In the service manual under the section for removing the alternator, step 8 states to "remove the alternator." Sounds so simple, except you can not physically remove this without taking something else out... anyone know what would be the best thing?

 

I just checked All Data here at school and it doesn't look like you will have to take anything else out. To me it looks like you take off the belt, there are 2 bolts that hold it to the bracket and then on the back like a ground, a hot wire and a connector. If thats not correct I am sorry. If you have a way to, take a picture and post it on here to show what elese you think you need to take off. I'll look at my truck before I go to class and check it out though. Anyways hope that helped.

 

Definitely could not have gotten it out without moving something, it simply wouldn't fit... I ended up removing 3 bolts on that plastic fan guard (?) and got it out still with a struggle... I' ll figure out how I'm going to get it back in later!

 

yea i remember when i had the mechanical fan and the shroud it was tricky to get it in and out...

 

Before you start any job on your truck, tell yourself ... "nothing is easy" ... then you're not surprized when it decides to fights back. [&:]

Sometimes, even the easy stuff manages to be hard on these things. [:@]

 

You're not kidding. Ended up taking about 5 hours (how long do they usually take), and she feels prettier now than before, plus my lights are shining brighter, but the voltometer still doesnt hit what she did before... what I'm confused about is... its a 12v battery so exactly WHY was it typically running at 15 volts before? What do your trucks run at? I still think there is a short somewhere, or maybe I should replace that solenoid swich after all. I'm missing something here. I ran my factory radio, windshield wipers full speed, and blasted the heat to check what she did... voltage dropped down to about 10 volts without no gas. First Im going to try to wrap the ends of every wire with electrical tape near the terminal connectors since I can see copper near every connector. Anybody have any other ideas?

 

It's ridiculous that they put voltmeters in cars and trucks these days. I've already ranted (kinda) once about how ammeters are of so much more use so I'll spare you. You should see about 14.5 volts on an active, charging system. The 12V is a static MINIMUM reading. Something is draining the hell out of your system. Shorted cell in the battery? Didn't you just change it out?

 

I changed my battery out less than a year ago, its still under warranty. Would you suggest I get it tested somewhere other than where I bought it? Seems like common sense to me. I was under the impression that the battery is inactive when the truck was running. Hope my truck starts in the morning. If it weren't for my business sense in things other than what I've chosen as a business I'd probably be out of business by now. Maybe I need to stop fighting weaknesses and figure out how to make my strengths work. Seems theres little overhead if any to how I've really been making money legally. The honest living I'm trying to make is really getting tiring. Thanks for the input, this site is great and you specifically have been very helpful to me. I need to make this a toy truck and work at home like normal functioning people i think.

 

after the charging cycle is over with a good running electrical system shouldnt require anyting from the battery once the truck is up and running... also remember that alternators dont provide there advertisded amperage output untill higher rpm's are reached... this would prove its self to when the needle moves when you rev the motor... normal stock type alts... usually run advertisd output from areas ranging from 1000 or 2500 rpm.. just depends on what style and type alt you have... for our trucks.. iirc, they peak at 1800... but dont quote me..

on the other hand.. id get your batt tested... to make sure its holding a charge well and not crapping out... it couldnt hurt.. especially when it still has a warrenty on it.. is it a name brand batt or a cheepo blue light special?

on one more hand,, its possible you may have a draw some where... witch usually sucks b/c 9 times out of 10 its a small draw and when that type of circuit shorts out..the trusty fuze blows and saves you a bunch of headaches like this... also shorts on none fuzed type systems are usually a PITA to troubleshoot... id start by inching over the truck .. eyeballing every wire.. and checking sorounding metal areas for arc marks or melted stuff.

on the third hand that no one really has..... its possible its your battery... your battery may not be accepting a charge and/nor holding that charge... witch would be an idication why you see a large draw on the crap-volt-meter (i agree with your TMSbill) when you hvae alot of stuff runing... mainly b/c your alt is trying to support enough power for all the stuff your running... like heater wipers radio,, all the stuff it has to run normallly.. power for the trucks running circuts... and power to shuv down the batterys throte... now if the battery isnt accepting this charge correctly.. then youll experience stupid symptoms.. like you are now..

hope this helps..and i will be publishing this novel... comeing soon to a barnes and noble near you

 

What I was thinking is ... there is SO much current draw (short) that it is dragging the entire system down. This should generate a LOT of heat at the point of grounding. Normally this will do one of 2 things ... blow a fuse (in a protected circuit) or melt something (in an unprotected circuit). Neither is happening. But what if a cell is shorted in the battery? It will be trying to hold the charging system down about 2.5 volts at all times.

I've actually had a battery explode on me (Sears 72 Redtop) while cranking. Well ... not ON me ... the hood was closed ... but it made a hell of a bang. [:@]

Think I'd try just swapping out batterys first.