Oh, man. Thanks for letting me know. I'll throw it back on this weekend for a lot longer and give it another try.
Truck won't stay started (suspected alternator)
- Thread starter thejon
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Definitely get a good / fully charged battery involved. You're in for pain if you don't.
Details on your charger?
Your line of questioning jumps around a bit. Dispel any notions of blithely dropping the tank.
What condition is this vehicle in, generally speaking? Is the air filter packed with acorns?
I would try overnight charging.
I would charge up the battery until its full, and I might even load test the battery.
I'll have to look at the charger when I get home... All I know is it's old. It has a 10 amp slow charge option and a start/fast charge option (30 amps? Not sure). The truck is in good shape, the guy before me did scheduled maintenance on time and all that. It just sits there most of the time, I only use it if I need to haul something or work on the property...
I always thought, in general, even if a battery is low, but it starts the vehicle, the alternator takes it from there... In fact, I remember push starting standards back in the day with a completely crapped out battery. I don't know a lot about this stuff though. I'll definitely charge the battery all the way and try it. But like I said, if it is a Feul issue, where would you start knowing it has a Feul pump assembly inside the tank?
That's what I'll do and see what happens from there.
It sounds like have an old battery charger, DO NOT leave it unattended overnight or you might boil the battery. Keep an eye on it while it's charging.
Clean your battery cables and terminals while the battery is charging and when you install the battery, make sure that you tighten everything up good. If they are loose the alternator might not be able to charge the battery. Measure the battery voltage before and after the truck starts. The voltage should be 12.3 v+ before and 13.6v+ after.
You might have also run out of gas but if that was the main problem you would still have dash lights and the truck would still crank over.
Clean your battery cables and terminals while the battery is charging and when you install the battery, make sure that you tighten everything up good. If they are loose the alternator might not be able to charge the battery. Measure the battery voltage before and after the truck starts. The voltage should be 12.3 v+ before and 13.6v+ after.
You might have also run out of gas but if that was the main problem you would still have dash lights and the truck would still crank over.
Even older battery chargers cut back as the battery becomes fully charged. They won't shut off but will cut back enough that you can leave it on overnight. Not weeks but overnight.
I had a 92 Dakota that had a quick connect in the positive battery cable, about a foot from the battery. This, naturally, corroded and gave me issues. Disconnecting it, cleaning, and reassembling fixed it.
Here are a couple more tests:
Charge the battery, start it at night, run it until it dies with the headlights on. If the headlights get BRIGHTER (or stay the same) when it dies, you have alternator problems. If they get DIMMER, your alt works fine.
If that truck still has a "auto shut down relay" in the fuse box, trade it with another one that looks the same, like the horn relay.
I personally think you have bad gas and/ or a marginal fuel pump. If you have a Schrader valve on the fuel rail, put a pressure tester on it. My 92 ran surprisingly well on 5-10 lbs but spec was 40-something.
Here are a couple more tests:
Charge the battery, start it at night, run it until it dies with the headlights on. If the headlights get BRIGHTER (or stay the same) when it dies, you have alternator problems. If they get DIMMER, your alt works fine.
If that truck still has a "auto shut down relay" in the fuse box, trade it with another one that looks the same, like the horn relay.
I personally think you have bad gas and/ or a marginal fuel pump. If you have a Schrader valve on the fuel rail, put a pressure tester on it. My 92 ran surprisingly well on 5-10 lbs but spec was 40-something.
Focusing on fuel problems without checking battery voltage at engine shutdown won`t be helpful, like someone else said the lights out issue is relevant.
The no lights on dash thing was before I cleaned the cables. It doesn't do that now but yes, I'm going to start with a fresh battery.
That sounds like a good test, thank you.
If you start the truck and disconnect alternator does it keep running?
I did that once when this all started. It ran for about a minute then sputtered out. I know it's bad to do that so I only did it once. Several suggested I make sure the battery is fully charged... I had it on the charger since early this morning, I just looked and liquid was coming out of the top of the battery. From what I've read online, that means it's over charged. My plan is to wait until dusk and look at the headlights to see if they dim. Also the starter fluid test. I'll report back with my findings.
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Hook up an old fashioned resistor bank load tester and watch the voltmeter for 10 seconds. If the battery is bad, that test will run the voltage down and you will plainly see it. I have one and it hasn’t failed to identify a bad battery. They aren’t really expensive and work well.
Your battery was starting to boil out. It might have been overfilled. Check and add water if necessary.
How did your test go?
Ok, I ran the test zzyzzx and sc maintenance suggested. I unhooked the air intake and when it started to conk out, I gave it a couple of quick shots of starting fluid. No change, really, aside from some popping noises... It definitely didn't bring it back to life or keep it running in any way. It's like it almost tried but just kept popping and sputtering.
Per eljefino's suggestion, I paid attention to the headlights and when it sputtered out, no change in brightness.
I put my multimeter on the battery before I started the truck, and although it's not a digital read out, the needle was on 12 "something". After all my tests, it read the same.
I guess the next step is to take off the alternator and take it in for a bench test. Just have to figure out how to get it out of there, the ac lines run right over the top of it and I don't really see enough space on any side for it to come out.
*Oh, and during all this, my gas light was on and my Feul gauge showed empty but I know it has at least a quarter tank, at least that's what it said the other day.
Beard on your last post, I am doubting it's the alternator and I'm going to out on a limb and suggest you've probably got one of more bad grounds in your electrical system. Chrysler products of that vintage are notorious for them. Look for evidence of green crusties around wire connections and the power distribution (fuse) center. Maybe someone can provide a working diagram showing where all the grounds are located.
Also, be sure the ground strap between the engine block and the firewall is present and connected.
Also, be sure the ground strap between the engine block and the firewall is present and connected.
Take off the compressor with the lines attached and drape the whole shebang out of the way.
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