I bought a 79 RV. Went to hook up second battery for the camper and the charge light came on and sounded like a pump started running. Unhooked the battery and charge light stays on and the truck battery goes dead. I don't have a manual and need one badly to check that all the wires are hooked up in the camper section. I don't have a lot of money so if one can be emailed to me with the diagrams it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Search around for an '83 Factory Service Manual, and if you can't find it, PM me with your email and I'll get you a copy.

Of course, it'll only have wiring on the truck side, not the RV side.

It sounds like the combination of a weak second battery, and some RV-side pump that hasn't been used since cell phones were the size of a small suitcase, drew too much power from the alternator, and fried it. My alt kicked the bucket after a long drive with upgraded lights and a power inverter. They're only 40A stock.

 

Sounds like you bought a Bandit?

Also check out toyotamotorhome.org They'll have more experience with the interplay between the Toyota and RV sides of your system.

These can be a mess...not only are they very old, but they've been around long enough for previous owners to have done a lot of questionable "repairs" and "upgrades".

I had a '78 Chinook and even though previous owners hadn't modified it much, it was still a constant trouble shooting project as little things failed here and there. Worth it, but not a "just jump in and drive/camp" vehicle.