ok...just replaced my old battery and got a new one....started right up.... now this morning and yesterday the truck was deader than a doornail?? any ideas to what is going on??

 

its a 90 3/4 ton 5spd 4x4

 

Could be something is draining the battery even with the ignition off. Switch you headlights on and see if there is any juice in the battery. If they come on then leave them on and have someone try to start it. If the headlights die just as soon as they turn the switch then the battery is dead. Not dead as needing a new one, just needing a charge. Now you have to find the bad circuit that is draining the battery. Also, it is possible that your alternator is not charging correctly. Once you get it started measure the voltage at the battery. it should be around 14 to 14.5 volts.
Do these checks and let us know what you find.

 

Have you tested the battery to see whether it is dead or you have a bad connection in the battery cables?

If the battery itself is dead, is it completely dead or just really low?

If it is low that would suggest a bad alternetor.

If it is dead that would suggest a short or something not shut off.

 

Had a similar problem this summer with my boat. Turned out I hadn't tightened one of the cables down on a battery terminal. Just a thought!

 

You are going to have to confirm that the battery is actually going dead over time or that the battery is almost dead when you park the truck and shut it off. If you have an electrician as a buddy see if you can borrow his amprobe for the following test. Place the amprobe over the positive battery cable and see what the current draw is with the key in the off position, then start pulling fuses until you find the one that stops the draw on the battery and VOILA!! you now have the problem narrowed down big time .

I dont know what that truck has for options on it but there certainly wasnt the stuff on them that they have now.

P.S If you have a multi meter you can do a voltage check to see if the charging circuit is actually charging the battery, should be around 14.5 to 15 volts as a minumum shortly after start up.


Good Luck and let us know what you find


Jason

 

Sounds to me like your voltage regulator is stuck open and when you shut the truck off, it is back feeding straight to ground. I would look there first. Put a charged battery in it and unplug your V/R on the firewall and see if it is still up in the morning. I bet you will find that to be your problem.

Bill

 

where and what does the voltage regulator look like?...i have a multi meter...truck is charging as we speak

 

[quote author=midwestdually link=board=9;threadid=21563;start=0#msg203716 date=1067556782]
where and what does the voltage regulator look like?...i have a multi meter...truck is charging as we speak
[/quote]

It looks like this and should be on the firewall in your year truck.

Bill

 

ok...the truck is started...and just realized....i am not an electrical guy and really couldnt tell u what the difference in AC and DC is...which one should it be on and i should be checking posts correct?

 

[quote author=midwestdually link=board=9;threadid=21563;start=0#msg203730 date=1067558297]
ok...the truck is started...and just realized....i am not an electrical guy and really couldnt tell u what the difference in AC and DC is...which one should it be on and i should be checking posts correct?

[/quote]

DC and just check your battery posts. With it running you shoul be getting around 13.5-14.5 volts. If you shut it off it should not go below, 12.5. If it does you have drain somehwere. Take your cables off and then check it. If it is still low you have a bad battery that will not hold a charge.

Bill

 

ok...found that...unplugged it..hood lite went dimmer....plugged it back in and it was brighter...

by the way...i am currently in chat

 

Had similar issue with my 92,
It turned out to be the AC relay. "located on the drivers side wheel well / fender.
It was stuck on and even though the key was off, the AC clutch always stayed inergized! I unplugged the relay and drove that way for the summer. Too dumb to call for a price. Is was ~$13.00 from the dealer.
Cheers
Doug

 

just a note, you can check for shorted circuits(battery drain) with just a cheap test light. undo either battery cable just one though,and connect the test light between the post and cable with the hood light pulled and every thing off then test light should be off, IF it is on you have a short, now the fun begins,as stated earlier pull one fuse at a time untill the light goes out and you have found your battery drain.good luck BDT