Hey all, haven't posted in a WHILE, well because nothing has broke lately!!!

I have a bunch of questions and hopefully someone can help me.

1. My 80 F-150 4 wheel can't charge worth crap, new alternator, voltage regulator, wiring, solenoid, etc! All the nuts and bolts. With the wiring i looked off of my 81 F100 so i know it should be right. With everything on my 80 when i take the negative off it dies. But on my 81 it just idles fine. But when i switch the voltage regulator from the 4wheel to the 2wheel, they both die?? I need some serious help, this stuff has been mind boggling for 1 year now, and now that fuel prices are going down the mud truck is coming back out more, and i need it to be as reliable as my 2 wheel drive.

2. I was pulling 25 foot double axle without a deck on it, so it was pretty light? I was getting off the interstate and some ******* had to get a beer or something so he freaking locked up in the offramp. So i had to, and i thought i heard a pop but wasn't sure. My light came on (which doesn't mean ****, but still) and i pulled over to see if my cap or something came off. Well nothing, so i limp it back to my farm noticing that i think i have my left front and right rear, but wasnt for sure. The truck will not lock up but it will stop. So i take it down the road, (minus trailer) and just layed on the brakes giving it gas, smelled breaks only on left front and right rear. I think its the actuator the once the master comes out it runs to that so if something fails you dont have just front or rear? Am i right? Or what else do i need to look at?

Sorry for the long post guys but it had to be said!

Taylor

 

Get a meter and read the voltage on the battery with the engine running. It should be around 14 to 14.5v. Taking the battery cable off with the engine running is a bad idea, and could smoke something.

The brake light will come on when either the front or rear brakes fail, but not both. I would pull the master cylinder cover off and see if both resevoirs still have fluid.

 

I have a meter "reader" and it has a red,charging,red which is undercharge good, overcharge. With a new voltage regulator and redoing some wiring it overcharges ALOT.
Thats what i did, checked the fluid, all full. Look on your truck, after it comes from the master it goes into some alien lookin ****. Which is something to do with left front right rear and right front and left rear so if something fails you dont have front or rear? And it doesn't pull? Am i right?

Thanks franklin2

Taylor

 

The two lines run from the master cylinder down to the proportioning valve. This is just a place for the factory to hook the lines, do a little pressure regulating for the rear brakes, and it also has a plunger that will slide one way or the other if you lose pressure in the front or the back. The plunger turns the light on. If you want to see if that's what is turning the light on, take the single wire off the proportioning valve and let it hang in the air. If the light goes out, then that is what's making the light burn.

I would go ahead and buy a real voltmeter. You will find lots of uses for it if you are going to work on the truck yourself, and it will verify if your other meter is working or not. The new meter will give you real numbers.

 

The parking brake indicator is part of the same brake warning light circuit. The switch is located on the top of the parking brake bracket. Like the proportioning valve switch, it works by connecting to ground. If the light stays on when you disconnect the proportioning valve, disconnect the single purple white wire at the top of the parking brake bracket and see if that kills the light.

 

Where would i get a real "volt Meter?" I will try the "unhooking" part to see whats up! Well, today i redid all the wiring for the charging system, every single wire. Saughtered (spell??) everything then shrink rapped it. The ol girl charges now? It had to do with wiring for some reason? But at idle which is around 500 i would guess, it doesnt charge good, in the red below perfect which was in my earlier post. But when i rev to 1000 and so on it says perfect. I was thinkin of leaving it alone but now i'm curious how to bring my idle up? Autozone/Bumper to bumper doesn't carry a proportional valve, gonna have to rely on the junkyard again

Thanks again guys

Taylor

 

Low charging at low rpm is normal. If you have a lot of electrical add ons you might want to try an alternator upgrade. Adding a 3G alternator isn't hard and provides significantly more power. You can search for 3G and find numerous threads on the subject.

 

You can get a new voltmeter anywhere. Walmart sells them for about $20. Also I would check the proportioning valve like Franklin said it sounds like your only getting braking power to the rear brakes. Sometimes a slight tap on the master cylinder with a rubber mallet will get the proportioning valve to realign where its supposed to be. With the electrical I would check and see if you are getting a draw in the electrical system somewhere. Just because you replace all that hardware doesnt mean that you dont have a draw somewhere on your truck.

 

Thats what I thought, "normal". Its a 61 amp so it should be ok? I haven't benn able to drive this truck because of the charging stuff. It really pisses me off. Moving from a good mileage 6 to a gas sucking 8 sucks to. But you dont get that rumble and looks like the ol 6 should! Going to a junkyard after school, will post on the proportioning valve. I took the "electical" off and it solved the light on the dash. Must be the problem? Is it ok for it to idle around 500?

Thanks
Taylor

 

I run three amps, a CB, a high powered CD player and never have a problem with the stock alternator.

 

500 is ok, but you should go to a parts store and buy a meter to really see whats going on. If you do not want to do that, go to Autozone or Advance and get them to put their little tester on it and see what it says. It sounds like it's charging, but you may have a bad diode in the alternator which will cut it's output a little bit. A meter would tell you if this was the case.