plow truck not charging

[one more cast]

I took the alt. off my 1988 ford f150 302ci and had it tested, It was cooked so I installed a new one. Still won't charge so I started checking around and found the fusable link from the alt. to the starter solinoid was melted. Now, did the cooked alt. melt the fusable link or is there a good chance that something else melted the link and thats what cooked the alt? Maybe I should bid on that $100,000 monster.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: plow truck not charging

Hopefully the fusible link protected everything. Since it is a plow rig, did you upgrade the alternator? On my plow rig I have a 200 amp alternator and a 1000cca battery. We upgraded ahead of time to prevent problems. Plows put huge drains on the charging system. We also have the plow wired seperately and directly to the battery with heavy guage wire, and we have to check any ground points constantly as they seem to corrode at an accelerated rate. I plow commercially so it has to always be running good. Is it charging properly now that you have fixed the fusible link? I would go through all you power and ground connections and make sure they are clean and tight, bad connections present higher loads to fuse and such. Good luck...

 

[one more cast]

Re: plow truck not charging

JasonJ , I havn't changed the fuse link yet, I will get one tomorrow and see if it charges. Im just worried about cooking another alt. I have a full hydrolic plow so I'm not to worried about extra load on the charging system.

 

[one more cast]

Re: plow truck not charging

new alt.<br />new fuse link.<br /> Started her up and was charging fine, plowed for about 20 minutes and the light came on and the gauge went to overcharge.The alt got so hot I couldn't hold my hand on it. checked for loose connections and everything looks fine. Any ideas?

 

[Xcusme]

Re: plow truck not charging

Just for the record. Bad or corroded connections are points of high resistance. These high resistance connections impede the flow of electrical current, not the other way around. Good connections insure that an electrical 'load' (electrical motor, light etc) operate at their full capacity. If the fusible link was 'open', it means that there was an over current condition and 'blew the fuse'. Current in excess of the fusible links capacity caused it to melt, protecting the circuit. Replacing the fusible link with a 'bigger' capacity (higher amperage) is not a good idea, the wiring can be damaged or melted.<br /><br />The alternator's job is to charge the battery. I would start by looking at the current draw of each of the loads (electrical motors etc,,). You'll probably find that one or more are drawing a lot more current than they should. Find the amperage draw for the electrical load from the spec sheet and compare that figure with the actual current draw of the motor.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: plow truck not charging

How is the battery in the truck? Is it possible it could have a bad cell in it? I would imagine if the battery was bad you would know it as it wouldn't hold a charge, but I would also imagine if there was any internal issue, it could cause problems. Is there anything that seems to not be working anymore, any lights or other electrical devices? I would check everything, even the cigarette lighter. And yes, corroded connection points cause high resistance. How are the solenoids on the manifold of the plow? Does the plow exhibit weird actions when things get hot, like not angling like it used to, or hesitating?

 

[one more cast]

Re: plow truck not charging

Everything seems to be working fine, I called a local pro gen./alt. specialist and he told me the rebuilt alts. for the mid 80's - earley 90's fords are total JUNK and most likely I got a bad rebuilt alt.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: plow truck not charging

Thats possible, I have seen people go through several rebuilts before finally getting a decent one. Good luck with it. I hate electrical problems, they are alway a pain...

 

[DJ]

Re: plow truck not charging

OMC,<br /><br />You say that your plow is hydraulic. Don't you mean electric over hydraulic? What runs the hydraulics?<br /><br />Something is drawing alot of current. I'll bet it's the plow.<br /><br />Loose/corroded connections or wire of too small a guage causes heat. That burnt fuse link is telling you that something is amiss in the system.<br /><br />Put an inductive ampmeter on the positive battery terminal and operate the plow. What reading do you get?

 

[one more cast]

Re: plow truck not charging

djohns, my plow operates off a hydraulic pump driven by a belt. The new alt was shorted out.I re-replaced it today and everything is working fine now. Thanks all for responding.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: plow truck not charging

Glad its fixed. Better a faulty alternator than some hideous never-ending search for a wiring problem...

 

[DJ]

Re: plow truck not charging

OMC,<br /><br />Yippee!<br /><br />Glad it worked out.