Im posting this for my uncle, he has a 1987 Dodge Ram pickup with a 318. About a month ago, his truck wouldnt start, so after jumping it and driving it several times and it not starting he decided to buy a new battery...he got it from Advance (yeah i know), anywho, it started the truck a couple of times but then started doing the same stuff over again..he has the battery tested at advance and they said it was fine so he decides to buy an alternator, he buys an alternator and puts it on..same deal, battery runs down and wont charge...so he takes the alternator back and they tell him they think its for a volkswagen (reason i goto autozone lol) anyways, turns out it is the right alternator so he keeps it (had someone run the number on the alternator)...so somehow he thinks its the computer in the truck (dont know where that info came from) I was asking my dad about it and he said the voltage regulator is built onto the computer and it was down beside the battery? Im thinking its just Advance trying to cover their butt on their junk batteries...im not too familiar with dodge pickups (sorry guys) but i was wondering if any of you guys might have any ideas? My uncle lives about 3 hours away from me and this is mostly second hand info so if you got any questions ill have to verify what all he has done to the battery/alternator etc..thanks for any help...Jim

 

Check and clean connections,dielectric grease helps.
Check for a draw on the battery.
Use a meter and check voltage from the alternator.

 

its a 91 not an 87, dunno how i got confused on that, anyways, battery tested good, alternator tested good off truck but wont put anything out on truck..connections all good...read something about a crank sensor wont make that alternator charge...also apparently what my uncle was telling me earlier about his problem is the book says his computer is responsible for regulating the voltage in response to RPM's so maybe it is the computer? any other ideas?

 

Parasitic drain (MAYBE) How long does it take for it to drain? IF wires are crossed there could be power being sent where is shouldn't and over night it might be draining you dead. They can be a pain to find and its definitely possible this might not be your problem. Check to see if your coil has power while keys are out.

 

Hello!I'm new here. I've been browsing tons of forums for an idea of what to do. I was laid off from my job about 3 month ago. I've been looking for a job since then, but did not even get a single interview. I worked as a web designer for a publishing company for the last 5 years. Looks like dodgeforum.com is an active forum with active members and may be someone has some experience working as a freelance web designer. May be this category is not the most appropriate for this question, but I want to try anyways to get some opinions before I go ahead with my life. I'm wondering if it is possible in the current economy to find work for a freelance web designer and make enough to pay for rent and groceries. I was able to find a small project on craigslist and I developed a website for a company. It was a small project and took me only a week to complete. I got paid $800 for 1 week of work which is not bad. Please people give me some ideas. I have 2 kids and my wife is out of work as well. Thank you in advance.