What have you done to your square lately??

[Ricko1966]

I wasn’t suggesting otherwise. I know it works but only on bigger draws. But idk how much. I’m not a mechanic by trade , I’m an enginerd who builds **** and like working on cars so I look at it quantitatively.
I’m intrigued, what you mean by using an incandescent bulb specifically to diagnose a bad diode. What does it do different than any other parasitic draw?
Love learning new old tricks.

A bad diode is going to be a bigger draw the incandescent will show it,but it won't light with small loads giving a false indicator. If he follows the directions I wrote in my first post not varying it he will know in minutes if it's an alternator diode. But he does have to remove all connections from the alternator not just the plug. With a bad diode the battery is trying to push battery voltage back through the alternator to ground via the charging wire which in turn is also connected to battery power at terminal 2. So the incandescent light will light because it will be in series with the alternator.When he removes the alternator from the circuit it verifies it. It could be done with a meter it just complicates when you're trying to teach somebody via text. If he hooked up a meter had a big draw disconnect alternator watchbfor a big drop. Then he still shows an insignificant draw. Then we have to ask,does it have a clock. A radio with memory,an alarm etc. So a bulb it is for simplicity.
BTW. Guys that have a meter and know how to use it. The simplest way is put your meter in AC volts mode and check for AC voltage at the charging post and the alternator case.

 

[TotalyHucked]

It's my experience that NAPA once had the best counter personnel, people that "knew" **it, and if they didn't they knew where to look. But the advent of computers and them throwing their books away has led to a lot of counter help that has no knowledge except how to use a computer.

This certainly used to be the case but you're right, the computers have done them all in. When I was in college (circa 2007-2012), I tried and tried and tried to get hired on at any of the parts stores in town, thinking I'd be a shoe in. I finally cornered the manager of the Orielly at one of our weekly car meets and asked him what the deal was. He said "I'd love to hire you cuz you clearly know your stuff, but corporate has to sign off on it and they don't want to hire anyone that has at least a couple years of computer sales experience". My jaw dropped to the floor, I told him "That's easy enough to teach and learn, to actually be helpful to customers and be able to help diag/answer questions is not!". He shrugged and said that's sadly the new hiring requirements. At that point I'd never used a computer other than for school stuff, my landscaping business was all pen/paper/word of mouth and I was just a laborer at the local lumber yard.

We used to have a guy at the Orielly's near my parents house (after I graduated college), older guy named Jim with a pretty hot '86 5.0 Mustang, that really knew his stuff. I exclusively went there for many years till he retired just cuz I enjoyed talking to him, never was able to stump him. Now, even our Napa just has arrogant jerks that can't answer a simple question. If you aren't a commercial account, they just get annoyed at your very presence. And the other parts stores are just keyboard jockeys that have no idea.

Funny enough, the only time in the last 5yrs I've had my C10, I've only had 1 parts store person that wasn't completely mind blown that you can take a modern fuel injected engine and put it in a classic vehicle. And she was a SMOKING HOT mid-20s chick with kind of a gothic vibe that drove an LS swapped Honda S2000. I should've gone in there alot more often and tried to get her number lolol

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

This certainly used to be the case but you're right, the computers have done them all in. When I was in college (circa 2007-2012), I tried and tried and tried to get hired on at any of the parts stores in town, thinking I'd be a shoe in. I finally cornered the manager of the Orielly at one of our weekly car meets and asked him what the deal was. He said "I'd love to hire you cuz you clearly know your stuff, but corporate has to sign off on it and they don't want to hire anyone that has at least a couple years of computer sales experience". My jaw dropped to the floor, I told him "That's easy enough to teach and learn, to actually be helpful to customers and be able to help diag/answer questions is not!". He shrugged and said that's sadly the new hiring requirements. At that point I'd never used a computer other than for school stuff, my landscaping business was all pen/paper/word of mouth and I was just a laborer at the local lumber yard.

We used to have a guy at the Orielly's near my parents house (after I graduated college), older guy named Jim with a pretty hot '86 5.0 Mustang, that really knew his stuff. I exclusively went there for many years till he retired just cuz I enjoyed talking to him, never was able to stump him. Now, even our Napa just has arrogant jerks that can't answer a simple question. If you aren't a commercial account, they just get annoyed at your very presence. And the other parts stores are just keyboard jockeys that have no idea.

Funny enough, the only time in the last 5yrs I've had my C10, I've only had 1 parts store person that wasn't completely mind blown that you can take a modern fuel injected engine and put it in a classic vehicle. And she was a SMOKING HOT mid-20s chick with kind of a gothic vibe that drove an LS swapped Honda S2000. I should've gone in there alot more often and tried to get her number lolol

Parts stores used to be where car guys or people who grew up with mechanics or a family shop, went to work if they didn't want to work in the family shop. But that was when the majority of them were independent operations, and the only national chain was NAPA and they franchised local stores. My Dad bought parts from Charlie Fischer, at Charlie's Hi-Lo #1 in Bellaire, back in the 60s....
Then as corporate America got into the business and bought up the local chains(in Houston area we had Charlie's Hi-Lo that was bought up by O'Reilly's) things changed, and not necessarily for the better....As I got out of the business because we closed our store, the tide was already turning. More kids were coming in, without much of an automotive background, and the counterman job was treated more like a cashier or someone flipping burgers or working in a quicky mart, instead of as a job needing a more specific skillset. Oh if they can run the computer, they can do it all, they're qualified.... Sorry guys, computers don't always make everything better.

 

[Grit dog]

A bad diode is going to be a bigger draw the incandescent will show it,but it won't light with small loads giving a false indicator. If he follows the directions I wrote in my first post not varying it he will know in minutes if it's an alternator diode. But he does have to remove all connections from the alternator not just the plug. With a bad diode the battery is trying to push battery voltage back through the alternator to ground via the charging wire which in turn is also connected to battery power at terminal 2. So the incandescent light will light because it will be in series with the alternator.When he removes the alternator from the circuit it verifies it. It could be done with a meter it just complicates when you're trying to teach somebody via text. If he hooked up a meter had a big draw disconnect alternator watchbfor a big drop. Then he still shows an insignificant draw. Then we have to ask,does it have a clock. A radio with memory,an alarm etc. So a bulb it is for simplicity.
BTW. Guys that have a meter and know how to use it. The simplest way is put your meter in AC volts mode and check for AC voltage at the charging post and the alternator case.

What kind of amps does a bad diode draw?
Did a quick check months ago was gettin 40-50mA.
Sound like a diode?
I think it’s that or the Temu quality headlight relay.
Need some time to spend on it. Maybe next month lol

 

[hoagster]

Stay outta the zone, Auto Zone.

And Napa. Don't get me started.
Which is usually what happens, lol.

Had decent enough luck with O'Reillys so far, but now I've jinxed that.

Oddly enough, here at the radio ranch, Rock Auto has been the winner, even with the hassles of waiting. But they've make good with return shipping on defective products. I suppose it's a crap shoot anywhere these days, huh.

Heres a down and dirty trick for you. Take an 1157 lamp, disconnect the battery. With key off and door closed, take bulb tip and put it on the negative terminal while simultaneously touching the battery cable to the brass bulb shell. Any draw will illuminate the lamp. Who needs a fancy test light?

The only thing I would do is buy the Autozone stock! AZO it's price @ 3,409.25/share and dropping some because of forward guidance for 2026. @ some point it will do a stock split in order to make the share price affordable to more investors. This is only my 2 cents the stock market is risky and the risk reward can be like pulling a slot machine lever or buying a lottery ticket.

 

[Sgt Gus]

I used lots of plastic coffee bins and plastic bags I labeled from left over things. Lots of labeling and pics, definitely.

 

[Travlr]

Parts stores used to be where car guys or people who grew up with mechanics or a family shop, went to work if they didn't want to work in the family shop. But that was when the majority of them were independent operations, and the only national chain was NAPA and they franchised local stores. My Dad bought parts from Charlie Fischer, at Charlie's Hi-Lo #1 in Bellaire, back in the 60s....
Then as corporate America got into the business and bought up the local chains(in Houston area we had Charlie's Hi-Lo that was bought up by O'Reilly's) things changed, and not necessarily for the better....As I got out of the business because we closed our store, the tide was already turning. More kids were coming in, without much of an automotive background, and the counterman job was treated more like a cashier or someone flipping burgers or working in a quicky mart, instead of as a job needing a more specific skillset. Oh if they can run the computer, they can do it all, they're qualified.... Sorry guys, computers don't always make everything better.

Someday someone will go into a parts store and want to stroke a 390 Ford or 350 Chevy, or put a clutch behind a small block 400, and no one in the entire company will be able to help them because all they know or are concerned about is what the computer says.

 

[gilby959798]

Got the Trans today, Silver Sport Transmissions sent me a pic of it packaged up and wrapped before being picked up by the freight carrier.

You must be registered for see images attach

And it arrived today.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[TotalyHucked]

Someday someone will go into a parts store and want to stroke a 390 Ford or 350 Chevy, or put a clutch behind a small block 400, and no one in the entire company will be able to help them because all they know or are concerned about is what the computer says.

It's already like that here. It took me 2hrs and 7 parts stores to finally find a replacement fuel pump for my 305 when the original one died. Most of the counter guys kept trying to sell me an electric or in-tank "module" like modern trucks use

 

[Sgt Gus]

That's why I avoid Auto Zone.

It's wild to think that these alts get shipped all the way to China to get refurbished and back to only pay a $100ish for it. But, I did go through two...loose rectifier.

 

[gilby959798]

I have a random question and this feels like the easiest way to get it out there, does anyone have a PRNDL that they would send me to do some testing with? I am thinking about ways to make the gauges lit better that would be relatively easy and cheap for everyone to use but my truck doesn't have a gear indicator. Doesn't need to be working, just the part that screws into the gauge cluster.

 

[Sgt Gus]

There's a reason I told him to use an incandescent bulb. I'm specifically looking for a bad alternator diode. Not just a parasitic draw. The bad diode would explain a ton of things. If we start testing with meters,power probes LED lights things that will read firefly farts we are making things more complicated. Not bagging on you just explaining my train of thought. At work before I've caught the younger crowd check for power to something with their fancy LED red/green test light. Decide there was power change a fuel pump or whatever. And then they are confused when it doesn't fix the problem,the problem is the circuit has voltage but can't supply the amperage. So anyway have a great day and remember sometimes there's a time and place for those stupid old incandescent bulbs.

When I was working on my 1990 Johnson boat motor, the manual recommended an analog multimeter for some things which made sense. My Dad is the only person I know that has a working one, Lol.
I like the incandescent bulb, have plenty on the peg board, but do have a 12v test light.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

It's already like that here. It took me 2hrs and 7 parts stores to finally find a replacement fuel pump for my 305 when the original one died. Most of the counter guys kept trying to sell me an electric or in-tank "module" like modern trucks use

Chevy small block on engine fuel pump: AC #40987 for two line(feed and carb)
#41216 for three line(feed, carb and vapor return). Big block may be the same, IDR. Never sold near as many for BBC as I did for small blocks. Only big block one I remember is the delivery driver for one of our warehouses had a square body Burb he drove, and its pump died in our shopping center parking lot. He bought one from me and swapped it out in the lot with his own tools, and said it went well but there was not much room to work!
At that time we had a cheaper private label line for the popular numbers, but I recommended the AC unit to him "since the truck is your job...." It was a few $ more but I said it was worth it. AFAIK it was still working fine as long as I knew him.

 

[Grit dog]

This certainly used to be the case but you're right, the computers have done them all in. When I was in college (circa 2007-2012), I tried and tried and tried to get hired on at any of the parts stores in town, thinking I'd be a shoe in. I finally cornered the manager of the Orielly at one of our weekly car meets and asked him what the deal was. He said "I'd love to hire you cuz you clearly know your stuff, but corporate has to sign off on it and they don't want to hire anyone that has at least a couple years of computer sales experience". My jaw dropped to the floor, I told him "That's easy enough to teach and learn, to actually be helpful to customers and be able to help diag/answer questions is not!". He shrugged and said that's sadly the new hiring requirements. At that point I'd never used a computer other than for school stuff, my landscaping business was all pen/paper/word of mouth and I was just a laborer at the local lumber yard.

We used to have a guy at the Orielly's near my parents house (after I graduated college), older guy named Jim with a pretty hot '86 5.0 Mustang, that really knew his stuff. I exclusively went there for many years till he retired just cuz I enjoyed talking to him, never was able to stump him. Now, even our Napa just has arrogant jerks that can't answer a simple question. If you aren't a commercial account, they just get annoyed at your very presence. And the other parts stores are just keyboard jockeys that have no idea.

Funny enough, the only time in the last 5yrs I've had my C10, I've only had 1 parts store person that wasn't completely mind blown that you can take a modern fuel injected engine and put it in a classic vehicle. And she was a SMOKING HOT mid-20s chick with kind of a gothic vibe that drove an LS swapped Honda S2000. I should've gone in there alot more often and tried to get her number lolol

Ya, while I thought it’s just who they could get to contact me to work here (different geographic location and different peeps here than in GA), the local Vato Zones seem to hide based solely on DEI. The local Oreillys seems to have a bit more “automotive” centered staff. And for a couple years they had several of my sons buddies working there who were/are sorta gearheads.
Napas are good at least the few I frequent. The colossal one has had the same lady there for at least 15 years. She knows her stuff. And the other is also the distribution facility usually staffed by older guys who know the difference between a spark plug and a glow plug and a butt plug…lol (can’t say the same for DEIAuto Zone).

 

[Grit dog]

It's wild to think that these alts get shipped all the way to China to get refurbished and back to only pay a $100ish for it. But, I did go through two...loose rectifier.

Right?
I did a little research after my 4 alternator day experience.
What I found was reman (and icbw been probably 5 years) = blast clean and new bushings and brushes at a minimum. Windings, rectifier, voltage regulator don’t get replaced if they “pass” or work.
Of the 4 I had, in this order.
1. Worked great but had been dropped and one of the mounting ears was smushed and bolt wouldn’t go thru.
2.Just didn’t make power
3. Made power but the pulley wobbled like me after 10 Old Fashioneds at last weeks Christmas party.
4. Didn’t wobble but had very excessive lateral play in the shaft/bushings. Like a wore out ball joint!
The store, also a dist center for the Vancouver BC suburbs only had 4 remans and no new ones. (Reman was fcking $300 CDN iiirc as well)
After wearing a path in to the asphalt parking lot walking back into the store so many times with a broke out of the box alternator, I was out of options except to try a discount place like Princess Auto.
But was on a time line as doing it between sons morning and afternoon hockey games.
The counter staff lady was very accommodating and allowed me to “borrow” a new drill and drill bit off the shelf and the. Made me go outside around the corner to drill out the smushed hole on alt #1.
Got us on the road and I’m appreciative of their help. Despite the poor quality parts.
Anymore if I have the time and ability, I take components like starters and alternators to a local rebuild shop. They will replace everything or just what you want done. This doesn’t work in many locations because not many Indy shops that rebuild them anymore.