RV Repair: alernator not registering, allegro rv, guage

Question
OK here goes. My husband has been working on our 1979 Allegro RV. We just bought it a while back.He cannot get any reading on the alernator.He bought a new one and still nothing.The gauge hand just sits in the middle of AC and DC. What does he need to check?Thanks


Answer
first, amp guages work off of an ampre draw. if there is no load on the alternator, the ampre guage does not move.  On the older motor homes, the guages went out frequently, so you might be experiencing that.  Start the motor home and remove one cable from the battery while it is running.  If it dies, the alternator is bad or wiring is faulty.  If it continues to run, the alternator is fine and the guage is more likely to be defective.

Garry