Now it's just messin' with ya.

 

It got me to submit a cancellation request for the alternator I ordered last night.

 

Your current alternator will now die in 3.... 2..... 1.....

 

BWAHAHAHAHA!!

I successfully cancelled the order. It takes only two days to get it from Amazon Prime (it's also $17 less than Rock Auto, even worse after paying RA shipping fees). So I'll keep an eye the next day or two. I can always reorder it.

That field terminal connection came loose again after I took my 14 mile trip. I could rotate the ring terminal about the stud. Not easy but I could do it. So I removed a flat washer, cinched it down again and double nutted it this time. That stud is very precarious. Might explain why I had only 12.17v on the battery.

 

You know, these are the signs of old age when you start making mistakes like stripping threads on field terminal studs. Yes, there is very little room to work, it's dark, and my hands operate at 50% but I wouldn't have made those mistakes even 10 years ago. Now I can't see as well and my hand is nowhere near as steady or precise (arthritis). This is how threads get stripped. And if you have MS on top of that.... Frustrating.

 

Yeah, getting older kinda sucks, but, it still beats the alternative.

 

OK HY, just got back from a 6 mile test drive. The dash needle shot right up to where it normally goes...no hesitation. Never flinched one iota the entire trip other than when I had the turn signal on. When I got back, it was charging at 14.06v while at idle.

I think what happened yesterday was that connection came loose again. Barely, but I was able to rotate that ring terminal. It was loose enough for it to drain the battery some. That probably explains why I was getting some unprecedented funky action on that needle on my second test drive yesterday afternoon (I was actually picking up sub sammies from Jersey Mike's). I retightened it using a double nut and took a third test drive. It was still acting weird (not charging it as high as usual). But when I saw my battery at 12.6v this morning I knew it had gotten fully charged (unlike I have seen in the 1-1/2 year life of that battery). Gave me some hope for my test drive this morning and it panned out good.

Help me understand...I thought if the battery was somewhat drained the voltage dash needle would show a higher reading because it was charging the battery. Is this true? I ask because the exact opposite was happening. Even now it charges at 14.06v at idle when for the past 15 months (since I installed the NOS OEM regulator) it had been charging 14.3 at idle. I can only surmise my battery was never getting fully charged until now and that's why charge at idle has reduced from 14.3v to 14.06v.

 

OK, relative to my previous post, I think I'm confused. Tell me if I'm right here. The dash voltage gauge is not reading alternator output. Instead, it's reading the battery. So if my battery is drained, the gauge should read low. I keep thinking that gauge is reading alternator output such that if it were recharging the battery the reading would be higher.

 

Gauge reads system voltage. (not sure where it taps from.) So, if engine is off, that's battery voltage, engine running, voltage the alternator is putting out.

And remember, charging the battery is also about amp output from the alt. You can charge just as effectively at a lower voltage, but higher amperage. (so long as alt. output voltage is higher than battery at-rest voltage. )

Theoretically, the voltage regulator will reduce alternator output as the battery gets closer to full charge. It will ALWAYS be putting out something, as there are a fair few things in the truck drawing power while it's running.... and if you run lights, and a/c as well, thats even more of a load. (not to mention your zillion watt sound system. )

 

So if I translate what you're saying, just because my dash gauge is reading lower than usual while it's charging the battery doesn't necessarily mean anything. I always thought if the battery was drained the gauge would max out to the high side to get the battery charged up. I didn't account for other factors (like amperage). I need to freshen up on my Ohm's Law.

I'm happy the thing is functioning perfectly for now. Admittedly my confidence is shot so I'm always expecting it to eventually peter out again. But there are two reasons why I think there's a chance this could be different (I stress "could"). One, I'm "fixing" the power side, not the ground side. Most all my "fixes" in the past have been on the ground side. So this is a change in direction. Two, my battery is fully charged (12.6v on my cheap $18 Chinese DMM and 12.76v on my better Kaiweets Hong Kong DMM). I have never seen levels that high on this battery before. And those are levels I would expect them to be for a 1-1/2 year old battery. So a couple nuggets for optimism there. I know now the first place I'll look if the gauge starts dancing again and the lights start flickering.

I hate electricity.

Thanks for your help HY. You teach me a lot.