Chargeing System Problems
Thread Starter
|
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 100
Likes: 2
From: 6 feet under
Chargeing System Problems
I have a 89 F-350 4x4 7.3l N/A C-6 Crew Cab.
The engine is good, however the Battery Idiot light is on and the am meter is showing 9amps charge. This is backed up by a meter put on it. I checked and cleaned the terminals, checked and filled the less than a year old batterys, and replaced the external regulator. Before I got it (bought it two days ago) the lot took the alt to a shop and it checked out fine. I put an alt that I had rebuilt from my 88 F-250 right before I lost the engine in it, and it shows maybe a 1amp improvement. However the gauge does actually surge when depressing the throtle (not much) and the tach will pulse when idleing. This is the same problem I had with the 250 right before the engine went bad, and because I could not get it to crank anylonger I never fixed it.
Has this happened to anyone else?
Any ideas?
Thanks
B6
The engine is good, however the Battery Idiot light is on and the am meter is showing 9amps charge. This is backed up by a meter put on it. I checked and cleaned the terminals, checked and filled the less than a year old batterys, and replaced the external regulator. Before I got it (bought it two days ago) the lot took the alt to a shop and it checked out fine. I put an alt that I had rebuilt from my 88 F-250 right before I lost the engine in it, and it shows maybe a 1amp improvement. However the gauge does actually surge when depressing the throtle (not much) and the tach will pulse when idleing. This is the same problem I had with the 250 right before the engine went bad, and because I could not get it to crank anylonger I never fixed it.
Has this happened to anyone else?
Any ideas?
Thanks
B6
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 21,285
Likes: 16
From: Nutter Fort, WV
Very closely inspect the passenger side positive battery terminal, all electrical connections for the entire electrical system tie into that battery terminal. If it has corrosion inside the terminal, the juice from the alternator will not reach the batteries.
Also inspect the connectors on the passenger side inner fender for signs of overheating. There are a couple of connectors that either get the power from the alternator to the battey or from the battery to the truck electrical system.
I have had to splice the wire together and cut the connectors out of a couple of circuits on my 86 in that area. The connectors start building resistance and overheat, once they melt some, connection is lost or so bad it might as well be lost.
The hardest one to find was actually inside the battery terminal, start fine one time, not even a click 5 minutes later, one night it let me set, I got mad and cut the battery terminal open with a 4" cut off wheel. The terminal looked good on the outside, but inside the thing was so corroded I don't see how the engine had been starting at all.
Replaced the battery cables and all has been well for a couple of years now.
Also inspect the connectors on the passenger side inner fender for signs of overheating. There are a couple of connectors that either get the power from the alternator to the battey or from the battery to the truck electrical system.
I have had to splice the wire together and cut the connectors out of a couple of circuits on my 86 in that area. The connectors start building resistance and overheat, once they melt some, connection is lost or so bad it might as well be lost.
The hardest one to find was actually inside the battery terminal, start fine one time, not even a click 5 minutes later, one night it let me set, I got mad and cut the battery terminal open with a 4" cut off wheel. The terminal looked good on the outside, but inside the thing was so corroded I don't see how the engine had been starting at all.
Replaced the battery cables and all has been well for a couple of years now.
