charging system
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charging system
my truck reads at the very bottom of normal which looks like about nine volts for the first half hour of running and then it will slowly move more towards the middle of normal. With each and every power supple it will jump up slightly and when the blinkers are on it will bounce with the blinker. The truck seems to run perfect but i am just waiting for it to die at a stop sign or light. my first question is, is the stock gauge not reading correctly like oil pressure gauge. Secondly, could the alternator only be running at 50% or are they an all or nothing type deal. Third, could this be a bad or loose connection somewhere. and where would you guys begin to try and track down why it is not charging good. a few months ago it was draining the battery every day so i put a new voltage regulator and solenoid in to fix that.
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Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Perry Georgia
Sounds like you have charging problems. It could be the alternator, regulator, batteries or bad connections although if you had bad connections you probley wouldn't get the truck started. Find a reputable alternator/starter shop and have them check out your charging system. I have one locally and while they are high price wise, they can find the problem without throwing parts at it you don't need. Me, I went from a 2G to a 3G alternator and have been happy with the results.
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Sounds good. i will get the alternator checked tomorrow at o'reily's, i just wasn't sure if an alternator was something that could go out a little at a time, for some reason i thought it either worked or didn't but that is why i come here because i am very much a rookie and just trying to gather info before wasting money on unnecessary parts. Also the batteries are new and so are the cables if that helps
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From: Perry Georgia
I believe alternators put out 3 phases and thru the regulator it is converted to DC volts. If one of the phases goes out the alternator will charge but not to full potential. I went thru this years ago with a mustang I had back in the 70's.
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So the alternator checks out fine. put it back in and tested the battery with the truck idling and it only reads twelve volts. If you rev the motor to 2k it reads 14.2 volts. does this mean that the truck is only charging right when driving??
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Joined: Apr 2008
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The diodes in the rectifier take care of the A/C to D/C thing, the rectifier is built into the alternator. I know the regulator controls the exciter field in the alternator, which then somehow makes the alternator put out more current, but I ain't too clear on how and why all this exactly happens.
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14.2 volts reved up sounds about right, at an idle it should be just a little above batery voltage, any alternator charges better at running speeds
in fact I remember some of the old chevy's with teh one wire alts wouldn't start charging till the first time you got the motor over 2500rpm took us a long time to figure out why the battery ran down on my budies monty carlo every time he let the wife drive it
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So after the effort, i traced the problem down to a bad ground. The small black ground wire that grounds at the voltage regulator on the wheel well was completely loose. besides that, when i went to take the alternator off the lower bolt that mounts it to the motor was gone. i was surprised that the belt was still tight enough to spin the alternator. As of now the truck charges like it should.
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