Today I ve put my 4th altenator in my 01, besides from the costs it is really causing me mental torture, has anyone had problems with their charging system, as far as i know I dont have any wiring issues as everything works except the overhead console , and that hasn't worked in over 5 years, thanks for any suggestions in advance

 

One of the guys on here had a shorted out main feeder cable from the alt to the power center. He didn't look for where it was shorted just piggybacked a new cable. His was a dead short and was blowing the main fuse but if yours was shorting intermittently it could be frying your alternators.

 

Yeah today I just did a continuity (sp) test on the hot wires to see if they are grounding out, and searched for any possible shortable spots, none to be found, I have a large stereo, but I dont play it loud for any length of time, I am thinking that these reman. alt. are not of the best quality

 

i have worked at dodge as a tech for 9 years now, probabilly only changed 1 or 2 alternators in my time, dodge has the best charging systems, notice never corroded batt terminal(no overcharging)bet its your aftermarket alternators, we see tucks that will idle for weeks straight in the cold(-45-50c), the air heater run steady and still rarley replace alternators.

 

What brand alternator are you using? I've heard lots of stories from friends and co worker having problems with aftermarket fan clutches, starters, alternators, water pumps, ect on all the truck brands. It seems that the majority of aftermarket parts are built with low quality. Some brands are better than stock. If your confident there isn't anything causing the premature alternator failure, return the alt your purchase and buy one from Cummins or dodge. Have you disassembled the alternator to see what has failed inside?

 

My alternator charges intermittently for the first 1-2 minutes after starting. Then it works normally. This just started happening yesterday. I've checked all connections and everything seems tight & clean. Any ideas as to what's going on?

 

Forgot to add - 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel 135 k miles. No previous electrical problems except replacing both batteries.

 

Going to sound dumb, but are you sure it isn't your grid heaters cycling? How are you determining it is only charging intermittently for the first 1-2 mins?

 

If your gauge shows "14" its charging constantly, like it should.

If it is leaning to the left, it is discharging, like for the grid heaters, as mentioned above.

I would roll the codes and see if anything is coming up...

 

Noticed the issue at night when starting up. Headlights went unusually dimmer than normal when the heaters cycled. With in seconds the gauge was down to about 10 volts then I could tell a slight charge was happening until the heaters kicked in again. This went on for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes then the lights were bright and the needle was up to 14+ as usual and it stayed there until I got home 15 minutes later. Today before responding, I checked and found corrosion (sp) on the driver side battery. Cleaned it and tried again. Gauge did the same (10 volts) at the start and gradually went to 14+ after about 2 minutes. Both batteries are good. All is well after it runs for about 2 minutes but the low voltage shows up everytime I start it up, no matter how long the engine's off. I checked the output at the alternator (with volt meter) on a startup and found a fluctuation of about 12.9 to 14.15 volts then it stays at about 14+ afterwards. The initial low draw & altenator output on startup is different from the usual and this concerns me. SIXSLUG you helped about a month ago ref. my oil pressure sensor - Thanks again. patdaly - not a dumb question. Just a retired DIYer trying to save some money. Thanks to both and any help is appreciated.

 

Cool, ok now how old are your batteries, and while running at night, especially at lower RPMS, do you see a very, and I mean very minor fluctuation in light output from your headlights? It almost looks like the faintest wig-wags you have ever seen?

 

None that I noticed. At that point I'm watching the gauge and it's staying 14+. Like I said, after about the first 2 minutes, the gauge acts normally. Sorry, almost forgot -The batteries will be 4 years old on the 12th of this month (est. 44 K miles).

 

Sounds to me like your grid heater may be going on and off to heat the air charge until the engine warms up.

 

I'm starting to wonder if a drop in the batteries CCAs (down from the original output when new) could be drawing the batteries down so much during the start up and grid heater cycles that it takes a bit for the gauge to start showing a positive charge. Getting them checked in the morning just to satisfy my mind. Thanks hhrump. Just funny that it just showed up all of a sudden to where it was noticeable.

 

When you have the batterys checked have them load tested seperatly. I feel what you are seeing is normal as the batterys get older and your grid heaters are working.