barely charging

[bigredball90]

I got the multi meter that you have pictured and with the truck off it reads 27 and with it on it goes back and forth between 26-27 but the alt light is still on.

[bigredball90]

well i just burned through another battery... Im looking to upgrade the whole front end wiring harness now preferrably just the alternator stuff and headlights any good harness out there?

[Thunderfoot]

I got the multi meter that you have pictured and with the truck off it reads 27 and with it on it goes back and forth between 26-27 but the alt light is still on.

I think you got something set wrong on it when you are testing for voltage... Just to confirm the one you got looks/is just like the Harbor Freight one? I have one just like that and can take some pictures of how to set it up for checking voltage.

Also, once we get the meter working correctly there are some tests to check out if the problem is the alternator, the regulator, or something else... Keith has a good tutorial here http://www.fordification.com/charging.htm for trouble shooting charging problems. There is a good chance that the used Regulator that you took of the other truck is no good as well. If it is the old original one and it has been setting for a while in moist air the points could have corroded on it. In that tutorial the Full_Field test is used to determine if the regulator is the problem, but need to get the meter working so that you can see what the voltage at the battery is doing.

[bigredball90]

ok I also took the alternater back to the shop and had them test it and it was producing less than 5 volts... so my new one comes in this morning and ill let you know how that goes.
Thanks for all the help though!!!
Luke

[Thunderfoot]

Seems the quality of new parts is dropping fast. lots of people have been getting bad electrical parts lately...

When you get it back together here is how to set up that meter to check the voltage (see picture below). Put the other end of the Black lead on anything metal on the truck or on the (-) negative side of the battery (this is the ground lead), use the Red lead to check for voltage and measure (read) what it is.

[bigredball90]

Ok cool thanks I did have it set wrong then. I went to go get my second alternator they ordered and it was bad to. So we get to try again today and if that one is bad im going to go 3g.
Thanks,
Luke

[bigredball90]

Ok my alternator is working. I got a new volt reg. But the alt light is still on and when I turn on the lights the left blinker light comes on inside but not outside and clicks slowly. I did the load and no load test and it passed both perfectly. I dont know if there is something wrong with the gauges I did pull it off and clean the outside I dont know what to do on the inside of it. The ground that is just behind it I took off and sanded as well as its mounting spot but it stil tells me the same thing. Any ideas?

[fordman]

the outer blinker light is possibly a bad ground or a bad bulb or a bad socket for the bulb. those contacts can wear down over the years. the light in the cluster i do not know about. well i can't remember right now.

[Thunderfoot]

and the "Alt" light could be (I hate to say it...) a bad Voltage Regulator... One of the other members just last month or so had the same thing with a "new" regulator, it was bad but was charging the battery just fine...
The Voltage Regulator is what turns the light Off or On along with controlling the output of the alternator, 2 separate functions so one could work and not the other...

[bigredball90]

Alright Ill hopefully go through those things tomorrow and get a new volt reg ordered from the store if they dont have another one. Thanks for all the help!
Luke