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Foretravel Technical Q&A
This section serves to help answer your questions about your Foretravel Motorcoach. You may browse through our database of Questions and Answers or submit your own question to be answered by our Foretravel technicians.
Recently Answered Questions
Q: How does my alternator work on my Foretravel?
A: Foretravel Alternator
Foretravel Motorcoaches use a Leece-Neville brand alternator that is externally excited. These alternators are not the same as what the big semi rigs use that run up and down the nation’s highways. This is commonly confused in truck repair shops. Foretravel motorcoaches and a lot of other brands use what is known in the industry as a battery isolator, this allows the alternator to maintain two battery banks at a set voltage. You also have to excite the alternator externally. Meaning that when the engine is not running there is no voltage present on the large positive outpost terminal.
The alternator has two large terminals one positive and one negative on the back side of it along with two small terminals. The two small terminals tell the voltage regulator what to do. One terminal is labeled DUVAC and the second is labeled IGN. The DUVAC terminal is what monitors the output voltage, the sense wire is located on the engine battery side of the isolator (2000 year model FT’s and later models, earlier models sensed from the remote start panel). The ignition terminal is what tells the alternator to start charging. The ignition circuit is powered up when the key is turned on.
When checking voltage directly at the alternator it will read higher than what is at the batteries, this has to happen due to voltage drop through the isolator and wiring to the batteries. Example; when reading output voltage at the alternator with fully charged batteries your readings could be 15 volts dc (+/-) thus allowing for a normal 1volt dc drop in voltage through the isolator, this in turn will allow for a maximum voltage at the batteries to be 14.1 vdc (batteries).
The only way ignition terminal voltage will affect charge output voltage would be if no voltage present, it takes minimal voltage to start the alternator charging (7-7.5 vdc).
Foretravel Motorcoach
technical.assistance@foretravel.com
Q: Does Foretravel make a 30 foot coach?
A: Thanks for the question;
Foretravel builds custom coaches to customer specs. The shortest production coach is a 34 foot coach. All requests for custom coaches are reviewed and considered. Our marketing department will be glad to look at your request. You may contact the marketing department at 1-800-955-6226 Ext.153.
Q: What is the front axle rating on the 2009 40 Ft Phx?
A: The Independent Front Suspension is rated at 18,000 lbs.
Q: I have a 93 unihome 40 foot, with a Detroit 350 hp 92 series engine. There are 2 switches at the end of the bed, one says block heater, the other says water heater, is this to use engine heat to heat the house water, there is also a switch on the dash for aux. pump.Do both of these need to be on ?
A: The block heater switch is for engine pre-heat in the winter for easier cold starts.
The water heater switch is the 120VAC heating element for domestic hot water.
The auxiliary pump switch on the dash is to flow more engine anti-freeze to the dash heater core during winter operation.
Q: How can the driver side seat work perfectly but the passenger side seat has no functions at all? We have a 40 2006 nimbus quad slide.
A: The driver and passenger seat are on separate breakers (12VDC) located passenger side dash area. Check for voltage at breaker #48 on the panel. If breaker has no voltage on the load side then you have a short from seat to the breaker. The seat could be unplugged also.
