So tonight I got home and figured it'd be a nice night to take my dogs out for a ride. So I load them up and go down to the "circuit" and cruise for a bit. I get back to the house from this half hour excursion and I park the pickup shut her down lock her up and then I notice it... the smell of diesel fuel. So I unlock it and pop the hood. first thing I notice it's been leaking around the fuel filter cap. OK quick fix I always have a spare filter. So I decide sense I spent so much time cleaning it during the fuel pump replacement not to long ago, I'd take a few minutes and clean some of the fuel up out of the valley. So I figured sense the old girl wasn't to warm I'd spray some simple green and hose it out. So I did. Then I got my rags and stuffed them down in there to dry the rest. Well I then decided I'd start it up and take it for a test drive the see if it leaked anymore. Well it doesn't leak anymore, but my battery light is now on, and the amp meter is clear up to 18 on the guage. when I go from nuetral to drive the battery warning light fades out for a second and then comes back on. Also when in park with my headlights on I can notice them getting brighter when I rev it a bit, and then dim back to normal. I shut it off and when I start it up it reads normal but in about 30 seconds or so slowly starts creeping back up towards 18 again and stays there. Any Ideas what could be causing this. All I did was wash it!!

 

Just guessing but sounds like a voltage regulator problem. I think they are built into the alternator. Might have got some water in it when you hosed it down.

 

well I got up this morning and my truck worked fine. Just to be sure I went to advanced and got the batteries tested, and the alternator, both were fine, must be I got water in the wrong place