Our truck has had a random charging issue since the alternator that came on it died a year or so ago.
@Maxwellvis has been daily driving it and the gauge has never really seemed to read much above 12v. Some times it would just barely start the engine other times he would have to charge the battery.
Not long ago it crapped out totally on him.
Dead battery at his buddies house.
Max let his dink bag friend do the electrical testing and figured that the alternator had died again.
They ran to the parts store they both work at and got a fresh rebuilt one and stuck it in there.
Meanwhile the battery was charging while they ran around.
They get back and slap the new thing in there and boom!
**** starts up and Max has to leave shortly after they buttoned it up.
He gets home and the battery is dead again.
Junior yards the new alternator out and takes the other one with him to have them tested.
Brand new one is DOA. Junk was returned to the store.
Old one that is supposed to have been the original issue turns out is good.
So he put that one back in and did some looking around.
Turns out the charge wire from the BATT terminal on the alternator had come out of the crimp connector that is up on the firewall.
There is the actual reason the thing will not charge.
FAST FORWARD A COUPLE DAYS.
Same issue.
Hard starts and not much power coming from the alternator.
It runs iffy and puts out some juice sometimes and none other times.
Never puts out 14.7.
Not once.
The other night he was furious and headed out to work on it, I joined him.
So we did some online sluethery and learned how the GM charging system works.
We have a 12SI 94 amp alternator from a mid 80's Camaro on it.
On the BATT terminal it had battery voltage, 12.something.
It had the constant 12 volts and the switched 12 volts.
**** this alternator.
He was all irritated as he would have to wait to go and get a new alternator in the morning.
I asked about any spares I had in the parts hoard and all have been pillaged and plundered that would have any sort of chance at working in the truck.
I brought up swiping the one from my 1954 Chevy Bel Air.
YOU HAVE TO LOVE THAT PARTS FROM VASTLY DIFFERENT CARS FIT EACH OTHER.
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Well for the most part.
The housing was clocked 180 degrees out, but with enough washers and spacers, we got it made.
Start the truck up and boom!
The alternator made the voltage jump to 14.2 and it amazed the boy!
While we were in there we also changed out the charge wire that was probably original and 12 gauge with a fresh 6 gauge welding cable.
That should help keep things happy as well.
Soon we are going to build a complete set of 0 gauge welding wire battery cables for it as well.
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