Author Topic: Jump start oops  (Read 28067 times)

Offline velojym

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #15 on: February 03, 2012, 10:31:09 PM »
No equipment beyond a multimeter here. Got no reading at all from the battery while the truck was running.
I didn't check the alternator.  I'm kinda in the boonies, too. When I get started on the restoration, I'll be dead set
On having a backup system.

Offline 1980c10

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #16 on: February 03, 2012, 10:38:45 PM »
Do the same test again, except this time go from a ground to the power wire off of your alt. If you have 13.8 ish here; your problem is between your alt and dist block or dist block and starter or you battery cable. Also clean up all the connections and tighten them all if you don't see anything obvious.
If you dont have voltage at the power wire on the alt replace the alt.
if you can't pinpoint the problem you can (carefully) use a jumper wire to jump the sections mentioned above; when you have voltage at the battery you have found the section that is bad.

Offline Grim 82

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #17 on: February 04, 2012, 01:26:34 AM »
Agreed, sounds like the alt is working but the current isn't getting to the battery. Check all of those connections.
Give a man a gun, and he might rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he might rob the world.

Offline velojym

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #18 on: February 04, 2012, 05:05:57 AM »
Should the battery have died that quickly, though? It'll take a while for my tiny little charger to top it off again, so I'm having to chew things over mentally as I wait.

Offline bake74

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #19 on: February 04, 2012, 06:49:49 AM »
     I would say your alternator and now your battery is toast. 
     Like 1980 said you have to check with the truck running, but you should get 13.8 - 14 volts or so when it is running on the battery leads if the alternator is working properly, if it is lower, say 12 volts and your battery started out with 11 volts your alternator is putting volts out but not enough.
     Batteries can only be run completely dry a couple of times before they are no good.  Running them to nothing messes with the + and - charges on the plates inside the battery, it will destabilize the opposite polls on the plates and they will start to mix with each other and then the chemical reaction no longer takes place.
     One more thing I would like to say.  The wiring you found, the twisted together green wire with no kind of solder or fittings, I would start looking around for more just to see if that was the PO way of fixing things.   :-\
     
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Offline VileZambonie

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #20 on: February 04, 2012, 09:47:42 AM »
As suggested, measure the voltage at the alternator B+ terminal -It looks like someone made a botched repair judging by the pics you posted. Check the fusible link to the alternator and at the starter solenoid as well.

http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php/topic,11972.0.html
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Offline velojym

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #21 on: February 04, 2012, 01:22:37 PM »
The truck's been sitting in a bog overnight, so I had to wait until the ground started to dry. When I opened the door, the interior light came on, so I tried the ignition. The battery seems to have recovered enough, overnight, to give the engine a little bump. My neighbor is bringing his battery tester over right now, just thought I'd toss this into the mix.


edit: The battery tested "bad". I put the charger back on so I can test the alternator later, but as for the wiring near the starter, it'll take me a while to figure that out. While I do have some experience working on airplanes, and am comfortable with normal maintenance on these trucks, I have very little practical experience working on wheeled vehicles... so please be patient if I seem like a complete clown.

-Got back, and managed to barely squeeze myself under the truck before the sky opened up. (Drop this thing? Ferget it!) I saw a couple wires that looked like fusible links near the starter, but nowhere I could get my ham-sized arthritic hands. When the weather dries up a bit again, I'll have another look. They looked fine from where I could see them, but I guess that doesn't really mean anything with links.
I'm starting to think it'd be a good idea to just get started on pulling the engine and cleaning up the engine bay. I'll have better access to all this stuff, and I need to replace a bunch of seals on the engine anyway.
« Last Edit: February 04, 2012, 05:06:48 PM by velojym »

Offline bake74

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #22 on: February 05, 2012, 10:17:48 AM »
While I do have some experience working on airplanes, and am comfortable with normal maintenance on these trucks, I have very little practical experience working on wheeled vehicles... so please be patient if I seem like a complete clown.
 
I'm starting to think it'd be a good idea to just get started on pulling the engine and cleaning up the engine bay. I'll have better access to all this stuff, and I need to replace a bunch of seals on the engine anyway.

     No worries, ask away.  As far as removing the engine, if you are needed to replace seals anyway it would be a GREAT time to check wiring, like you said much easier to get to if you need engine out anyway.
#1: The easiest and most obvious solution to any problem is 99% of the time correct.
#2: There is no such thing as impossible, it just takes longer.
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Offline velojym

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #23 on: February 05, 2012, 01:41:09 PM »
Like I figured, This will probably be the start of one of those domino-effect jobs. If I pull the engine, I wanna do the wiring right, so a new wiring harness would be in order. It's also a good time to get the surface rust off the inner fenderwells and do some general cleanup in the engine bay, replace the steering column...
Yep. Good thing I have a daily driver handy.

If I can get him to run in the meantime... until I have everything ready to go, I'd like to try to get this fixed. I saw what appeared to be two fusible links near the starter. I can't think of any reason why I couldn't replace both with fresh wire, and adding fusible links in a more accessible location, right? If the wires run to the alternator, is there any reason I can't install a new link on the alternator end instead?

I went out to start the truck this morning, and had a facepalm moment. When I rolled the truck onto the concrete pad, I again left the ignition switch on, and the tiny charger couldn't keep up... so I'll have to wait some more to test the alternator.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2012, 04:41:20 PM by velojym »

Offline velojym

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #24 on: February 05, 2012, 08:41:42 PM »
Uhm... if I'm not missing something, couldn't I run a bit of 10ga wire (with a fusible link or fuse) directly from the alternator to the battery?
With this hack job, I'm wondering if this might be safer anyway.

Offline VileZambonie

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #25 on: February 06, 2012, 06:25:16 PM »
No, Do it right the first time. The purpose of the fusible link is to protect the circuitry from the feed source. Follow the wiring diagram & use the proper gauge fusible links.
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Offline velojym

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #26 on: February 06, 2012, 06:38:13 PM »
No, Do it right the first time. The purpose of the fusible link is to protect the circuitry from the feed source. Follow the wiring diagram & use the proper gauge fusible links.

Part of the problem is that the wiring diagram in my Haynes manual isn't really like the mess under the hood. I have to wait a bit anyway, though, as I know I need a new battery and have to worry about scraping up funds for it. Pulling the exhaust manifold to get to that fusible link is gonna be a pain, though.

Offline VileZambonie

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #27 on: February 06, 2012, 06:41:54 PM »
Why would you pull the exhaust manifold? That's unecessary. What's the year make model engine?
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Offline velojym

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #28 on: February 06, 2012, 06:45:38 PM »
Why would you pull the exhaust manifold? That's unecessary. What's the year make model engine?

Truck's an '86, came with a 305 but at some point someone dropped in a 350. It pulls pretty well, but the wiring was... well, you saw the pics.
My hand just won't reach the wiring attached to the starter, from above or below. I can see where I'd be able to get to it by removing the exhaust manifold on that side, or possibly the starter. I noticed on another truck that the wire from the alternator went directly to the battery, and looking at the wiring diagram, that's effectively what happens anyway, just via the starter. I don't want to do anything stupid, though... another hackjob isn't acceptable to me.

Offline jaredts

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Re: Jump start oops
« Reply #29 on: February 06, 2012, 06:48:39 PM »
I just did my fusible links, or should I say put some in where they were supposed to be.  You can reach down and take the large and small nuts off the starter solenoid without removing anything.  If you don't have long arms like me you might crawl underneath and do it.  If you really want to get the wires up close to you then you can take the connections loose from the alternator, but its not necessary.