I am having issues with my auxiliary relay on my truck. It will work intermittently. It started with me just needing to give the relay a light tap for it to work, and is now progressed to needing me to push really hard on the relay for it to turn on, but then as soon as I let go it shuts off again. I have replaced the relay with a new one and it's doing the same thing, and have even tried some di-electric silicone on the terminals with no success.

I was thinking of pulling out the entire fuse/relay panel and see if the contacts have pushed out, but then I read a thread regarding the panels and issues involving the removal the terminals and breaking the panel.

Any other suggestions, thoughts or tips?


'04 F350 CCSB 6.0L

Thanks.

 

I am not sure what a auxiliary is(your camper charge relay?) but what I would try is taking the relay out, take needle nose pliers, and slightly twist the prongs on the relay. It takes just a little bit. Usually when I do it the first time I get them twisted too much and the relay won't go in. You can straighten back out a little bit till you can get the relay in with a lot of physical resistance.

 

Also check for any corrosion on the terminals. Might need cleaning with a soft brass or SS brush, or fine emery paper. If they are corroded, check your others.

 

When I was modifying an underhood PDB I noticed that some of the brittle 'hold fasts' had broken so the connector itself was loose. I used some Devcon epoxy to hold 'em fast.

 

It's a relay in the fuse/relay panel under the dash that controls the auxiliary items such as the radio turn-on, power windows, dash gauges, etc...

Thanks guys, I'll give these a try and see what happens.

 

Ok. I think Ford calls that the "Accessory Delay Relay". It's controlled by the "Battery Saver Relay" which is in the instrument cluster.

 

OH...so does that mean that if the batteries are low then the relay won't turn on? I've recently installed a battery maintainer and have started thinking about either getting my current alternator rebuilt to a 200amp, or finding an ambulance alternator just due to the weak charging systems these trucks are known for.

 

I would think you have the "good" 3G Ford alternator. They came in 95amp and 130amp versions I believe. I hadn't heard that the later Fords had any problems with their charging systems.

The only reason I can think of as to why they call it a "battery saver" relay is because it turns the acc loads off of the battery after a preset time period after the key is turned off, thus "saving" the battery.

 

I'm a member of a few Jeep forums and one accredited guru had this interesting post about batteries and alternators;
(but I do agree with the idiom "'Free' internet information is worth EXACTLY what you paid for it")

Here's the link; Been reading the good book of JeepHammer! - JeepForum.com

RULE #3.
EVERY ELECTRON YOUR VEHICLE USES COMES FROM THE ALTERNATOR, NOT THE BATTERY!

'Dim' Headlights, Inaccurate or Inoperative gauge, Weak Spark or Failing Ignition Modules/Coils, 'Weak' Alternators...
ARE ALMOST ALWAYS THE FAULT OF BAD "GROUNDS",

NOT The Alternator!

Your ALTERNATOR is usually 'Fine' for your Jeeps electrical needs...
Since most Jeep electrical systems are protected by a SINGLE 14 Ga. Fusible Link (Fuse Wire) that would have burned at about 40 Amps from the alternator,

And since most of us are running the ORIGINAL 23+ year old Fusible Link,
Your alternator has NEVER had a demand put on it more than 40 Amps for very long!

LET me stress that again,
YOUR VEHICLE HAS NEVER HAD A DEMAND FOR MORE THAN 40 Amps. FROM THE ALTERNATOR IN IT'S LIFE.

The BATTERY takes care of short term, high demand electrical LOADS,
The alternator recharges the battery at a much slower, lower AMP load....

Mostly because Batteries don't live if you throw high amperage at them.
They are BUILT to take low amperage input from the alternator over time,
Not a huge Amp output all at once!

This is VERY important if you are going to expect the vehicle system to perform the tasks you are going to ask of it with Winches, Inverters, Hard Starts, ect.

When installing a winch, Snow Blade, Inverter for 110 Volt AC power, ect.
You need to know that it's the BATTERY CAPACITY that has to be increased to power these devices instead of plugging in some 'Super-Duper' Alternator that will have a tendancy to OVER CHARGE the batteries,
Or a lesser evil is to spend large $$$ on a 'Super-Duper' alternator you don't need.
-----------------------------------------

DUAL BATTERIES OF LARGE CAPACITY ARE MUCH BETTER FOR TRAIL VEHICLES THAN A 'SUPER-DUPER' ALTERNATOR.

The batteries will do a number of things for you that a 'Large' alternator will not...

1. Dual Batteries will give you DOUBLE capacity for running Winches, Welders, Air Compressors, Inverters, ect.

2. Dual Batteries will give you TRAIL REDUNDANCY.
If one fails, the other will keep you running while you get back to civilization!

3. When wired correctly,
Dual batteries will be Virtually MAINTENANCE FREE and SEAMLESS REDUNDANCY IN OPERATION.
That means if you DO HAVE a failure, you won't even know it until you are doing your maintinance checks!

4. When wired 'Correctly', you can 'Lend' a battery to someone that has had a failure,
Or use one of your batteries out of the vehicle for Campsite Power or to run a which on your trailer or whatever...

5. When wired 'Correctly' you get DOUBLE the current to your starter!
This makes for FAST starts, and your starter will live MUCH LONGER since it's not being 'Starved' for current during hard/cold starts.

Your 'Stock Type' alternator will have no problems charging TWO batteries...
And it's actually EASIER on the alternator since with TWO BATTERIES, the batteries are not as deeply discharged from winching, starting, ect., so they don't draw as much amperage as fast as a single battery would that was discharged 'Deeper'...

THINK of your Alternator is a water well pump,
And your battery as a water tower or storage tank.

The pump fills up the tank (battery) and the tank takes care of large demand, then is refilled slowly by a pump that couldn't possibly supply enough water for a dozen fire hoses and the entire town to operate...

__________________
REMEMBER,
'Free' internet information is worth EXACTLY what you paid for it!
LINK:BASIC WIRING 101.
LINKual Battery Diagrams & Explanations.
LINK:Winch, Welding, 'Lend Power' Project,
LINK:Water Proofing Ignition, Hubs, Ect.,
LINK:Small Cap 'HEI' V-8 Distributor.
LINK:Low Budget Fuel Injection Distributor,
LINK:AMC V-8 Front Cover Recondition,
LINK:Tuning An AMC V-8,
LINK:Ignition Swaps '77 Older Jeeps,
LINK:'78-'90 Jeep Ignition Upgrades,

Some of this applies to every vehicle while other elements do not, but following these ideas have yet to fail me on my '81 Ford Panel van or my Jeep.

 

I'm glad it was free info

Few things; the fusible link hasn't blown because the Alternator probably can't put out more than 40a, no matter what demand is made.

It's voltage that causes overcharging, not amperage, though too high a rate can be detrimental.

If you're running high electrical loads, like a winch, a high output alternator can take load off the battery so it retains it's charge longer.

The battery controls the charging. A properly working alternator won't overcharge a battery. Not even if it's a 10,000a one.

I'm sure there's more wrong with it...

 

I quit reading it after he contradicted himself. This statement;
RULE #3.
EVERY ELECTRON YOUR VEHICLE USES COMES FROM THE ALTERNATOR, NOT THE BATTERY!

And then this statement;
The BATTERY takes care of short term, high demand electrical LOADS,
The alternator recharges the battery at a much slower, lower AMP load....

are contradicting themselves. He says the battery does nothing in the first statement, and then battery does do something in the second statement.

 

Well, I was was just too curious to stop reading LOL

 

I clicked the link.
"RULE #4.
CRIMP CONNECTORS AND 'SCOTCH LOCKS' ARE NOT PROPER ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS!"

True on scotch locks, not true on well made crimp connections.

I'm not going to bother to read any more.

 

Mind you, I remarked it was an interesting read not nessesarily gospel. That being said I have had solderless crimp conectors fail over time, but having gained the technique of soldering wires cleanly together, I go this way whenever possible.

 

Yup, that's why I quoted your caveat.

My point was good crimp or good soldered will work. Poor technique on either is bad.
That said, NASA, among others, actually prefers crimped.
"Crimping is an efficient and highly reliable method to assemble and terminate conductors, and typically provides a stronger, more reliable termination method than that achieved by soldering."

The guy saying crimping = bad is just bull.