alternator dead?

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Kurt Combs
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alternator dead?

Post by Kurt Combs »

I drove home last night (thirty miles) and my lights seemed a little yellow.....filled up with gas at the local station and my truck would not start, dead battery. Seems I remember a little noise coming from the alternator a while back, but I didn't think much of it. A friend came to my rescue and gave me a jump start. My guess is my alternator is dead considering I had just driven 30+miles and the truck started just fine before I head home. How do I know if it is the alternator? I have a used alternator from a 68 Torino sitting in my garage, but if I use it I don't know how to tell if it is working until the truck dies or keeps running. BTW, the truck is a 1972 F250 with a 360.
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lightning_msd
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re: alternator dead?

Post by lightning_msd »

the only sure way of knowing is clean all your connections good, put it all together, boost it, and use a multimeter, you should be getting about 2 more volts from the alternator, if you arent its your alternator, if you are its your battery or connections, and my dad said on older vehicles if the alternator has no megnatism or something its toast? i dont know never done it like that....
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re: alternator dead?

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heep70
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Post by heep70 »

Take the truck or alt to an auto store so they can test it.
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71 LONG BED
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re: alternator dead?

Post by 71 LONG BED »

Get a jumpstart. Then disconect the battery cables. If it stalls, the alt. is bad. Kind of a shade tree garage way to test it, but it works.
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Post by fordman »

:yt: i wouldnt call it shade tree. i would call it diagnosis
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