I have a 1998 e250 with a 5.4 180,000 miles on it. The alternator crapped out the other day so i replace it and no when i pull my 16' enclosed trailer The voltage drops big time and will kill the batteries and there i sit stranded i even went as far as trying a another new alternator and new battery and still does the same thing is there somthing else i should try? Thanks

 

Unless you went with a really crappie barnd of alternator I would suspect a problem with the trailer wiring. You should have at least the 135 amp alternator on there you need to check and see that you have at lleast as big an alternator as the orginal. The rule is you can go bigger (amperage wise) but never smaller.

 

I put on a 130 amp alternator and the stock one was supposed to be a 95 amp because it doesnt have power windows or anything.

 

I would suspect the new alternator is bad. Common for cheapie alternators to be bad right out of the box if not go bad withing days/weeks.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

Have it bench tested and make sure they load test it not just test it to see if it energizes an comes up to 14 + volts.

 

It almost sounds like you have a bad ground at the trailer. If you haven't done so already you may want to add a(n extra) ground wire to the harness for the trailer (should already be there). The hitch ball to trailer connection is not a good enough ground. You may also want to make sure that there isn't a short somewhere in the wiring on the trailer. Does the trailer have a heater/ac unit? Is it maybe stuck on?

 

Well the alternature went bad so i replaced it and the next one went bad within 2 days and there not cheap alternaters either, so i guess i will throw another one on and see what happens

 

Reguardless of price, parts store chains like Auto Zone and Advance have poorly built electrical devices, lifetime warranty, means you spend your life replacing it. I had my stock alternator rebuilt by a reputable shop, they even beefed it up to the max the case will allow, produces far more amps than it did before.