Charging System Issues... (1 Viewer)

[Rogue]

So, recently my truck has been having some issues with what seems to be the charging system.

First: A few weeks ago the truck started to die when the RPMs dropped at a complete stop. This only lasted for a day and I figured that it was due to the engine not liking the wash I gave it earlier that day.

Second: Yesterday afternoon I did some dirt-roading and some weak crawling on a date. After a little while just about every idiot light on my dash lit up. I proceeded to take the truck home thinking that maybe something was a little bit wet after splashing through a couple of mud holes. The truck was still running fine when I parked it yesterday afternoon.

Third: I drove to an activity out at Utah lake and the truck was running fine with no idiot lights. I figured I was fine and the truck was just angry earlier for me having driven through water. After the activity I went to drive home and the truck started fine but the idiot lights were back. Everything was fine for a couple of minutes until the dash lights went dim and the instrument panel quit working. After a couple more minutes of this, the truck died. I walked to Mal-wart and bought a battery to give me the power to get home. It worked, but since the idiot lights are still on i'm pretty sure that wasn't the only problem.

AFAIK, the alternator is original and so was the battery. What is my next move to get the truck working properly again.

 

[cruiserdan]

Have you checked the engine harness where it passes by the EGR tube? Some of your symptoms sound like that is a possibility.

 

[landtank]

How many miles on that toilet? Might just be the alternator brushes. Read your FSM as they give a min. length and it's simple to remove the alt. and then measure the brushes.

 

[Rogue]

Have you checked the engine harness where it passes by the EGR tube?

What am I looking for Dan?

Might just be the alternator brushes.

How much $$$? How many s?

 

[Rogue]

BTW, the lights that are currently on are the...

Battery Discharge Light
Engine Oil Level Light
A/T Oil Temp Light
Brake Light

I am dumbfounded as usual...

 

[cruiserdan]

The rear of the head, DS about 6 inches forward from the back corner, right below the EGR valve.

The brushes come in a set, mounted in a holder. If memory serves they are less than 20 bucks.

Oh, Where are your mechanics?

 

[landtank]

The alternator is real easy and not that expensive. I usually do it as a PM. Once the unit is out of the truck you remove the rear plate and just 2 screws holds it in. They come as an assembly and drop right in.

 

[Rogue]

Oh, Where are your mechanics?

You thought they worked on cars? You were way off!!!

 

[e9999]

OK, so let me get this straight...
you went crawling on a date - so far so good, well at least for this crowd-
all the emergency lights went on when you were in the boonies with the lady...
and you went back home instead of spending the night in the woods ...????
sheesh...

E

 

[Beowulf]

Rogue,
Sounds like Rick's on it to me. How many miles on the original alternator?
-B-

 

[Rogue]

I figured it out today. The "new" battery is now a "dead" battery as well.

Time for a new alternator... :'(

 

[landtank]

JUST THE BRUSHES Grasshopper

 

[Rogue]

[quote author=landtank link=board=2;threadid=14965;start=msg140990#msg140990 date=1082258146]
JUST THE BRUSHES Grasshopper
[/quote]

How guaranteed is that to work?

 

[landtank]

I've never not had it work.

 

[upcruiser]

Rogue, if you're running a lot of accesories, it might be a good time to upgrade too. I went through a few different alternators and rebuilds and it never seemed to help my weak charging problems in my '92. Last summer I bought a 140amp Mean green alt and it made a huge difference. I have plenty of power at idle, even more then with the stock running at higher rpms. The stock was 70 amps, so going to 140 is a big jump. I'm planning on installing a winch this summer too, so that was another consideration that I took into account.

 

[Rogue]

Okay. I'm heading out of town for a few days, so I ordered a new brush set today that will be waiting for me when I return.

I am planning on fixing replacing the brushes with the alternator still on the truck. I talked to one of the "Cruiser Gods" today and it sounds as if this may work for me considering my very limited work space out here at school. If anybody has tried this technique and it worked or didn't, please let me know. Thanks.

 

[landtank]

Personally I'd pull the Alt. It's pretty tight down there and you need to remove the rear cover. Also brush dust can pack into the armature and bump the brushes away so a good blow job should be done as well, especially if the brushes are worn down near their limit.

 

[Rogue]

What does it take to pull the alternator?

 

[landtank]

2 electrical connections, 1 plug and one grommet
2 bolts, 1 at the adjuster on the bottom and 1 at the pivot point on top next to the block

You probably would want to remove the front skid plate to get better access to the lower bolt. Thats 4 more bolts.

The basic proceedure is to:

loosen the 2 alternator bolts,
loosen the tension screw,
remove belts from pulley,
remove electrical connections,
remove alternator bolts,
remove alternator

 

[Rogue]

Got back from Hawaii today and spent about two hours fixing my truck in the street in front of my apartment. The brushes were the fix for it (Thanks Rick). The most difficult part is pulling the alternator out once it is loose. There is a ton of stuff in there that gets in the way. I ended up unscrewing a ground wire for something and managed to get the alternator off.

It was a super easy fix overall. No more than . I wish I had taken pictures for one of Junk's stupid little write-ups. Oh well. Next time.