weird happenings......

[bigndn]

OK, last night, went and helped quarter and skin a moose...........this morning, go to the butcher shop to finish washing the quarters and cut the fat down, noticed my CHARGE light on and no reading on my fuel or temp gauges. Check fuses, found the "Engine" fuse blown. Replace fuse, blow fuse, replace fuse, blow fuse. Check alternator.....alternator bad, buy new one, replace alt, replace fuse, blow fuse. FAWK!!!!!! If key is in ACC location, see and smell smoke from fuse box area, shortly before fuse blows. WTF????? Try to pull fuse box (emphasis on try).......no-can-do.....any pointers on how to get it out?? There's a bolt at the bottom, but I can't see/feel one on top......tried pushing and pulling to no avail.

Any ideas what could be causing this????? Short somewhere, bad ground, or what????? I've talked to everyone I know of and no one can think of anything.

This is a 1985 Toy mini. Things I've noticed........truck runs fine, but idles high like during warm up. Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary.

Please help!! Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[Cube Dweller]

Had the charge light issue in my old '86...was the alternator.

Maybe a short in the new one?

 

[bigndn]

Maybe.......I'll be heading back out to the auto store after a while and will have them check it.

 

[bigndn]

OK, even stranger.......on my lunch break, I replaced the fuse to see what my fuel status is. Drive away from the office, the cab fills with electrical smoke, but all gauges continue to work, smoke quits.....no more problems. Now I'm concerned......it's going to the shop on Wed.

 

[Colorado Boy-74-FJ40]

How big was the moose? (Bull I assume) I've killed two while living in Alaska. Damned good eating!
Oh, sorry, no help on the truck.

 

[bigndn]

Yep, bull......not as big as the AK version. Hanging weight (bone-in) was 550. Rack was 36" across with nice double eyeguards. Not huge, but respecable. He'll eat good!!!

 

[Colorado Boy-74-FJ40]

Congrats. The two I got were not very big at all (rack wise) The first was about 3 years old. Rack was 36" he weighed 1200 pounds, the second was a spike. he weighed 800 pounds.

 

[bigndn]

To finish the story......

I replaced the alternator (as mentioned above), but nothing improved. Kept blowing the engine fuse, hence charge light recurring. Come to find out that at least two wires in the engine compartment had rubbed together enough to rub off the insulation and short them out, therefore causing the alternator to send current through some 18 ga. wires to the fuseblock. Long story short, fried a bunch of wiring, but I'm back on the road now. Hope this doesn't happen to anybody else. Cheers