I just bought a 1986 D150 318 2BBL auto 2 wheel drive. Just got it this afternoon, and have been using it all day. tongiht i went to start it and the truck turn half over and then clicked... like a dead battery. I jump started it and then pulled the neg. battery wire and the truck shuts down instantly. Now i checked on autozone's website to see how much a alt. will be and it says to be sure to change your external voltage regulator. Does this truck have one? its not built in the alt? where is it? And if you ahve any other ideas what it is the please let me know, but im sure its the alt.

Thanks.
Jim
Lupton, Mi

 

Yup, external. It's on the firewall right behind the coil. Print the price out for the alternator and voltage regulator and then take both the alternator and VR into the shop and have them both tested to see which is dead. If it's the Alternator, you might as well replace the VR as well and keep the old as a spare. If the alt. tests fine, no sense replacing it.

I'm not sure about Autozone, but Schuck's will match their online prices, which are almost always a lot lower.

I prefer Napa for parts though. My neighbor bought a remanufactured alternator from Schuck's for his RX-7 and brand new it was dead. Then they pulled another brand new in the box off the shelf and tested it, dead. Third one from a different store worked.

 

well, all i ahve is a autozone, witch does test alt. but not regulators from what there site says and an auto value store. autozone ran the nape and car quest out of town, witch sucks.....

Thanks for your help.

 

No problem.

We've got 3 schuck's, 1 napa, 1 car quest, and several other mom and pop type local shops. It's not a bad town here for working on cars. I recently found the cut rate auto parts down in Lacey that has 2nd gen Dakota tail lights on the shelf. I'm talking about the whole assembly, not the bulbs. Super cool. I don't think I've ever been lucky enough to find Dodge stuff on the shelf at a store.