blackbomber Posted December 24, 2014 Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 Merry xmas ratsun guys..I hope everybody gets what they want for their Datsun....Need help from the Datsun masters again..the bomber must live for another year.. So I am running errands after work. I noticed the dash lights are dimmer, and my headlights too. then I see the volt guage and oil pressure guage are down, not registering...so then I see heater fan isn't running, blinkers and flashers not working...try the wipers: moving very slow across the window....then my radio station starts to go...So I grab my pizza at blackjack, fast, and haul ass home...truck is still running ok...pull in the drive way, and leave it idling.... go in get my volt meter, and touch the leads to the battery....looks like 7 or 8 volts in the battery.........truck still idling, now all dash lights inside are gone...then right when I go to turn it off, I think it died......ho, ho ,ho. great....weird thing is battery light never went on, at all...Right now I am guessing alternator.what is the plan guys.........oh yea..couldn't find my old post in electrical. so ,started this one.. sorry.. Quote Link to comment
Guest Rick-rat Posted December 24, 2014 Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 Charge the battery up, clean terminals, check voltage before starting. After starting check voltage at battery again. Should be some where in the 13to 14 Volt range, if not probably the alternator. Take it off and have it tested That's what I would do, but I don't know much, maybe an expert will chime in 1 Quote Link to comment
blackbomber Posted December 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 yhanks rick...I charged up battery this morning back to full charge.. got truck started. everything ok, all gauges everything.running between 2000 and 1500 rpm..battery holding volts ok,,, not losing volts.... then I dropped it to idle, and started progressively losing power, losing volts in battery too...truck finally dies......got battery charging again... Quote Link to comment
Guest Rick-rat Posted December 24, 2014 Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 It should at least hold it's voltage at an idle if nothing else is turned on, and should be showing more voltage and not just holding volts when revved up. Is your belt tight enough? Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted December 24, 2014 Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 yhanks rick...I charged up battery this morning back to full charge.. got truck started. everything ok, all gauges everything.running between 2000 and 1500 rpm..battery holding volts ok,,, not losing volts.... then I dropped it to idle, and started progressively losing power, losing volts in battery too...truck finally dies......got battery charging again... Ah... just saw this. If charging when revved up but not at idle then possibly one of the diodes is bad and output is only 2/3 now. Possibly the brushes are almost worn out.... you used to be able to get them for under $10 and 1/2 hour to swap them. As Rich said loose belt and dirty posts/cables. Check the two wire plastic plug is firmly in the back of the alternator and the wires on the alternator terminals tight. Quote Link to comment
blackbomber Posted December 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2014 ah ha. there is king rat. what's up mike.. so, the deal is now, when the ignition is in the on position, no more battery light... so sometimes it is running around like 14 volts, and I can take the positive terminal off the battery, and it still runs. but then I can turn it off, start it back up, and it's back to twelve volts, and I take the terminal off and it dies.... so I cleaned up the connections off the battery, and now I need to get to the back of the alternator... don,t know if I will get to it today.. thanks guys,, merry x mas..bomb Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted December 25, 2014 Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 An on again off again charge could be a loose wire or ... brushes. Next time it's not charging wiggle the fusible links and the wires to the alternator. Be careful though. Quote Link to comment
blackbomber Posted December 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 Hey mike . I was able to get behind the alternator, and wiggle the wires while it was running ...no change in voltage.. weird thing is when I went to start it today, the battery light was back in the on position. then it went away after I started it... so I cleaned up the connections, but I couldn't get that plug out with the two wires, wanted to clean it too.. anyway, everything was tight. so I let it run for a while, like 25 minutes...it is holding around 12 volts on the guage in the truck. and off my meter on the battery... so, I don't think its just running off the battery ,but I could be wrong..i think it will get me to work tomorrow...only three miles away...I found my paper work on the alternator..Napa unit..I put it in in 12/2002.... hope they still make them...lifetime warranty...whatever that means.. call napa tomorrow..still would like to get that plug out of the back of the alternator..is it clipped in or what??? thanks man.. It's snowing right now ... hope I don't have to drive the Yamaha tomorrow....got a 1978 xs 400..best 400$$ I ever spent.... Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted December 26, 2014 Report Share Posted December 26, 2014 It, the plug, should just push in, there's no clip. As you can't remove it... maybe this is the problem. 12 volts won't do. A battery needs a couple of volts more to ''push'' a charge into it. Right side plug below. Quote Link to comment
blackbomber Posted December 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 hey mike,,, I called napa. they got a alternater coming from Montana.... be here Tuesday....I live in evans Colorado..truck is still starting and running on its own.... it's a x mas miracle!!! got a bizarre coolant problem need to figure out. should I start a new post???? it's snowing and I can't deal with the truck right now.. maybe I need a new one....a big fat titan... Quote Link to comment
blackbomber Posted December 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 thanks mike for the picture of the plug... definitely helped.. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Yeah start a new one and add to this when you have more. If at all possible keep the old one. They are better quality that after market or rebuilt ones. It may just need new brushes. Did you get the plug out. Has to come out to replace it and maybe the terminals inside are corroded? Quote Link to comment
blackbomber Posted December 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 the old one isn't that old.. 2002 I replaced it with a napa unit.. try again on the plug...this weekend...gonna go look for a post on the coolant system..this one really has me baffled... thanks mike....see ya soon..... the Bomber... Quote Link to comment
blackbomber Posted December 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Hey mike, where should I post the coolant issue??? Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Engine or 720 truck. Quote Link to comment
blackbomber Posted December 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 hey guys,looks like my alternator came in,,,,cheaper than I thought ..so looks like 2... wire connections to the back and a plug with 2 wires out of it.... so anything I should know before I go head and pull the old one off??? do I need to disconnect the battery first...??? Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 Always disconnect the battery. There is a live connection to the positive . Quote Link to comment
blackbomber Posted January 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 hey mike got the new alternator.. plug doesn't look lke your picture, I could be wrong but the connections are L shaped on the back of the alternator, and it looks like there is a retainer clip on top of the plug... probrably why I cant get it out...not saying your wrong because I haven't taken it out yet ,,not till this weekend ,,if the weather holds...and I can make room in the garage...... thanks bud..... Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted January 5, 2015 Report Share Posted January 5, 2015 Right side plug below. The two terminals should be arranged in a sort of T shape one _ and one I. The alt should match. Like the below S and L Quote Link to comment
blackbomber Posted January 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 thanks mike,,,, gonna get on it this weekend... damn weather isn't helping me..... so hopefully saturday is the plan....gotta watch the broncos on sunday... Quote Link to comment
blackbomber Posted January 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 Hey mike, still cant get the plug out of the back of the alternator. it doesn't just "pull out".... theres some sort of clip holding it in....can you explain how to release the frickin frackin clip......I can only get my left hand on it right now...need to get this swapped out Saturday, so I can move on to all the other stuff going out..like thermo, water pump, power steering pump,,,,..getting fed up.... Quote Link to comment
ryanthomas1 Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 Just chiming in here, The cause of all electrical failures is HIGH RESISTANCE. I don't care what, it can be blamed on high resistance. There are 2 circumstances that this is false, Broken connection Electrical short (which melt fusible links and cause high resistance/broken connection, or just a fire) Keep that in mind with your electrical gremlins :) Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 Hey mike, still cant get the plug out of the back of the alternator. it doesn't just "pull out".... theres some sort of clip holding it in....can you explain how to release the frickin frackin clip......I can only get my left hand on it right now...need to get this swapped out Saturday, so I can move on to all the other stuff going out..like thermo, water pump, power steering pump,,,,..getting fed up.... I think I suggested a picture. The clip on plugs began with the 86.5 D-21 Hardbody so that isn't the stock alternator. Quote Link to comment
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