I posted a little about my recent mechanical breakdown in a thread by newowner1 about his clutch so here I continue about my other recent problems.

After getting my truck home from a buddy's house once I got the fuel starvation problem fixed (fuel filter), I spent the next day recharging my battery which was acting dead after I test ran the truck the previous night and once I got home. It has seemed drained occasionally over the past 6 months, so I took my multimeter and tested the battery and alternator and got a drop in volts from 11.66 down to 10.5 with no accessories on. I pulled the alternator and starter then had them tested at both Auto Zone and Advance Auto. I was a little concerned when Auto Zone said both were fine. I know it could have been bad wiring or connections but I thought I'd rather drive another 15 minutes to Advance Auto and double check rather than drive back home 30 minutes, put both old parts back in and still have my battery dying on me. Anyway, I am getting better readings on Voltmeter after new Alternator installed. Nothing like driving older high mileage stuff tho. I only have 36k more to go to hit the 300,000 mile mark on this truck too.

 

Just a note. As someone who works at autozone, its more likly to say fail than pass. As long as they tested it three or four times in a row it should be good.

 

I think I understand what you were saying. The Auto Zone guy hooked up the wires as per the directions, I assume. He pressed the test button and got a fail at first, then he rehooked things up and retried but it said pass. So essentially 2 tries.

He was not a kid nor was he a seasoned veteran so I was a little uneasy about the whole test considering my battery was definitely struggling and my numbers seemed to point to a faulty alternator.

Once I got to Advance Auto, they had a kid and an even less experienced kid (3 weeks) do my test. However, they had a different machine and they had specific readings numbers that a passing part would have to meet. I saw firsthand that the number was way short of what it should have been.
Those guys did test it at leaat 3 times however.

Anyway, I am pretty sure all is fixed now that my readings under load seem high enough on my voltmeter.

Thanks

 

Glad you got it fixed.......and Welcome to FTE

I just put a new alternator on mine too......and there is still a list to do......

Good Luck

 

I am glad it is fixed too. My workhorse truck is much needed for my job. Even though it costs me an arm and a leg to drive gas wise, I have 264k on it and was not ready to put it to pasture yet. Although I might be considering putting an 83 6.9 diesel F250 I got into service to save on fuel costs or even put my 83 Honda Wagon back on the road for gas sipping reasons.

Thanks again

 

I'd put in a 94+ 7.3. More power, better longevity maybe 500-1000 more. Used em on the farm like mad.

 

My previous post might have been confusing regarding the 6.9.
In Fall 2006 I bought a whole 1983 F250 that has a 6.9 in it. The truck cost me $675 at an auction. I had bought it to have a truck I could use while I put a clutch in my 88 that I have been discussing already.

I might get around to fixing the diesel up once i get my garage addition to my house completed this fall. I will decide if I am keeping it or not after I get it goin. By the way, the guy who sold it told me the glow plug control unit was bad. Anyone have insight on the best procedure/parts or option to fix that problem? Diesel's are totally new animals to me.

Thanks again for your comments and advice.