help would be greatly appreciated am out of knowledge and ideas.
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Sun 04 Mar 2012 @ 14:18
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Anon
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Disconnect battery.
Peel back the harness tape on the alternator wires until you get to just 3 wires: thick brown, thin brown & thin brown+yellow.
Wires you need for a 2-wire alternator are thick brown & brown+yellow; 2 plugs, brown+yellow link wire & thin brown wire are redundant. Cut back thin brown wire & insulate, to leave just the thick brown & thin brown+yellow.
Thick brown wire goes from alternator output terminal to the starter solenoid (& then to the battery via main battery cable).
Thin brown+yellow wire is alternator warning & goes via the bulkhead connector to the dash.
Disconnect any other wires at alternator.
EDIT
If alternator has a ground terminal (some Bosch, Delco units) then add a ground wire with an eyelet terminal to go under one of the 4 bolts securing the alternator mounting bracket. Ground wire must be as thick as thick brown wire.
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Sun 04 Mar 2012 @ 14:56
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Anon
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ok, but I'm not even sure I've got a two connecter alternater. there is only one connecter, and that one wasn't used on last alternater. on new one there are no other connecters, just a bolt with two nuts on it with a + sign next to it, and another bolt with one nut and a metal tag on it with a - sign next to it. Have i got the wrong alternater? could this one be used, could I just connect a negative earth to one of the mounting bolts and put all other wires to + connecter, not sure what to do. this would just render warning light useless wouldn't it or worse.
that is why the thing started but warning light was on. thick brown was connected the other was just attached to negative earth. with this alternater i'm just going to have to have constant warning light on i think.
will this be ok, have i got any other options
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Sun 04 Mar 2012 @ 15:24
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Anon
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Sounds like you could have a Bosch K1 alternator -
1. Ground wire, to alternator bracket bolt
5. Thick brown wire
7. Thin brown+yellow wire
Terminal for wire 7 might be recessed inside alternator.
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Sun 04 Mar 2012 @ 15:57
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Anon
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that's sort of similar.
5 and 1 are there. the 7 would be where the collection of circles are though. this was on previous alternater but not used, but clearly marked D+ on this one so I could try that, I'm sure it will work in the morning. do I actually need the earth on it though at 1. does the alternater actually work by charging through earth, I didn't know that, I think it's why I was a bit confused.
also looking at it, this one wasn't marked B+, there is just a + on a bolt connecter, not a sliding connecter.
so maybe I have a 1 and a D+, but no B+, just a +, that should still work shouldn't it.
say 5 off of +, 7 off of D+ and a 1 off of 1 if needed.
(the engine will start off of + with 5, although it did cut out-not sure if it was related to alternater).
sorry if it is getting complicated and thanks for help so far.
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Sun 04 Mar 2012 @ 18:23
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Anon
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Alternator charging circuit relies on a good ground to the engine (& then to chassis via the engine earth strap).
Bosch alternator should ground through the casing to the engine on a CF; ground wire is belt & braces (more for when alternator mounted on rubber bushes).
'+' = B+
Engine cutting out not usually related to alternator problems.
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Sun 04 Mar 2012 @ 18:41
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Anon
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thanks for all the help, 'the heap' is finally back in good working order, better than ever, now I've started ripping apart the interior, hopefully the thing will be just the way I want by the end of the month just in time for my money to run out and I'll just have to sit and look out of the window at it longing to travel away in the thing.
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Mon 05 Mar 2012 @ 16:22
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