Batteries and alternator??
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Cargo Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,726
Likes: 5
From: Slatington, PA
Batteries and alternator??
So I've come to the conclusion that my batteries are finally going. They're the originals and while they still start the engine when its warm, they dont do crap when its cold. I had to jump it today to get it to crank over. The voltage is dropping too low. Any good places to get oem batts? I figure if they last 7 years, its worth the price.
When I got home from work tonight, I noticed that the squeaking noise under the hood is louder and I can hear where its coming from now, the alternator. Would the old batts kill put that much of a load on the alt that the bearings would go? Its putting out 14.66v at idle. Should I replace it along with the batts or just the batts? I'm really not looking forward to this weekend....
EDIT: I forgot to add that the GP's are all working, 0.8 ohms each, and the relay is working too.
When I got home from work tonight, I noticed that the squeaking noise under the hood is louder and I can hear where its coming from now, the alternator. Would the old batts kill put that much of a load on the alt that the bearings would go? Its putting out 14.66v at idle. Should I replace it along with the batts or just the batts? I'm really not looking forward to this weekend....
EDIT: I forgot to add that the GP's are all working, 0.8 ohms each, and the relay is working too.
Last edited by twags6; Jan 3, 2008 at 10:59 PM.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,726
Likes: 5
From: Slatington, PA
ok. i'll pick up some new batteries asap then. i'd like to get some motorcraft ones. is there any other place to get them besides the dealership? hopefully the alternator will be happy after i replace them.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 17,988
Likes: 207
From: La La Land
Your alternator is putting out the correct voltage. The "set" point is 14.4 volts, so the electrical part of it is good. What wears on these is the brushes (they wear down and also form grooves in the commutator rings), and eventually the sealed bearings will begin to rumble and eventually fail.
My guess is you don't need an alternator yet, but just batteries. You got very good service out of them, but they're pretty old. See your dealer for new ones. Sometimes they run "specials" on batteries, and are quite competitive on prices. My 2000 with 172,000 is on only its second set of Motorcrafts. They're good batteries, and that's what the third set will be.
Pop
My guess is you don't need an alternator yet, but just batteries. You got very good service out of them, but they're pretty old. See your dealer for new ones. Sometimes they run "specials" on batteries, and are quite competitive on prices. My 2000 with 172,000 is on only its second set of Motorcrafts. They're good batteries, and that's what the third set will be.
Pop
Last edited by SpringerPop; Jan 4, 2008 at 12:42 AM.
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 14,541
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From: Dallas-Ft. Worth
Just for a bit more info, my alt went a couple months after my batteries started cranking slow. I bought two (because I read here that you always should replace them in a pair), and lo and behold, one was original, the second was replaced about a 18 months earlier. When the second finally got weak, it pulls the good one down, then that puts the extra load on the alternator. I drove it slow-cranking for about a week before I got to the point of replacing them. The final straw was when I went on a trip and left the truck at the airport for about 4 days. When I got back, it just barely cranked enough to fire up. I went straight to AZ and bought a set of Duralast Golds. Good batteries, and they were like $70 a piece. When the alternator went, I put in a non-reman Duralast as well. That was BEFORE I knew about this site:
http://www.alternatorparts.com/Ford_7.3_Power_Stroke_Diesel.htm
For what I paid for the stock replacement, I could've had a 140 or even a 160 for a few more $$$.
So if you end up needing an alt, get one of those HD dealies...
http://www.alternatorparts.com/Ford_7.3_Power_Stroke_Diesel.htm
For what I paid for the stock replacement, I could've had a 140 or even a 160 for a few more $$$.
So if you end up needing an alt, get one of those HD dealies...
Cargo Master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 3,292
Likes: 6
From: Ardenvoir, Washington
Originally Posted by twags6
When I got home from work tonight, I noticed that the squeaking noise under the hood is louder and I can hear where its coming from now, the alternator.
.
.
I would make sure the squeaking noise is not the Idler pulley or maybe the Belt tensioner pulley.. They will make noise if the bearing is going bad.. I always use a piece of heater hose or something similar, about 3 feet long and put end of the hose to my ear and the another end to the area where the noise is. Works great.
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