Help needed with an electrical nightmare
#919322
02/02/11 12:54 AM
02/02/11 12:54 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096 Irving, TX
feets
OP
Senior Management
|
OP
Senior Management
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096
Irving, TX
|
I managed to kill the battery on my 92 D250 today. I jump started the truck (properly, no crossed wires) using a coworkers 07 CTD. After it started the alternator gauge showed discharge. Fearing a dead alternator, I left the truck running while I did a little work. 15 minutes later, the charge needle was bouncing back and forth somewhat rapidly. I shut the truck off and the battery was able to fire it up again with no issues. I restarted it again a few minutes later and the charge needle was a little on the high side as to be expected.
The weird thing is when I turn on the heater/vent/ac or try to operate the power windows the warning lights for the brakes, water in fuel, and wait to start indicators light up. The windows do not work and the heater fan is stuck on low speed. All other electrical systems work normally.
I drove the truck around for 45 minutes and nothing changed. I parked it and it had the same behavior on the restart a few hours later.
On the way home tonight, the charge needle was very low light the intake heater was on. 10 minutes later it was bouncing around rapidly and finally settled down a little on the high side.
Any ideas what the problem might be? I did tighten a loose ground from the battery to the radiator support about half way through this mess. The battery cables are tight and clean.
It did drop down to 17 degrees tonight. That's the coldest temp we've had around here in several years.
This should have nothing to do with my seat heaters. They are drawn from the battery and ground to the chassis. I did not touch the factory wire harness on the installation.
We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind. - Stu Harmon
|
|
|
Re: Help needed with an electrical nightmare
[Re: stumpy]
#919324
02/02/11 01:58 AM
02/02/11 01:58 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096 Irving, TX
feets
OP
Senior Management
|
OP
Senior Management
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096
Irving, TX
|
Those heaters draw 70 watts. They have 10 amp fuses. The radio pulls more current.
The heaters are not connected to the factory harness. The truck was fine on the drive in and fine when I went to lunch. It was not fine after work. Since I was more concerned with the poor road conditions than the running state of the truck I may have overlooked a charging issue earlier.
I'm thinking it's a ground or alternator problem. There's no reason for the heaters to make the brake warning light come on when I hit the window switch. I did roll down the window that morning so the problem started after lunch.
We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind. - Stu Harmon
|
|
|
Re: Help needed with an electrical nightmare
[Re: None2Slow]
#919327
02/02/11 04:18 PM
02/02/11 04:18 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096 Irving, TX
feets
OP
Senior Management
|
OP
Senior Management
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096
Irving, TX
|
I'll have to chase the grounds for the cluster and dash. I didn't mess with any of that when installing the seat heaters. I wonder if the grounds got ugly inside the truck while the battery ground was loose. Maybe a small ground was trying to carry too large of a load.
We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind. - Stu Harmon
|
|
|
Re: Help needed with an electrical nightmare
[Re: stumpy]
#919329
02/02/11 04:35 PM
02/02/11 04:35 PM
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 14,889 up yours
Supercuda
About to go away
|
About to go away
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 14,889
up yours
|
I dunno the specifics of your truck, but I do know that on my 89 turbo voyager the wiring for the computer passed near to teh battery and all it would take is one good acid spill or boil over and the wiring would corrode showing all sorts of weird symptoms.
I would start with a good charge and load test on your battery. It might be flaking out on you , I've seen that cause funky symptoms too.
They say there are no such thing as a stupid question. They say there is always the exception that proves the rule. Don't be the exception.
|
|
|
Re: Help needed with an electrical nightmare
[Re: stumpy]
#919330
02/02/11 04:49 PM
02/02/11 04:49 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096 Irving, TX
feets
OP
Senior Management
|
OP
Senior Management
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096
Irving, TX
|
The dashectomy required to do the heater core is what stopepd me from replacing the core. I've been busy with other things and haven't been able to dedicate a full weekend to do it.
We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind. - Stu Harmon
|
|
|
Re: Help needed with an electrical nightmare
[Re: None2Slow]
#919334
02/02/11 06:19 PM
02/02/11 06:19 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,597 St. John's Newfoundland
440newport
master
|
master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,597
St. John's Newfoundland
|
Quote:
On these newer trucks, you need to pull the dash out to get to the core. Its a pain in the butt. I liked my 91 Bronco. Open the glove box, take out the liner and there were the bolts. 2 hose clamps and its out. 30 minutes start to stop. Sorry, not trying to rub it in.
Maybe on the 94-up trucks it's bad, but his 92 should be like my 90 which I did the core on a few weeks ago. Mine didn't have A/C so I don't know how much different the box is, but all I had to do was remove the glove box, passenger side kick panel, the one big bolt on the lower right side of the dash, and the box came out after unhooking the control cables and 6 speednuts on the firewall.
|
|
|
Re: Help needed with an electrical nightmare
[Re: stumpy]
#919336
02/02/11 06:32 PM
02/02/11 06:32 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096 Irving, TX
feets
OP
Senior Management
|
OP
Senior Management
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096
Irving, TX
|
I haven't had the time.
BUT
That won't fix the current problem.
We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind. - Stu Harmon
|
|
|
Re: Help needed with an electrical nightmare
[Re: feets]
#919337
02/02/11 08:12 PM
02/02/11 08:12 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096 Irving, TX
feets
OP
Senior Management
|
OP
Senior Management
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096
Irving, TX
|
I replaced the battery to chassis ground. That didn't fix it. I'm getting 12.5 volts at the battery with the engine off and 14.5 volts with it running. I checked for a/c current with the engine running and got .4 volts. That rules out a bad diode in the alternator.
The problem is still there. The only wires we disturbed run to the brake controller and manual OD switch. A quick look didn't turn up any bad fusible links or bulkhead problems.
We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind. - Stu Harmon
|
|
|
Re: Help needed with an electrical nightmare
[Re: ahy]
#919339
02/02/11 10:49 PM
02/02/11 10:49 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096 Irving, TX
feets
OP
Senior Management
|
OP
Senior Management
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,096
Irving, TX
|
It sure sounds like a ground. I need to find a dash ground. The window switches turning on the warning lights is just bizarre.
I've got a factory service manual for the truck. I need to break it out and find the common connections between those circuits.
We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind. - Stu Harmon
|
|
|
|
|