I have a '95 Dodge 3500 diesel that is now a 3 ton paperweight. The batteries are fine at 12.60 Volts but there is no electrical system in the vehicle which works including brake lights, headlights, interior lights, ignition, etc. I have 12V inside the power distribution center and links look okay so juice is getting that far at least. Please help me out with some detailed advice on how to fix the problem. Thanks!!

 

I feel kind of silly for not being more thorough the first time around. I went back and I actually measured voltages inside the power distribution center under the hood. It was a bad connection there, main bolt holding down the connector from the battery wasn't perfectly tight. Thanks for your help!!

 

You are on the right track. There is a 50 amp fuse at position 1 that is connected to the power feed terminal and controls the power to the truck electrical system inside. You also have a 120 amp fuse or fusable link between the battery terminal on the PDC and the output terminal that connects to the alternator and controls the power to the PDT, PCM and the shutdown relay.

I would suspect that you have one of these fuses blown. When they go, it is usually a symptom that the starter contacts are starting to fail. The best replacement contacts are found at www.fostertruck.com, what is better is they are inexpensive as well as the best available.

 

If im not mistaken A fully charged battery should be at 13.2 to 13.4 volts , and when the truck is running it should be puttin out around 14+ volts

 

each cell in a battery produces 2.1 or 2.2 volts , so in a 6 cell (12 volt) battery should produce 13.2 volts , and when the charging system is operating and charging , it should produce 14 volts +/-.