need some help hooking up my battery

[Cindy McFadden]

Hi Folks

 

I have a 76 Terry Taurus travel trailer, works great on shore power, systems seem to be separate. I cant figure out how to properly hook up my battery. there are three wires, a white a black and red, one has a fuse on it. How do you hook up the batter if there are three wires there????? Anyone have this set up? Its a 76 so no manual and I havent been able to locate one. If anyone can help I would really appreciate it! :(

Cindy

[John "T" Nordhoff]

I cant really say not being there armed with a meter buttttttttttttttt I can give you some educated "guesses"........ The one thats fuzed would attach to the batteries POS + post and Id "guess" thats on the RED wire???????????????? Id "guess" the black attaches to the batteries NEG - post and Id "guess" the white attaches somewhere somehow to the trailers iron frame (WHICH MAY ALSO CONNECT TO FRAME/CHASSIS SOMEWHERE).

Heres how I would troubleshhot to figure what goes where: If you plug into shore power the converter/charger should be producing DC voltage in the 13 to 14 VDC range and its DC voltage output wires to the battery to charge it. Soooooooooo if you put a DC voltmeter on those wires (assuming they lead to the battery) Id first try the meters + lead/probe on the Red and its - lead/probe on the Black and see if you read 13 to 14 volts???????????? If so then its Red to battery POS + and Black to battery NEG - ............ IF NOT try meters + lead to Red wire and meters - lead to the White wire and look for 13 to 14 volts???? If so then red to battery + and White to Battery - and Id 'guess" then that the Black (instead of White) wires to chassis/frame somewhere???

Of those 3 wires (if they represent changer/converters output) on has to be + DC voltage and the other - DC voltage and Id "guess" the other is a chassis/frame ground, so just use a DC low voltage meter and figure it out by attaching the meter leads to the wires, its NOT rocket science and youre NOT gonna hurt anything by hooking up a volt meter to the leads to see whats what. NOTE if you hook the meter up and the analog needle moves hard to the left instead of the right where volt numbers are, that means the polarity is reversed. Similar if its a digital meter and it reads - voltage.

You simply have to hook the + DC polarity wire (from converter) to battery + post and - DC polarity wire to battery - post and again the fuzed wire is likely the + and one or the other of the 2 remaining wires (black or white) is - DC polarity and the other frame/chassis ground AND NOTE THE - DC IS PROB ATATCHED TO FRAME/CHASSIS ALSO.

DISCLAIMER if someone has a real wiring schematic go with what it says instead of my 'guess" but the converter/charger hooks to the battery + to + and - to - and then just figure out if the other wires is for a chassis/frame bond???

Ol John T in Indiana,,,,,,,This is sooooooooooo easy if there but sooooooooooo difficult trying to put in words

[John "T" Nordhoff]

PS Theres even a chance (assuming the fuzed is red + Positive) that BOTH the Black and White wires attach to the batteries - Negative post, and thats so the trailer battery gets its circuit to the trailer connector plug and/or the trailer chassis/frame??? Often with Black and White wires, Black is Hot (+) and White is Neutral or (-) and with DC wiring Red is + Positive and Black is - Negative BUT NOT BEING THERE I JUST CANT SAY

[Cindy McFadden]

Thanks John

Next time I get up to the trailer I will take pictures of the wires. My AC system appears to be totally separte, its mid trailer and my DC hookup and converter is up front. I also found 12 volt fuses up front, could a blown fuse be the problem, we tried a couple different hookups and still no power. There are about six fuses and the first one looks like it may be no good. Cindy

[John "T" Nordhoff]

The only connection from the 120 VAC wiring and 12 VDC is a 120 VAC circuit (perhaps a single 3 conductor romex wiring cable) that provides power to the Converter/Charger.

The Converter/Charger does two things, it charges the RV battery and provides 12 VDC to run camper 12 VDC appliances and lights and water pumps etc. If 12 VDC works ONLY when plugged into shore power, EITHER the RV battery is shot OR theres no connection from the converter to the battery (like the 3 wirers you have in question).

The typical Converter/Charger has an outlet strip bank of several say 5 to 20 amp fuzes that go to different circuits for lights or water pump or vent fans etc. PLUS there MUST be a connection from the main 12 VDC output to the battery so the battery gets charged while plugged in PLUS so the 12 VDC appliances still worked when youre NOT plugged in i.e. the charger 12 VDC output and the battery MUST BE CONNECTED TOGETHER.

You can look at the fuzes to see if blown, there will be an open break in their small interior fuze wire orrrrrrrrrrrrr a continuity tester will show them as bad/open orrrrrrrrrrrr an ohm meter will indicate infinity ohms i.e. an open circuit blown fuze. BUTTTTTTTTT if no DC appliances work or water pump vent fans etc unless youre on shore power I SEE THERES NO BATTERY CONNECTION (the 3 wires in question) as the problem versus any SINGLE blown fuze UNLESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS theres one big main fuze blown open between the battery + Pos and the Converter/Charger + Pos (causes same thing as no battery connection)????????? You did mention a fuze in one of the 3 wires !!!! If its bad/open then 12 VDC wont work unless plugged to shore power......

You MUST insure the fuze in the wire you mentioned is good and you MUST then insure the charger is wired to the battery.

A simple low voltage (uses a small battery) "continuity tester" that glows if theres continuity can be used to check fuzes which are a closed continuous circuit unless blown PLUS a cheap simple 6/12 VDC "Test Lamp" is about all thats needed to diagnose your problems PLUS THE KNOWLEDGE TO USE THEM.

Thats the best I can offer over the net, sorry

John T

[Gloria Cassavetes]

Hi Cindy. I too have a Terry Taurus 1976. i also live in Canada. I'm not sure how to friend you on this site but i'm a member. take a look at my pictures. Before and after. My outside is a different colour than yours. I too need another copy of the manual from Ned as i lost the copy on my computer.