GMC Motorhome - Preventing The Dash Harness From Melting

[@steveglen5150]

Appreciate your videos Jim.

[@jeromehebert3184]

great explanation as to why you want to put a one wire alternator in.

[@Shwalker07]

Great video on explaining this issue.

[@JohninTucson]

I love the fact that you go into great detail in your videos, especially a video like this one, dealing with the electrical harness. However, I'd like to make an important suggestion for future filming moving forward...I assume that you have the camera sitting on a tripod aimed at you, which is alright - except for videos of importance like this one. Let someone hold the camera focusing on you until you need to point something important out to us - then have the person holding the camera come in for a closeup on the important feature that you are pointing out. In this video all we see is a bunch of wires (the harness) and you start talking about specific wires to keep an eye on, yet for most of us - we can't see the wire(s) that you are focusing on. Take the time to move the camera around so we can get close ups of the area you are talking about so we can see it in detail too. Other than that, your videos are a treasure trove of important information for GMC owners. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us!

[@brucehislop8860]

My $5.00 suggestion to fix the Nichrome (exciter) wire overheat issue is to add a 12 volt incandescent (NOT LED) lamp in series with or in place of the Nichrome (exciter) wire. Something like a truck/trailer clearance light fixture is fine. Mount the light under the dash where you can see it. This light will operate like the GEN light does, however it will provide two important features. First, it will limit the current in the Nichrome (exciter) wire and prevent it from overheating. Second, in the case of alternator over-voltage it will light and it will light very brightly in the case of a shorted alternator voltage regulator. This alerts you to a serious problem when your existing GEN light will not. You don't need to replace your existing alternator so you keep its benefits and several hundred dollars in your pocket. These benefits include remote voltage sensing so you headlights don't dim when you turn ON other loads like the dash AC fan, and your dash HVAC fan gets the extra higher voltage while on High Max mode for more air flow.

[@motorhomerehabranch]

Yes it will, this tells me you have a good grasp on what I was saying. Thanks for your comment. Whatever you do, turn off that circuit

[@motorhomerehabranch]

Actually, we used to offer a 6amp diode and a 100 ohm ceramic resister for $5.

[@TrentGustus]

Help me with this.. because I burnt out an alternator in the fall.. my batteries were dead.. and I could smell burning wire.... I have a dakota digital dash... that wire to the light is disconnected.. but the alt works.. the main power feed the guage uses to tell me the charging status.. What should I do with this.. also It'd be great if you showed us a closeup of that wire coming from the terminal block up close.

[@markst.germain9286]

Behind the radio. That's where my click click sound comes when I push my inoperable horn.

[@motorhomerehabranch]

Scary, dig in there......

[@motorhomerehabranch]

Actually, the relay is behind the firewall there

[@markst.germain9286]

Thanks