My 91 F250 has a charging issue. The dash battery light came on, kinda dim though, yesterday morning on the way to town. The factory volt gauge was below the n on normal but not all the way to the bottom on 8 volts. I went back home and hooked up my meter to the batteries with the engine running and they showed 12.3 volts but when I hooked up the meter to the Bat post on the alternator I only got 0.053 volts. It was late so I ran to town and grabbed an alternator and a new regulator just to be safe. Anyhow got them installed and the battery light is still on and even brighter. My question is "Could this be a grounding issue?" The only odd thing I've notice in the past is the heater seems to draw a lot of power when on High, it sucks the volt meter way down but after awhile it will gradually go up to the L on the gauge. And the radio has a lot of interference when the truck is cold, the yellow noise isolator pigtail on the regulator isn't attached to anything. I thought some of the static was the glow plugs still cycling? Oh Yes, when you start it up cold the WTS light stays on for a long time, like 30 to 35 seconds. I understand it should only stay on about 15 to 20 seconds. Before I start ripping wire looms apart and taking the alternator back for a bench test any help would be appreciated.

 

Alternator grounds though its case, so that ain't it there. The VR needs to be grounded to the body tho, which means you need to run a separate ground from one of its mounting bolts to the passenger-side fender somewhere, I prefer one of the bolts that hold the starter relay in place. Don't be fooled by the fact that the VR sits on a steel plate - that plate is actually bolted down to the plastic inner fender, and unless you have that extra ground it is not grounded to anything. The yellow wire from the VR is not a noise-suppressor at all, it's actually the battery voltage feel wire - needs to be run to the stud on the starter relay that all the other wires and cables come together. The plugs staying on longer may be cause they don't get proper voltage so it takes them longer to heat up and increase their resistance to where the controller shuts them off (that's how the system works, off the circuit's resistance). Radio static - not glowplugs, Idk what the issue is but I never seen it in my truck, and I've run the factory radio, then a CrownVic radio (so I can have 4 speakers), and now an aftermarket Sony CD-player. Blower motor - yeah, that one is a power hog, but I believe that once you solve the alternator issue it the voltage drop from the blower will not be anywhere near as noticeable.

 

Thanks for the info. I'm going to get on it tomorrow and clean and check all the grounds plus I'm adding extra grounds to the frame and body. Called my auto parts store and ordered some 12" and 20" flat ground wires, going to reground everything. I'll check all the starter wires as well to make sure they are clean and tight. I'll give an update when I get er done.

 

For sure sounds like a bad connection, most likely a ground. Does your headlights dim and brighten when you rev the engine? That's a tale tale sign of engine to body ground problems.

Replacing the ground wires and reconnecting the missing ones should make a big difference.

 

Dayum wasilla I spend quite a bit of time there. IIRC you should have as much voltage at the hot wire on the alternator as you do at the battery and I think there is a fusible link there. I happen to know a good mechanic that lives in wasilla , but he is here at my house right now.

 

Yep Starmilt,
20 years here and 20 in Squarbanks before that. I'm out here at 9 mile KGB just past Settlers Bay. Whose your mechanic buddy I might know him? It's a beautiful morning and I'm going to get out side here in a few minutes and start cleaning and adding grounds. I'll let you now how it turns out.

 

LOL bracken or matt bracken is Just off 7 mile or vine road either way. He works on the slope though.

 

Fixed it!!! Bad connector on the end of the fuse link right at the solenoid. Thanks everybody for the help. I going to get a good connector to replace the light duty one I used, some good ground straps, and Alaskanize it. Been stuck in the boonies before!

 

I hear the alaskanize it. Lots of folks doesn't know the true meaning of boonies.

 

Yep, got stuck between Trapper Creek and Cantwell in the winter once, blew a radiator hose. It wasn't pretty! I walked about three miles before a trucker picked me up and took me into Healy. At least there I could find parts at the NAPA. It was about -15 below.

 

I hear you I have pickup or pulled out several people along the parks during a couple storms. I stopped for one that ran off the glen once and the moose he had missed got after me 3 times with nowhere to go. That was one moose that I wish had been hit. lol