I’m flummoxed. I think my E450 alternator is not charging my house batteries when I drive. I looked in the battery compartment for the manual breaker but not sure what I’m looking for. I have a 2006 MB.
Solar charging appears fine I think.
Any ideas how to find and check the breaker in the battery compartment.
I am traveling so intermittent cell service
Thanks much
Hi Jack; There is a breaker inside the battery box. At the back and top, it has two red wires on it. It separates the wire from the engine alternator going to the house battery(ies) plus lead, in case of a short to ground (car accident, etc.) It may look like this: If it has a red lever sticking out from the side, you want to push the lever (it rotates) back upright. RonB
Besides the circuit breaker, the battery isolator diode pack may be burned out, it's located under the hood, driver's side.
It can be tested with a voltmeter to determine if alternator power is passing through it, while the engine is running.
It looks similar to the one shown below.
Cole Hersee 48120 Battery Isolator | ElecDirect (https://www.elecdirect.com/cole-hersee-switches/cole-hersee-battery-related-products/battery-isolators-140-amp-3-stud)
Larry
Thanks guys. Didn’t realize what I was looking at. Will do some troubleshooting at next stop. Probably will end up turning everything off and back on. It always fixes my iPhone. Cheers
With a digital voltmeter you can check any circuit breaker or fuse by measuring the voltage between the two terminals. If there is a voltage higher than 0.1 V, it is open or defective. If no voltage, then measure from one terminal to ground to verify the voltage even reaches the breaker.
Steve
With a digital voltmeter you can check any circuit breaker or fuse by measuring the voltage between the two terminals. If there is a voltage higher than 0.1 V, it is open or defective. If no voltage, then measure from one terminal to ground to verify the voltage even reaches the breaker.
Steve
Will do and thanks