I'm not a mechanic but I do try and do alot of my own work. My check gauges light keeps coming on and my battery gauge goes down to 0. Sometimes I shut the truck of and it starts back up. Sometimes my radio/clock flickers and turns off, shut off truck and wont start. Disconnect battery and reconnect it and starts up. When the truck is running and this happens the performance of my truck is not altered. I shut off the truck and it starts up fine next time I get in. Now sometimes it's not starting back up and I need to disconnect/reconnect battery and it starts up. It's a brand new battery. My understanding is that the only 3 things that start a truck are batter/alternator/starter. Does it sound like one of those three or maybe and electrical problem. Any suggestions would help.--2000 Dakota 3.9L V6, 116K

 

did you check the negative cable coming from the battery to the chasis? sounds to me like a bad ground from the battery.

 

i would go to an auto part store. there, they should have a computer to plug in to give you the code for the check engine light. other than that. sounds like it is time to look a wires and connections. to make sure that some thing isn't grounding out or some thing. i'm a shadetree mechanic here too. so i know the feeling.

 

Just checked ground. Everything seems ok. Good connections/no corrosion. Any other ideas? I have a feeling I'm just going to have to take it somewhere. Like all of us I cant really afford to spend the money plus there's an element of pride when working on your truck.

 

It's NOT a check engine light, it's a check gauges light. I've been looking but there's nothing that these untrained eyes are seeing.

 

Same thing happened to me when I first got my truck. I had all the same symptoms that you're describing and it turned out I had a bad alternator.

 

just a thought.. my 97 has a fuse for the alt right above the front driver's wheel. you might have one too. i found that one the hard way. after replacing the battery and alt, just to keep having the same problem. and all it was, is a $4 fuse.

 

those are 2 great ideas. I'm going to go try them out and I"ll let you know. Thanks for the help. Will keep you posted. Thanks again.

 

do you know what fuse it is?(what it works) I have a fuse box on the side of the dash by drivers side door.

 

if you have one. it should be in the engine compartment above the driver's front wheel. mine is label alt. plus it is held in with 2 screws. it is 140 amp fuse on mine.