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Ever since I’ve owned this truck, I’ve had to deal with corrosion around the terminals, one is actually kind of loose so I was going to put some epoxy around it and try and keep any gas from being expelled…the truck also runs smoother when I unhook the fuse link from the alternator, but the battery light immediately comes on….so I’ve decided to replace my terminal connections and clean them up as well as my starter solenoid and alternator to try and fix this problem, because I think the rough idle is actually due to the electrical system…the alternator I got has a b+ terminal and the one in my truck doesn’t….I’ve got a yellow wire that looks like a boot on the end connected to the alternator and it runs straight to the starter solenoid…I’m not sure if I’m competent enough to start rewriting things and make matters worse, but my lights on the interior have started flickering and like I said I’ve got this rough idle and at low rpms and high speeds I get shaking…if I can eliminate this problem this truck would be perfect…included some pics…
I would start by saying those lugs need to go. You likely have corrosion in the cables as well so get a full replacement set of cables. You can do a google search for good 1/0 or 2/0 cables. You did not say what truck you have but with one battery I would say a gasser. 2/0 may be overkill.
Clean the battery with soap and water... Lots of water. Get a battery post brush and use that as well. Get some of the felt battery washers and put those on the battery before putting the new cables on. Use electric grease on the posts and terminals. (Dielectric Grease in not conductive) do not use that junk or the red spray stuff.
That battery may be toast as well if it is more than a few years old I would consider replacement. If not replace it put it on a charger while it is out and doing the other work to the truck.
I stress NEW CABLES.. You will likely never get those cleaned up enough to not have issues.
Do not use any epoxy on the battery you are inviting a serious problem if the battery can not off gas. Have you heard of the Hindenburg????
Clean the battery every month with soap and water, once it is clean you can do it in the truck.
Also the battery when resting should read 12.7 when fully charged and about 13.8 when the engine is running. If not you have other problems. If the battery is only reading 12.6 consider replacing.... Resting reading should be taken at least an hour after taking it off the charger or finished driving. Take the readings with the doors closed and make sure the cab lights are off.
Sound like you have ground problems.. I would start there. Follow your ground from battey, clean up. Then grounds from engine to body, replace as needed.
That was my plan to inspect the cables if not replace and clean the posts…I have new connections to put on the posts…I also am doing the starter solenoid because it’s rusty, just like the rest of the truck and yes it’s a 5.4….I planned on a new alternator as well until I saw that the alternator I have has that boot…what I’m wondering is that boot supposed to be what connects to the b+ terminal of the alternator?
Forgot to mention that the exhaust manifold gasket is bad and someone had started to replace and broke a stud or two….so maybe the exhaust emissions from the manifold are causing the corrosion? I have white lithium grease…is that suitable for treating the lost and connections?
Unless you are cooking the battery with the exhaust gasses causing it to off gas more that is not the corrosion problem.
Just replacing the clamps will likely not fix the corrosion problem as those are already replacement clamps and they are a very bad design. Way to sell more lead. I encourage if you can find the proper cables go with military style clamps because the are easy to replace when they get stretched. Stay away from any clamp that makes you bolt or screw the cable onto it as that is a bad connection. Battery cables need to be clamped with a proper crimp. Do not solder the connections. If you can not find the proper cables bring them to a good welding shop, most of them can make the cable for you if you use the military style battery clamps.
The corrosion has already traveled into the cables and that also is not removable. Corrosion in the cables is also high resistance. Do not replace the alternator unless it it bad. I will almost always say do not throw parts a the truck but in this case those cables need to go.
After you replace the cables and charge the battery as stated above then determine if the battery and or alternator has problems.
See photo for clamps and grease. Best stuff around.
In a pinch Vaseline works but it is not the good stuff.
Again start with those cables.
So I cleaned up the terminals and the cables leading to them and put on the cheap lead ones…battery is good, however the inside links are still flickering unless I unplug the fuse link from the alternator the. The truck smooths out and the lights stop flickering…so the problem has to be alternator related…if it’s running smooth and no flickering on just the batteries charge, the cables are probably decent…but the alternator is affecting the charge…
And still no numbers????
How are you verifying the alternator and batteries?
Flickering is bad connections. Alternator may (extremely rare) have a diode issue but you need to check all connections top and bottom.
Putting new screw on clamps is a bandaid at best especially if the cable is compromised.
I am using a multimeter to read the voltage and the battery has been consistent all day at 3.85 volts…like I said the alternator has a fuse link that was wired at first directly to the battery, but had no fuse so I was told to stick it into one of the unused relays in the fuse box…so basically when I pull the fuse link out, the battery light comes on but the engine smooths out…also the flickering of the lights stops…when I put the fuse link back in, the flickering starts…so as far as I know when the truck is running purely on battery and no alternator charging, the idle is no longer rough and there is no light flickering…that leads me to believe that the wires and grounds at least to the battery and starter are all decent…the issue is in the alternator…and like I keep saying this alternator doesn’t seem to have a B+ Terminal like I’ve seen in all the videos of replacing, or on my new one….I think I’m just going to run a new cable from the starter solenoid to the B+ terminal the same way the old one was wired…and hopefully this new alternator will fix the situation…I think it’s a bad diode or voltage regulator…but I’m no expert that’s for sure…I haven’t been able to test the alternator for voltage, because there is no access to where the power cord comes in…it is a boot and seems firmly connected to the back of the alternator as shown in the picture…
Lets talk wires since yours is not factory. The big yellow (battery +) one should link to start relay but pretty much straight shot to battey positive. Your orange to red wire should go to fuse 6, a 10A fuse. And your green/black goes to charge light.
Verify you fuse 6 wire and go from there cause that looks suspicious... This is all assuming you have a 2001 f250 since no details have been posted.....
The yellow large wire goes straight to the starter relay, basically a positive 12v source…then there’s a faded orange that is connected to the pigtail next to it containing three wires…the green one follows the yellow underneath and the red and white is crimped and linked to an unused relay because fuse 6 is used… When I got the truck the red wire was connected to the battery, I was told it should be fused so I used an open relay…. This is the relay it’s in…
so I took the crimp off the wire and braided it into fuse 6 and I’ll be damned the lights stopped flickering and there’s no battery light on…
No-Ox Special A, if you can find it, is a awesome dielectric grease for any and all electrical connections (hence why every single power connection in a phone office or a power plant its REQUIRED to be used) . It's in the high megohm resistance range so it doesn't conduct for anything.
