[updated:LAST EDITED ON 21-Jan-02 AT 09:10 PM (EST)]well my truck is starting to drive me crazy. yesterday my battery went dead AGAIN. it does it about every 3 weeks. i charged my optima battery over night on the trickle charger and tried to hook it up today. just my luck, when i connected the negative ground wire to the battery my alternator started smoking. i just put it in the end of december. when i replaced that i replaced the starter voltage regulator and battery cables. today i replaced the starter solenoid. now i am going to need another alternator. does any one know why it wouldve burned like that. another think is i need to get this battery problem figuered out i am getting tired of getting stranded every 3 weeks with a dead battery. I REALLY NEED HELP. when i start it with a good battery, it runs. but when u disconect the battery while the engines running the engine dies.

'75 F-100 4x4, 4" lift
16x38.5x15 super swamper TSL
390 w/ cam,headers,
and 4 barrell edelbrock

TRIED TRUE and FORD BLUE

how do i g et thewe icons to work lol?????????????

 

Rule of thumb # 1
NEVER,EVER, Disconnect a battery cable when the engines running.
It's Good way to fry the alternator.

Batteries Can and will Creat shorts with-in themselves.

I have witnessed 3 batteries do this.

Have you charged the battery and taken it to a Auto place and have them Test the battery on a Load tester?
It''s usually free.

There is a way to diagnose power drain on a battery with the engine shut off.
No need to go through it again here as:
It is mentioned SEVERAL times in this forum or in the 67-79 forum.
Maybe Cruise these to find the threads and print them for your upcoming troubleshooting time.




Dennis

Oh....Please Don't Ask Me Any Tough Questions As:
"I'm Saving Up MY Memory For When I Develop Alzheimer's"




https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gallery/displaythumbnail.php?&photoid=144&.jpg
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gallery/displaythumbnail.php?&photoid=143&.jpg
78 F-150 429CJ C6 ,Silver w/Explorer Pkge
641/2 Mustang,Pre-World's Fair Car #8092
64 Fairlane S/C waiting for a 390-4spd.
68-Mustang.Sunlit Gold 80,000 miles

 

Take the alternator back and get another one(warranty). Depending on where you bought it, some of these auto stores have a reputation for selling electrical parts that are duds. There is a good chance the alternator was causing the battery to go dead.

 

the alternatoer was gone and smoking before i disconnected the battery. has anyone else had any troubles with OPTIMA red top batteries??? anyways i took the alternater back to pep boys and they replaced it no questions asked thank god and i opted for the lifeime warranty versus the 12 month one for good reasons. seems how as my luck goes it will probably go out again on me sometime in the life of my truck. i guess tommorrow evening i will put it in and try testing my system with a battery i know is good. hopefully i can figer out what is wrong. ill keep yall posted on my findings.

'75 F-100 4x4, 4" lift
16x38.5x15 super swamper TSL
390 w/ cam,headers,
and 4 barrell edelbrock

TRIED TRUE and FORD BLUE

 

PEP BOYS??!! 'Nuff said.:-X23

 

I have to ask this as I have seen it before....same results smoked alternator.....did you maybe hook the battery up backwards by mistake?
The alternator could have been draining the battery, as could the voltage regulator. Best way to check for a drain is, as mil1ion said, check the archives it has been discussed here at length.

Sparky

 

i am positive i hooked it up the right way. but even if i did by accident, well i got a new alternater with a lifetime warranty. i started tracing the wires today i i finaly figuered out how my isolator is hooked up. the wireing almost looks factory? did they offer a dual battery package on the 75 f-100? i think i am going to try what mil1on said about finding a short. if anything i will find out what isnt working thats sopposed to.

'75 F-100 4x4, 4" lift
16x38.5x15 super swamper TSL
390 w/ cam,headers,
and 4 barrell edelbrock

TRIED TRUE and FORD BLUE

 

i put the new alternater in today and she starts and runs fine. i re wire it the way it should be with out the dual battery isolater. well see how this works.
'75 F-100 4x4, 4" lift
16x38.5x15 super swamper TSL
390 w/ cam,headers,
and 4 barrell edelbrock

TRIED TRUE and FORD BLUE

 

well this morning the truck started though sluggish it started. all was good until i was half way to work (a half mile) and my radio cut off again. it seems to cut off when the headlights are on. anyone have any suggestions why this is happening???? and another thing, just my luck today my brakes went out on me on my way home. now i have no brakes. im fixin to go post it in the 67-79 f series forum.
'75 F-100 4x4, 4" lift
16x38.5x15 super swamper TSL
390 w/ cam,headers,
and 4 barrell edelbrock

TRIED TRUE and FORD BLUE

 

I think I just fixed my charging problem. I had to move my Neg battery cable to a better ground. Check to see how much corrosion is on the other end of your cable or move it to a better ground. I read through some of the older posts to find the answer to my question. I found things like neg cable length will affect charging also. So try looking at your cables. Are they filled with Corrosion or burned?

 

Well the cable move helped. I found the real culprit though. The terminal wires off of the alt had been burned a while back. I decided to check the crimp job and ended up pulling 4 inches of wire out of the shielding. So look at that too. I talked to a guy at a repair shop and he said that is a common problem. Had him running in circles to find the problem. Hope this helps too.

 

ill have to take a look at those wires when i get home. i check them all a few days ago and they all seem to be good but if it was your problem i guess it is worth lookin into.
'75 F-100 4x4, 4" lift
16x38.5x15 super swamper TSL
390 w/ cam,headers,
and 4 barrell edelbrock

TRIED TRUE and FORD BLUE

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 09-Feb-02 AT 11:38 PM (EST)]Ok I had the do some wire digging again today. I took my truck up the autozone to check the charging system. Turns out my brand new battery was a very good one. My Alt. was still not putting out. After taking it off and testing it inside (checked good), replacing the voltage reg (good), and checking the wiring to the battery (good, except for missing a ground from the alt to the V/R). It turned out to be the fire wall connections. I pulled the plugs off the wall and put dielctric grease on them. Presto! Problem solved. Alt light went out and was pumping 14.9 volts to the battery. Never under estimate a bad fire wall connection. Damn connectors. Why aren't they water tight? Maybe I will change them to marine plugs when I rewire this thing. Remember the alt will not start charging until it has an electrical field applied to it. That is done through the wiring coming from the ignition. That wiring schematic I bought off this site helped a lot on this one.