2003 f350 6.0l single alternator. Replaced alternator a couple weeks ago with one from napa, noticed a humming with key on and the engine off . Traced it to the alternator, called napa they said it was not normal come get a replacement, put the new one on same thing. Charging in the 13.5 to 14v range the case of the alternator seems to get hot quickly when running.
View 14 RepliesI got my Alternator replaced last week. Last night, I hit a very small bump, not even large enough to really cause me to slow down, and as soon as I did, my battery and brake lights came on. My RPM gauge also jumped around and eventually went to 0 until I stopped and put the car in park. (The bump might just be a coincidence who knows). So after all this happened, I turned off my car, tried to restart and got nothing. Sometimes I get a click, sometimes 2 clicks up to 4-6 consecutive clicks. Every few times I won't even get a click, just a slight attempt to start, then the car dies, then 2 seconds later all my lights and radio etc. come back on. My problem here is a few things:
1. I've been told it could be the starter. If it's the start, those dashboard lights shouldn't have came on right? just the STARTING portion of the car.
2. I've been told it could be the battery.
Well If i got my alternator tested and Advance said it was working, Why would my battery be dead? And if it WAS dead, wouldn't my lights have went dim or something else happen to the car?
I bought a truck recently and I am attempting to get the alternator to charge. A previous owner hacked up the wiring pretty badly. We found that they had connected the voltage regulator to the horn relay for some reason. Anyway, I am trying to get it rewired and have searched existing threads for info and I thought that I had the wiring sorted out, however it is still not charging the battery.
The alternator has been tested and works. The voltage regulator is new. This is how it is currently wired.
Regulator A Terminal --> Battery side of started solenoid --> Alternator Batt Post
Regulator F Terminal --> Alternator Fld Post
Regulator S Terminal --> Alternator Sta Post
Regulator I Terminal --> Empty
Regulator body --> Radiator Support --> Alternator Ground Post --> Neg batt
When running, the battery is showing about 11.8 and slowly dropping as it runs. The truck has an ammeter in the dash, however it looks like it is no longer connected. Does it need to be connected in order for the alternator to charge the battery?
I have a 99 F250 super duty 4x. It's all stock except for some speakers I replaced when I got it. The others were blown from my uncle. I don't have any amp or anything like that and the truck has ran fine for 3 years so I don't think the alternator has failed because of that. I'm thinking just age and 138k miles.
I was wondering what generation of alternator might be on there and how to tell the difference between the generations.
I have 12.5V with the truck off, about 14V with it on idle. As soon as I get it around 3000 RPM the battery light comes on and the voltage goes to 12.5V. Where can I get a rebuild kit for the alternator. I don't see anything at the major parts shops (napa, oreilly, autozone). Could this be the voltage regulator(that I did see at the stores)? I think its mounted to the back of the alternator. Is there any way to test the alternator further?
I'm a little confused as why it would be only above 3000 rpm. Are there two separate circuits for it? Like a low rpm one and then a different one above 3000 rpm?
I *think* I'm having trouble with the alternator on my 2002 Navigator with the 5.4L DOHC engine.
A year ago in Feb 2014 the alternator quit charging. I thought the headlights were a little dim, but when the radio turned itself off and then the heater fan did the same, I noticed that the alt light was on. Then the engine shut down about 1.5 miles from home.
I'd heard of war stories about rebuilt alternators so I sprang for a brandy new one. I also got a voltmeter that fits in the cigarette lighter so I can monitor the system voltage. All seemed good and the new alternator put out 14.2 to 14.5 volts. Except that the battery never seems to be fully charged. If I check the battery voltage with the engine off it typically reads 11.9 to 12.2 volts. I had Interstate Batteries check the battery. They thought it was okay, but offered to put a new battery in to keep me happy.
Six months and 8,000 miles later I'm up in Ontario back country (on vacation - no tools in the truck) and I notice the engine idles at 900 RPM instead of the usual 650 +/- RPM. Oh-oh, I also notice the volt meter is reading 11.9 volts and drops a tenth about every 10 miles.
Found a shop that was open and they installed a rebuilt alternator and it was putting out 14.2 to 14.5 volts. All was good (except for my wallet!).
Now, here we are six months and 5,000 miles later and the rebuilt alternator is struggling to put out 12.5 volts this afternoon. At a steady 50 MPH with the cruise Control on, the radio, and the heater fan on low, the voltage is bouncing between 12.2 volts and 12.7 volts.
Now to my questions:
1. Shouldn't an alternator put out 14.2 to 14.5 volts all the time? Not just when the alternator is new?
And
2. Is there anything on my truck that could be killing these alternators? Or am I just unlucky in the alternator lottery?
Over the weekend I was driving my 2000 F350 and the alternator died (found out later). The shop said they replaced the alternator but it wasn't charging. They later told me it was because the isolator failed. My 2nd battery WAS a yellow gel battery. Before the battery (in series) was an 50 amp circuit breaker...........that blew apart.........and the battery had a melted off side terminal. It looked like the 'sealed gel battery" had been 'leaking for a while" (as there was funky acid type white corrosion deposits in a few places. Any speculation what happened here?
View 4 RepliesSeries 7 , 82 model, light switch drama. I think they worked fine before I had removed the dash but it has a multi plug that I never interfered with but the truck had been in water and the contacts on it were rusty and I know the unit has been submerged.
Anyway, the unit clicks and sort of buzzes and the headlights and side lights flicker and the rear LED lights barely flicker, need to watch closely. I have cleaned and used contact fluid all connections under the truck as I washed it the other day too.
Brake lights work perfectly, indicators too, just associated lights from this pull switch. The unit gets hot, not burning hot but hot enough not to hold for too long. So, thoughts ?
Need new unit ?
Touched something ?
Water ingress finally making unit fail ?
We have a 1999 F-350 V10 super duty. The alt was over charging and the gauges stopped working. Replacing the alt, the guages still don't work, and the new thing is the charge light and selt belt light comes on. The fuses 29 (5amp)and 30(30Amp) which are supposed to be key on hot only are hot at the same time. With these on, it causes a drain killing the battery. Also if the truck is started, the lights go out, but when you try to turn the vehicle off, it stays running, one with the battery disconnected. The only way to shut it down is pull the fuse box power fuse, 50(amp)Some one had been in the dash before we got this vehicle and busted, burned out or removed the check engine light. I can read codes and their vehicle runs fair and does operate. Could this be a dash board? Also this problem appears when the truck is sitting, and the key removed nothing on. No fuses are blown either.
View 3 RepliesI have a 2000 F350 7.3. I started out with my batteries dying after a few days of sitting. I found the interior lights were coming on dimly, and the relay buzzing. great, got it. I pulled the fuse and ordered the dimmer/light switch. I came back next week and the batteries are dead again. Charged them, drove the truck, and then the radio starts coming on without the key on. Pulled the radio.
Next day the truck starts fine, but now the seatbelt noid is going off all the time and the tranny overdrive is blinking "off" but still shifts fine, and goes into overdrive. The speedometer also works erratically... I read a post about the marker lights leaking, I looked and that's a definite possibility. My question is are all these related back to the GEM or BCM? or more problems?
I'm working on the '73 F250 in my sig. I'm not very skilled when it comes to electrical work and I don't want to hack things. First up is I'm wiring a 7-way trailer connector with brakes. I need to tap into the brake light switch at the pedal, what is the cleanest way to do this? I was thinking of sticking a blade connector in the existing connector or adding a plug pigtail.
Also in the future I will (hopefully) be doing a 3G alternator swap and adding relays to keep my headlights from shutting off. I'm looking for suggestions on a junkyard or aftermarket fuse block that will accommodate the circuit breaker for the trailer brake, the 100 amp fuse for the 3g swap and the relays for the headlights.
Tried to start my truck after sitting for 2 days in sub zero weather. wouldn't crank. pulled the batteries and charged them over night. Tried to start it the next day-wouldn't crank but the starter relay clicked. Was going to pull the starter and check it but decided to replace the relay first. replaced it and tried to start but now have no power to the cab-nothing comes on. I've checked the batteries with a load tester and they are ok. I've checked the fuses and they seem to be ok. when I tried to start it and the relay clicked there was a loud buzzing noise that seemed to be coming from under the dash. it has done this before but this time was louder than usual. I live out in the sticks so taking it somewhere is a last resort. It is a 1999 7.3 with 290000 miles.
View 14 RepliesI have a 63 Falcon that the generator went out on. I replaced the generator and the regulator and it still isn't charging. A friend of mine told me if I disconnect the FLD at the generator and connect a jumper between FLD and the battery + terminal it should start charging which it does. I have swapped out two different generators and regulators now and it is still doing it.
View 5 RepliesMy truck is a 1990 F-150 with the 351. I was replacing the spark plugs last night, got it all wrapped up and everything squared away, and after firing the truck up I noticed a ticking noise. It was not there before I replaced the old plugs, and it is not at all loud. I can hardly hear it with the hood closed. It appears to be coming from the driver's side of the engine. It does not misfire when its idling, and it revs smoothly. However, while driving it is noticeably choppy and feels sluggish.
Any thoughts on what it could be? I used dielectric grease on the boots, but I did not replace the plug wires themselves, or the distributor cap. I am probably going to replace the plug wires today though, because the plugs I took out were not in good condition and its been a bit too long since I replaced them last. Its also worth noting this engine is less than years old. This is a frustrating problem because I've replaced the spark plugs on her before, so I'm not quite sure what I did wrong this time.
I had the windshield wiper control replaced on my 91 F150 today and found out that the genius who did the repair (and, I might add, broke the wiper control in the first place) forgot to reconnect the dash lights. This was this particular garage's last chance. Everything else works -- idiot lights, hi-beam indicator, running lights, taillamps, hi-beams -- everything BUT the dash lights, so I know it's not the fuse.
View 4 RepliesI plan on moving the engine/drivetrain from my 1986 F350 460 to my 1996 F250. I also want to move over the 1986's ignition system with a Duraspark 2 setup.
Although I could just cut in the easiest places to remove the wiring for later reuse I am looking for where to make the cuts, what to take and what to scrap. Alternatively I am also asking if there are aftermarket or OEM replacement sets out there are aren't a ton of money. The current harness in the 1986 has been sprayed with engine oil and cooked for 27 years so I am looking at alternative options if there are any.
2011 F-250 Lariat with 38,000 miles. What is the cause or source of humming or buzzing noise from the under the hood that starts once I turn the truck off and close the door? Lasts from 3-4 minutes and only started noticing it in the last two thousand miles or so.
View 13 RepliesSO, my Buick has given the code for bad TPS, and it was replaced a little over a year ago...and now after the same symptoms, replaced again.. However, this time, right after replacing, it gave the code again, and still stalls out /doesn't want to stay running especially when put in gear. My regular mechanic also recently just put on a new catalytic converter and a new fuel pump and fuel filter. I'm at a loss, and desperately need my car back.
A little back history...about 3 years ago a 'friend' was to work on my car to install the thermostat and power washed the engine...which shortly after started having all kinds of electrical issues. Right after that, my mechanic had to install a coil, spark plugs, new ignition panel and the 1st tps.
I'm working on a 289 from a 65 Fairlane; When I attempt to start the engine it will turn over however, it will not start. I can switch it on and jump it with a screw driver and it starts right up. It started once with the key so I don't think it's the wiring. I don't want to start buying items chasing the problem when I don't know the answer. I have a new battery.
View 2 RepliesPulled up to customers home and took key out and engine kept running. Disconnected battery, engine and aux turned off. Then Connected battery and power came on as if the key was in. Then put key in and turned with no change in power or engine trying to turn. Disc battery, put key in first then connected battery and truck started. Last stop took key out as well as disc batt and engine stayed on this time. repeated steps above several times to get back. Looking for narrowing the problem,possible ignition key cylinder, actuator or possible bad circuit.
View 4 RepliesMy turn signals will not work with the engine running. With the engine off they will. With the engine running if I move the ignition like I am going to turn it off they work.. Is it the ignition switch or ign cylinder....
View 5 RepliesMy points to electronic conversion suffered this problem, just started, set the timing and was idling, like ten minutes or more, suddendly the engine died, no spark, immediately I noticed the module was very hot, so was the ignition coil, it's a TFI "square" coil from a 1987 Econoline I6, the module is a new Spartan brand name blue module.
I cooled the module with a wet rag and the engine came back to life. I hooked up the module and the coil with full 12V, no ballast resistance for the coil, I'm feeling this is the problem, maybe this coil needed a ballast resistor?
I have this 1.6 ohmm ballast, if I install this, will the coil run cooler and put less strain in the module, so it won't overheat? or the TFI coil is wrong for the Duraspark ? it was running fine with the points, never missed a beat, never tested how hot it run with the points though, but I did used the ballast resistor with the points.