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#1
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I have an 84 RamCharger that has recently developed what I think may be a problem with the alternator. One evening I noticed that the power in the truck was fading away. Come to find out the power wire from the alternator had fallen off due to corrosion. Needles to say the battery was drained but I was able to hook the wire up and install a new battery. The alternator read about 14 volts on my reader when I tested it. That was 3 weeks ago. This weekend I drove it again and noticed that the dash lights are brighter and the wipers are moving faster than before. The gauge it leaning slightly past the white box in the center towards the "C" especially at highway speeds. The only thing that moves the needle more towards the center is running the heat/AC blower. Does anyone know what might be happening here? I hardly drive the ramcharger, it only has 66,000 compared to my ram pickup which has 152,000. Any advice about what is happening or what to fix would be helpful.
Jim 1984 RamCharger150 5.2V-8 single barrel 1988 Ram100 Pickup 3.9V-6 TBI |
#2
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Sounds like the regulator for your alternator is fried. This can happen due to the spike generated by the alternator if the power lead falls off whilst it is running. Since you don't use the vehicle much, the battery is probably low at the moment, but if you run it for long with the regulator defective, it'll raise the system voltage way up, light bulbs will blow and the radio and any other electronics may be damaged. I'm not sure if yours has the regulator built into the alternator - if so, you can take the alternator off and most dealers and parts shops have a test stand they can run it on. If not, drive it with the headlights and blower fan on (to keep the voltage down) to a dealer ASAP.
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#3
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Wonder if you fixed the problem when you repaired the broken wire.
'84 Dodge Service Manual voltage regulator check 1-start with a fully charged battery 2-connect volt-meter to battery terminals 3-start and operate @ 1250 rpm with all lamps & accessories off. ambient temp. & volt meter reading a- 80 deg F= 13.9 to 14.4 volts b-140 deg F=13.0 t0o 13.7 volts If the reg. is bad the auto-parts store may ask you if you need a 60 amp or 114 amp alternator/regulator. The 60 amp has 6 diodes & the 114 amp has 12. Without disassembling the alternator, I don't have a clue as to difference. On my '84 RC its normal for the ampmeter to show a slight + charge when the battery is full. Good-Luck! |
#4
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Thanks for the info. It was the regulator that went bad. Everything else is working fine now.
Jim |
#5
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Thanks for the info. It was the regulator that went bad. Everything else is working fine now.
Jim 1984 RamCharger150 5.2V-8 single barrel 1988 Ram100 Pickup 3.9V-6 TBI |
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