Here are the pictures I took. I think I know where my problem might be now, but I don't know where it goes.

The regulator pic, there was a wiring coming from the cab that connected to the soderless black connector you see. I thought it came from the trailer brake module so I just took it off. Is that supposed to go to something else?

Regulator:
misc. 033 pictures from trucks photos on webshots

Starter Relay:
misc. 032 pictures from trucks photos on webshots

Alternator:
misc. 030 pictures from trucks photos on webshots

General Engine bay:
misc. 028 pictures from trucks photos on webshots

P.S. I tried to see how high the voltage would climb reving the engine. It maxed out at 13.88 volts.

 

Okay, well I see two problems.

Your voltage regulator doesn't have the little D-battery looking thing that mine does. Sorry, I have no vocab when it comes to electrical stuff.

Here is a pic of what it should look like:



Sorry for the pic size, but i keep forgetting to change my camera settings.

The second thing that I see wrong is that your starter relay's wires are VERY RUSTED. I suggest putting a wire brush to work, a tooth brush or some parts cleaner on that spot. It's probably giving you a bad connection because of all that excess rust.

What I'm talking about is the two wires sitting side by side on the relay which are closest to the exhaust manifold.

You could also clean the positive and negative ends on that relay because it's very dirty overall. The positive and negative sides are the ones which give the relay a frankenstein look because it has bolts on either side.

Give that a try, and let me know how things go.

Other than that, you alt looks like it's in really good shape. While you try this, I'll look over your engine bay some more.

 

I took the relay of and cleaned all contact points and wires. That didn't change anything.

I looked up the little "battery" deal that I have missing and it's and "RFI Capacitor." What is it supposed to do? And do I need one, or does my new regulator have something internal?

 

The capacitor is used for noise suppuration. For the radios. Put them on alt heater motor, wiper motor and like that to take the wine and buzz out of the radios. A must if you run a CB.

 

Hm.. Strange that nothing changed.

Maybe clean up your battery terminals with a little coke. It should fizz up real good and then you can just wipe it off.

I'm not sure where to turn from here now.

 

I would think the problem
would still be in the regulator
as it regulates the charge.
Just because its new does not mean it is
adjusted right or working right. Some
regulators have adjustable contacts that make it
easy. Others have to have the contact bent
to make the adjustment. I have and would spend the
money and get a one wire alt with built in regulator.
I use them on all my rigs as soon as the charge
system gives me any problem.

 

DOH! DOUBLE POST!

I just thought of something. This may seem too simple to get wrong, but...

Do you have all the wires connected correctly? I know it sounds like a stupid question at first, but maybe something isn't connected correctly, or maybe something is backwards.

I.e. Positive wire on the negative or ground terminal on your alt?

Check that out, that'll save us the trouble of finding it later on thinking "it's in the last spot we thought to look".

Right now we're assuming everything is hooked up correctly. Once we rule this out, we can continue our more in-depth search for your problem.

 

Well I called up my Eletrical guy and he said that is a little low, but since the volts do come up when the RPM's do that he isn't real concerned about it. I think I will just give it a go as is. I've been through two regulators and checked everthing 3 or 4 times. I guess it's like Bullitt390 said about the RPM. Also, since I won't be idleing about town it should be alright since the cruise RPM's will be the majority of the time driving it. If none of this works then I'll switch to a newer alt. system. Thanks for all the help, suggestions, and ideas everyone!

 

When you do go to do an alternator upgrade, check out 3G Alternator Upgrade.

It's the best way to upgrade your alternator and it's very simple. There is a massive thread on it, and some people are still working out the smallest bugs even though you don't have to worry about them.

It's worth a look right now so that you remember for later, but just thought I'd let ya know about it.

 

I have seen that mentioned in some of my searches. Thanks for the info Aaron!

 

The voltage goes up with RPM because of Faraday's law which is the premise behind how an alternator works (fun fact for the day). The voltage generated by the alternator comes from change in magnetic flux inside the alternator as the rotor moves about the stator. The voltage is proportional to the rate of change, meaning the faster you cut the magnetic field in the alternator, the higher the voltage goes.

The charging system is designed such that the rate at which the alternator turns at idle is still enough to maintain 14 volts out of gear. If your charging system cannot maintain this voltage, then (a) the regulator is sensing the voltage as higher than it really is, and is not demanding enough of the alternator, or (b) the regulator is sensing the voltage correctly and sending the appropriate field signal to the alternator, but the alternator can't keep up with the demand, possibly due to increased winding resistance over time. Have you bench-tested the alternator? Most parts stores can do this. If the alternator has a repeatable age-related problem that isn't brought on by heat or some other external factor, it'd be pretty easy to catch on a tester.

To eliminate a grounding problem, you can try running a jumper wire from one of the regulator mounting bolts to clean, unpainted metal on the engine. If the voltage goes up, it's a grounding issue.

As mentioned before, the "can" on the voltage regulator is a noise suppression capacitor to filter high-frequency noise from the ignition that can get picked up on the radio. It doesn't affect the charging system's function.