At wits end with charging system

[MikeR]

If you have an alarm system I would say that is deff your problem. They will kill a battery over time. I work for BMW and almost all of our cars have alarms on them. We actually recommend that people use a battery tender if they are going to let the car sit for more that a few days because of how quickly they will kill a battery.

 

[4x4junkie]

Unless the previous owner worked some voodoo magic on the truck, or i am blind, there is not one under the hood. Would you mind snagging a pic of where yours is?

It's visible in this pic:
http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/6/web/702000-702999/702959_104_full.jpg
(box right in between the air cleaner housing and the fender)

Must be '87 doesn't have one if you're not finding it.

 

[Twister]

It's visible in this pic:
http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/6/web/702000-702999/702959_104_full.jpg
(box right in between the air cleaner housing and the fender)

Must be '87 doesn't have one if you're not finding it.

Thanks for the pic, yeah mine doesn't have that. Messed with it a bit more today, i think my big fuse that goes inbetween my charge cable and the starter solenoid is bad. It has no continuity between the sides. So i pulled that off, pulled all the fuses for my alarm system and i hooked the battery up, i am going to let it sit for a couple hours and see if the voltages change, and get a new big fuse.

 

[bobbywalter]

unless the charge was running up with rpm....like going to 17 volts at 2500 rpm the alt was likely ok. only turning 12.2 volts and testing good at the parts store is spookey.


check all of the leads from the starter post and the relays. sounds like a relay is hanging on ya intermittently and kicking the batteries ass.

ac wac relay, fuel pump relay or ecm relay.

fuel pump you wil usually know as you hear the pump....ac or eec relays are a bit harder to snag

hook it up and shut the key off. then pull and reconnect the relays and see if they are active.


possible the ig switch is bad or light switch etc...

 

[Twister]

unless the charge was running up with rpm....like going to 17 volts at 2500 rpm the alt was likely ok. only turning 12.2 volts and testing good at the parts store is spookey.


check all of the leads from the starter post and the relays. sounds like a relay is hanging on ya intermittently and kicking the batteries ass.

ac wac relay, fuel pump relay or ecm relay.

fuel pump you wil usually know as you hear the pump....ac or eec relays are a bit harder to snag

hook it up and shut the key off. then pull and reconnect the relays and see if they are active.


possible the ig switch is bad or light switch etc...

The previous owner had another single wire attached to the negative. If I remove that wire and touch it to the negative post on the battery a relay in the passenger side fender wall clicks. Is it suppose to do that?

Sent from, wait how did this get here?

 

[bobbywalter]

no.....but it may have been a trail fix.


since you dont have a box, often the relays get loose and turned upside down or sideways and get water in them pissin em off...

easy chech.

 

[Twister]

no.....but it may have been a trail fix.


since you dont have a box, often the relays get loose and turned upside down or sideways and get water in them pissin em off...

easy chech.

Well ill replace that and the fuse abd go from there. Thanks

Sent from, wait how did this get here?

 

[Twister]

Ok, so i replaced the fuse and the relay. The fuse was deffinetly what was causing the alt not to charge. With both of those replaced, at idle in park (900rpm), the reading at the battery was about 14.35v. With everything i could turn on minus the stereo it was sitting between 14.23-14.27v, so it seems like i got the charging fixed. I am not sure if i fixed the draw yet, the test light still turns on, but it seems to only have enough power to make the filament glow. It is not full on lit, but a slight glow. So i will take a reading from the battery a little later and see if it is gone or not

 

[4x4junkie]

Shouldn't be more than about 20-40ma current drain (engine ECM + memory for your radio presets). Depending on the bulb your test light has, that slight glow may or may not be normal.
I'd check it with a VOM or DMM set to DC amps just to be sure.

Sounds like you finally got the charging part figured out though.

 

[Twister]

Well about a month later and i dont seem to have any problems except dimming. When i turn on my turn signal or stereo my lights will ever so slightly dim corresponding to the flashes of the turn signals or from the bass of a song. Any idea what would cause it?

 

[Earl43P]

Poor ground somewhere.
Clean the ones on the inner front fenders, the strap from the block or head to firewall (WW motor bolt, usually), the battery to frame then block and the one on the radiator support.