well, I had my MM set to 10 Amp, so I'm guessing its 2.65 Amps


The part you circled is where the wires with the "Fusible Link" tabs go, not sure where they all go to, but a couple go to the Alt, tomorrow I'll try to trace them


Now back to my problem, when I pull the Voltage Regulator plug out, the test light went off, I didn't try that with the MM though, and I'm only finding fuses under the dash, theres none under the hood, is there ?


I did find that my glovebox light is lose, and when I wiggle it so the light comes on, the meter jumped up to 3.something

 

I'm not sure what unplugging the VR does (or if the behavior you're having is normal or not)...hopefully one of the other FTErs can weigh in.

Here's pic of my Starter relay, Ill try to get a broader picture tomorrow. (Big blue cable is my "fusible link" - I replaced it with a inline breaker). Black wire on the same side is to my + on the Battery(same as your red battery cable). (don't worry about the I and S callouts in the picture - that was for another post).



When the truck is running and you put the MM neg on - battery or frame, then:

1. Put the MM + on the big STA terminal on the alternator to see if you're getting the 13.7-14.4 volts coming out of the Alt. If you do, then (Alternator is likely good)
2. Move the MM + to the Battery side of the Starter Relay post (should see within .1 difference the same reading as previous step) - anything less and the wiring/connectors/whatever that is on the wheel well/fusible link are suspect.
3. Move the MM + to the + side of the battery (should see the exact same reading as the previous step) - since your Positive battery cable looks new-good I wouldn't expect a difference here.

This will give you some validation that the system is charging your battery.

 

UPDATE---did a temp splice job on the wires , did another volt test with the Neg cable unhooked, no draw, tested the Alternator posts, Neg connected, got the following results
STA---12.4
FLD---7.5
BAT---14.1...then checked the amps at the other end of this wire, at the Fusible Link end, 0 so I think the Fusible Link is bad ?


just went and double checked some things,
Alt light not coming on at start, but comes on when Alternator wire is disconnected,
messed around with the Fusible Link, and got a reading of 13.5, maybe I just need to clean the connections

 

OK...so after all I did yesterday, I go out this morning to use my truck, and nothing, but dome light was on, so I got my meter out and I'm reading 9.5 Volts...so it appears I've slowed down my drain, because before it was flat out dead after sitting over night, just need to figure out what it is ...could the Voltage Regulator be the culprit ?

 

I charged the battery yesterday,12.7 V, and disconnected the Alternator wires, this morning's battery test read 12.65 V, I'll leave the wires off one more day, and read it again in the tomorrow morning

 

with the Alternator wires disconnected, the battery stayed charged, I also tested the Alt wires for continuity, and they're good, reconnected the wires and ran a volt test, Alt is putting out 13.5 V, I know, that's a little low, now I'd like to figure out if the Alt is bad(draining the Battery) or the Voltage Regulator is bad, how can I test the Regulator without having to drain the battery again, I don't want to keep recharging a new battery

 

13.5 is a whole bunch low. That's more like a good float charge. Any battery needs around two (2) volts over and above the resting battery voltage to fully recharge. That means 14.8 at 70F, for a "maintenance free" batt, even more when it gets cold.

Run the engine to 1500 to 2000 RPM and turn all the lights on, the radio, the heater blower on HI, to load up the alternator. It will sag some maybe, but it should stay well above 14 volts. You should find a DVOM that doesn't get squirelly when measuring, a test light won't work here.

 

I used the test light to try and narrow down the battery drain, pulling the fuses, I couldn't see the Multi Meter from inside the cab, none of the fuses shut off the test light, so that was a dead end, as far as the MM reading jumping around, turned out the MM battery was old, replaced that now its good, but when I try the battery cable disconnect theory, it doesn't show an Amp draw anymore, yet the battery will still drain when connected

 

Did the fuse in the MM trip/burn out? Time for a new MM?

 

no, I mean I don't think so, I changed the 9v battery in the MM, I've read Volts, Continuity, and I think I did some Ohms since then, unless the amps setting has its own fuse

 

found this on a Lincoln forum page,


With the key off, remove the plug at the voltage regulator and check for battery voltage at the green wire. The voltage regulator is marked "I" at that terminal. If there is voltage at that green wire with the key OFF, then replace the ignition switch.

In the absence of voltage at the green wire, plug the connector back in, and check for voltage at the "F" or "field" wire. You will have to pierce the wire with a needle or such. If there is NO voltage at the green wire WITH THE KEY OFF but there IS voltage at the "F" wire, replace the voltage regulator. You got a bad one.


tried this, and here's the results


Battery connected...key off




so I guess the Regulator is bad ?
Voltage Regulator "I" unplugged .03-.02 Volts at 20 Volt setting
"F" terminal ... plugged in... 10.5 Volts

 

It sure seems like it. Regulator is a relatively inexpensive part to replace.

 

OK...UPDATE...Voltage Regulator was replaced, same old same old, Volts would drop as I watched the meter...Replaced Alternator... UREKA, at last the volts stayed strong, seems to be fixed at this point

 

That's great, hope that was it.