Batt. light/ charging question
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Senior User
Joined: Jan 2012
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From: Louisville, KY
Batt. light/ charging question
If i have a D - C gauge in my cluster now, but a Batt. light wiring harness. Is there any easy way to convert wiring so alternator will charge now untill I can get the resistor, new light and "what not" in order so i can use Batt. light system like I want. Or is it best to carry another charged battery with to swap out.
I just want to drive when needed till i get things in order
I just want to drive when needed till i get things in order
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From: Denver Metro Area, CO
There are two fairly-heavy gauge wires behind the dash you need to connect together... IIRC they're the green/red-stripe and red/green-stripe, I'm pretty sure they're in the plug that served the original idiot-light cluster. If you follow the traces on the printed-circuit board where those two wires are connected, you'll see they lead to the dash lamp AND they're in fact connected together on the printed circuit via something that kind of looks like a big fuse.
The charging-system wiring is different between the two configurations, you cannot simply replace an idiot-light cluster with a dash cluster without some wiring modifications.
There was a pretty decent discussion on this several years ago, 81-F-150-Explorer explained how it all worked..
The charging-system wiring is different between the two configurations, you cannot simply replace an idiot-light cluster with a dash cluster without some wiring modifications.
There was a pretty decent discussion on this several years ago, 81-F-150-Explorer explained how it all worked..
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Senior User
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From: Louisville, KY
Trust me, I know there isn't a "easy swap". I just want to drive if possible w/o having to swap batteries all the time untill i get a new/gently used light and resistor, but didnt want to hurt anything in the process
thanx
thanx
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From: Virginia
Go out under the hood and find the voltage regulator. If you look closely, you will see the plastic part on the regulator is labeled with letters. One of them should be labeled "I", it will be one on the end with a red/green wire(Or green/red, I can't remember). If you can get 12v to this terminal somehow, it will charge. But you need to take the 12v off this terminal when you park the truck, or it will run the battery down with the engine off.
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From: Virginia
Whatever you decide. If you are going to take the dash apart to do that, I would go ahead and get a plastic socket light and hook it up between the wires.
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From: Louisville, KY
The wires are wired together, but still no charge.
what is the light for?
I have dash off still, "working out the bugs.
I had the cab gutted because mouse nests in heater core. And am "sorta tryng to care for any/all problems from being "old truckm that sat in pasture for a while.
what is the light for?
I have dash off still, "working out the bugs.
I had the cab gutted because mouse nests in heater core. And am "sorta tryng to care for any/all problems from being "old truckm that sat in pasture for a while.
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From: Denver Metro Area, CO
81-f-150-explorer has explained that light's role in the charging circuit and how it works in the past, might search for posts authored by him and see what you can find.
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Senior User
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From: Louisville, KY
and once again I'm just a lil amarter thanx to u fella's.
I appreciate it.
going to do that in case my j.y. trip takes a few more days till i can get there for my short list.
I appreciate it.
going to do that in case my j.y. trip takes a few more days till i can get there for my short list.
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