Batt/Alt/VR Head Ache

[Mark Nixon]

Have you bothered with swapping out the alternator or voltage regulator, as well as a new, or good battery, yet?
If not, it's likely that you burned up the solenoid in the FSS driving it with no battery.

IMO it's not the brightest move in the world to go running around in a truck with no battery, as all it takes is a high load to shut the truck off OR to spike the regulator wide open and burn everything up.

Fix the damned thing right!

Mark.

[cmann250]

Fix the damned thing right!

I'm trying! I know something's wrong and want to fix it. I just don't know what's wrong. I'll figure out how to test the regulator and the alternator. What's odd is the 2 hour drive home, I didn't have a speck of trouble. The battery wasn't even warm when I got home. It started and everything worked like it should this morning.

[cmann250]

I tested the VR today and got just over 17 volts on the battery on an extended rev. I swapped to a spare regulator and got just over 15V doing the same thing. What's the max voltage that I can safely handle? I've read that the actual Mopar regulator is the best of the best. Is this rumor true?

[Mark Nixon]

Mopar is the regulator to use.
I've even used 30+ year old ones with very good success.

~15 volts is the place you want to be on the high end, trying to charge a low battery, but ~14 volts (13.8 to be exact) is usually the ideal place for a stable charge at road speed, with a good battery at full charge.

I'd be elated if it would hold a 13.8 charge rate, with all lights on, A/C, blower on high, idling in drive at a light, on a rainy day with the wipers going.
That's a lot of amps at idle!

Mark.

[cmann250]

Thanks Mark
I've gleaned some tips that I'm going to try:
1. Make the ground on the alternator to the head heavier
2. Jumper from the (-) on the battery to the case of the VR
3. New plug on the VR wiring

[Mark Nixon]

Thanks Mark
I've gleaned some tips that I'm going to try:
1. Make the ground on the alternator to the head heavier
2. Jumper from the (-) on the battery to the case of the VR
3. New plug on the VR wiring

Not sure that number 1 is really beneficial.
#2 is pointless, just run it from the battery to the core support, same general idea with less wire involved.
#3, Unless you know with absolute certainty that the plug is bad, I certainly wouldn't cut the wiring to replace the plug.
However, if you're going to do it, be sure to do it right, solder it with rosin core solder and shrink wrap it, making sure the soldered joint is smooth with no sharp wire or solder poking through the wrap.

Mark.

[cmann250]

Not sure that number 1 is really beneficial.
#2 is pointless, just run it from the battery to the core support, same general idea with less wire involved.
#3, Unless you know with absolute certainty that the plug is bad, I certainly wouldn't cut the wiring to replace the plug.
However, if you're going to do it, be sure to do it right, solder it with rosin core solder and shrink wrap it, making sure the soldered joint is smooth with no sharp wire or solder poking through the wrap.

I'm doing #1 because my replacement alternator dosen't have a place to ground to the alternator body. I'm not sure why and I should have done so along time ago.
I guess I already have #2 for lights.
I just threw #3 out there because I read that it helped Hansen a little bit. My dumb ass already cut it while trying to re-engineer the electrical system last year

[Hansen01]

My dumb ass already cut it while trying to re-engineer the electrical system last year

How i new my plug may have been an issue was if my gauge started acting up and reading skyhigh, if i went and wiggled the plug, sometimes it would go back to normal, something to try if you dont like doing that kinda stuff, plug was like 10 bucks or less from napa so i figured it couldnt hurt nothin