Charging Issues?

[dhelsdon]

Hey all,

I am having a helluva time figuring out what is wrong with my truck.

Recently I had a coolant leak on the upper rad hose, which is directly above the Alternator, After replacing the hose and reconnecting everything I determined that my alternator went bad because after boosting the battery we disconnected the booster cables and it died.

I replaced the Alternator, boosted the battery and all seemed fine.. I let it run for about an hour idling after we boosted it, when I came back out to check on it, it had stalled on it's own.

Out of curiosity I boosted it again, let it charge for a bit then removed the cables. It ran normally for about 15-20 minutes then it stalled again. I double-checked all my connectings, belt tension etc..

I have no idea what is happening, I do own a multi-meter but I have no idea where to start.

Any help is GREATLY appreciated!

[fourwd1]

Let's start with the basics -
what's the battery voltage with the engine running?
engine off?

[dhelsdon]

I'll let you know tomorrow. I've got the battery on a charger overnight.

[jetwhine]

dhelsdon,

Sounds like a new battery may be required.

[dhelsdon]

Originally Posted by fourwd1

Let's start with the basics -
what's the battery voltage with the engine running?
engine off?

After the initial charge I had 13.44V while it was off.
Started truck, battery voltage was 12.33V

To me, this means that the Alternator is either DOA or there is a problem somewhere else.

I tested the biggest wire on the alt (not the plug) and it was 12V so I assume that is power to Alt from battery. I tried testing the wires on the plug but I cannot get my probe in far enough to get a reading from the plug wires.

Edit: Turns out this was all in vain, I didn't think to test the alternator.. You'd think a brand new part would work right from the store.
The alternator was DOA from Napa. No more refurb parts for me..

Thanks Fellas