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08-02-2020, 01:15 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Noblesville, Indiana
Posts: 11
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Electrical gremlins
We're 3853 miles into our first trip. The Alpine has been running great and mostly trouble free. Except for the electrics.
We have enjoyed a series of small idiosyncrasies like the speedo being off by 10mph and overhead fans only working every 2nd cycle of the ignition key.
A couple of days ago, the voltmeter started showing charging in the 10 amp range. We have not experienced any difficulty starting and batteries seem full charged.
On today's drive the volt meter went to zero. And now I have lost all of the check engine, wait to start, etc idiot lights.
Any thoughts on where to start diagnosis?
Multimeter on batteries show 13.5v
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08-02-2020, 01:18 PM
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#2
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Junior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Noblesville, Indiana
Posts: 11
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Another thing to consider. Our towed vehicle has a stay in play duo system.
In last couple of days, the turn signals have started pulsing the brake lights as well as turn indicator lights
. When I have turn signals on, the whole gauge system jumps and twitches in time with flasher. But it definitely cycles the brake system.
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08-02-2020, 01:31 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 7,868
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Please tell us what year and model you have so we can begin to help.
__________________
Brett Wolfe
Ex: 2003 Alpine 38FDDS. Ex: 1997 Safari Sahara. Ex: 1993 Foretravel U240
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08-02-2020, 05:54 PM
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#4
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Junior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Noblesville, Indiana
Posts: 11
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2000 alpine 36fds
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08-03-2020, 10:22 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Capistrano Beach, California
Posts: 4,465
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From your description, the items showing problems seem to all be on the chassis battery system. They also seem to indicate a possible bad ground in the chassis circuitry and that's what I would first inspect it this were an issue for me. The behavior of the turn signals on the gauges makes me think it's a ground issue rather than voltage as the current is trying to reach a ground through other devices, like the gauge lights.
You might begin by inspecting and cleaning all ground connections in the battery bay, including the battery posts and cable connections to the frame.
__________________
Larry, Eileen, and Finley
2004 Alpine 36FDDS
Third motor home, first Alpine, no need for another.
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08-03-2020, 03:05 PM
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#6
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Member
Thor Owners Club Vintage RV Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 40
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I had a dually GM pick up that had crazy electrical control problems. Wipers would stop and speed up,gauges and lights would be up and down all over the place. It turned out the engine wasn't grounded properly. I got a 6 gauge wire and put 2 connectors on. Found a bolt on the engine block and another on a solid piece of the body and bolted the wire on. Presto.Everything went back to normal. I think you can test it by attaching one end of a jumper cable to the negative terminal of the battery and touching the other end to the engine block.
If you see a little spark it's not grounded well
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08-25-2020, 03:41 PM
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#7
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Junior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Noblesville, Indiana
Posts: 11
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finally returned home from our first trip - 70 days and 6600 miles later.
We gave up on the gauges a little over half way into our trip. Drove the last 30 days with zero information center lights, gauges and turn signals.
I have removed every battery cable in the cradle. I cleaned every contact point with deoxit and wire brush. I dont see specifically where chassis ground is located. I checked every fuse in the electrical center and all are good.
Next step i believe will be to install VMS pc to see if i am getting communication from the main computer.
Any other recommendations? Going to dive heavily into this over the next 3 days.
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08-25-2020, 04:16 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 1,190
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X2 on chassis ground. You need to find where the chassis ground cable is. Also, you could consider getting a Scanguage D which connects to the coach's computer and gives you readouts on all guages and other stuff.
__________________
Elbridge Price, 1998 Dutch Star Diesel Pusher
Cummins 6.8.3 mechanical injectors, Spartan Chassis
2016 Toyota Prius; Acme EZE Tow Dolly
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08-26-2020, 08:30 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Lake Havasu City, AZ
Posts: 3,007
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Look into Bluefire......Under $200 and it hooks into the diagnostic port under the dash.....Bluetooth to any Andriod or iOS device and works great!
__________________
Paul & Jean
2001 Alpine 36FDDS (74291)-3900W Solar, 13,440Wh (525Ah @24V) LiFePO4
2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk (Hemi)
2006 Alpenlite 32RL - Sold
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08-26-2020, 10:11 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 7,396
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...not sure if this adds to the discussion...my 2003 Alpine has a "VDM?????" module that converts std Cummins comm. protocol to support the dash gauge cluster. Module on my 2003 is on the reverse wall of the rear battery compartment bulkhead--its about the side of a tablet computer. Connections on the VDM and on the Cummins engine are subject to corrosion.
WRV use several brands of dash gauges over the years so this may not apply to OP's situation. There was also an extensive thread on internal VDM issues. This component is no longer in production and there is no supply chain. Thread suggested that VDM was susceptible to vibration based on poor internal solder technique on mother board--but easy for qualified semi-conductor tech to identify and correct....so did you clean the VDM connections too?
__________________
Old Scout
2015 IH45 Foretravel
2003 Alpine 40' MDTS [Sold]
New Braunfels, Texas
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08-29-2020, 08:43 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 2,554
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paul65k
Look into Bluefire......Under $200 and it hooks into the diagnostic port under the dash.....Bluetooth to any Andriod or iOS device and works great!
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Paul, I left the VMSpc in the coach when I sold it. His best bet is to use it without added expense right now.
My BlueFire in the BB screwed up my gauges. I have yet to retry it.
__________________
Tom, Patty, Hannah "The Big Dog" and Abby Kat, Indianapolis, Indiana 2000 Alpine 36' FDS 72232, 2005 Blue Bird M450 LXI Our Photos
"We live out in our old van. Travel all across this land. Drive until the city lights dissolve into a country sky, just me and you - hand in hand." Zac Brown Band
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08-29-2020, 08:45 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 2,554
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Electrical gremlins
Noblesville, there are grounds on the back side of the battery tray
__________________
Tom, Patty, Hannah "The Big Dog" and Abby Kat, Indianapolis, Indiana 2000 Alpine 36' FDS 72232, 2005 Blue Bird M450 LXI Our Photos
"We live out in our old van. Travel all across this land. Drive until the city lights dissolve into a country sky, just me and you - hand in hand." Zac Brown Band
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08-30-2020, 09:53 PM
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#13
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Junior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Noblesville, Indiana
Posts: 11
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Thanks for the help, our coach predates the vdm issues I think.
We took a short 4 day trip and I had some chance to play with vmspc but I cannot get it to communicate yet. I'm getting no data.
I have yet to find chassis ground to remove and clean. That will be next few day's project.
If I am still stuck ill try to get pics of the area.
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08-31-2020, 08:12 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Alpine Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Surprise, AZ
Posts: 836
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The key to the VMSpc system is getting the “COM” port assignments to agree. I assume you installed the drivers. Once you plug in the PC with a USB the Pc opens and assigns the drivers to a COM port typically COM3 or COM4. You can go into the VMSpc setting and look at &/or assign the COM port to agree with the PC.
__________________
Bob Bowers (Surprise, AZ)
2003 Alpine Coach 40' FDTS
2014 Jeep Cherokee Lattitude
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