Walked home today...

[dcombs]

So, I took my truck for a ride today. It was a beautiful Nashville afternoon. I made it about a mile down the the road and my truck just cut off. I tried to start it back up and it sounded like the battery was dead. So I walked home to get my wife... My wife came down and we jumped the truck, it ran for about a minute after I took the jumper cables off and died again.

The battery in the truck was from my generator, (A very nice generator hooked to the natural gas line) but maybe it's too small? It's drained before really fast. I went to AutoZone and got the correct battery for the truck. It's much bigger.The truck started right up and I drove it home. Could the problem be as simple as that?

I don't want this to happen again. Do I have a short somewhere? My fan belt seems OK, could it be my generator? Voltage regulator? Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
Danny

[Bill W]

hope you had better shoes than Alan!


sounds like the battery fixed the problem.... maybe the old one had a short.

[Toyz]

At least it wasn't raining or snowing! Check the charging system, sounds as if it's running off the battery, if so, once you drain the new battery, keep the walking shoes handy.
Paul

[rickairmedic]

Well if you are going to drive old trucks you might as well invest in a multi meter . First thing I would check is voltage at the battery with the truck running . You should have 13.5-14 volts . You may ned someone in the cab to bring the revs up slightly off of idle to get a good reading .


Rick

[ICEMAN6166]

The battery in the truck was from my generator, (A very nice generator hooked to the natural gas line) but maybe it's too small? It's drained before really fast.
Danny

i think that is part of the issue.
i used to run 1000 cca batterys in my generators instead of the smaller ones they sold for the gensets, not for needing that many amps to start the gen but to always have a fully charged 1000 cca battery.

using a battery from say a 20 hp engine (if your gen has that big) to power a truck is asking the charging system to work harder.

[Alan Mclennan]

thats why I installed an idiot light, mines a alterantor, and I think the generators are wired differently


Bill, there is no finer footwear for perambulating!, than a worn in pair of thongs!

[deadheadno1]

If the charging system is a generator/regulator type then when the battery died the motor should have ran untill you switched it off. Tom

[dragginwagon]

sounds like you have a charging problem.... when this battery drains your gunna be walkin again until you fix that. could be as simple as the regulator

it was a fine day here in tenn yesterday

[BigMike]

They also have these new fangled things called cell phones to call the wife when the truck breaks down. Not sure the technology is going to take off but it's worth a shot.

Definitely check the voltage at the battery. My battery got a short in it - worked fine one minute then nothing. I mean it couldn't even be jumped off. Put a new battery in it and checked the voltage and it was over 16V which told me the voltage regulator was bad. Got a new one at Advance Auto (shock - it was in stock) for $15 and was good to go.

[Astrowing]

The generator light in of itself gives you a lot of information, but of course it has to be working correctly. The way it flickers and the intensity is like having an oscilloscope on the current to/from the battery and generator.

[dragginwagon]

They also have these new fangled things called cell phones to call the wife when the truck breaks down. Not sure the technology is going to take off but it's worth a shot.

ive had a job repairing those lil things for almost 10 years now... think its doin well lol
(and i hate them btw)

[dcombs]

Thanks, everyone! Luckily, I was wearing a comfortable pair of shoes.

I'm going to ask a really ignorant question, where is the generator light?

Thanks,
Danny

[dragginwagon]

should be the rectangle to the left of the speedo.... says GEN
(if you have the factory round gauge)

[ICEMAN6166]

They also have these new fangled things called cell phones to call the wife when the truck breaks down. Not sure the technology is going to take off but it's worth a shot.

definitely a tech full of glitches if you ask me.

i say this having had to walk with a cellphone.if you ask me people put too much faith in those things working all the time when in reality they dont. it used to be easier to phone home with pay phones everywhere, sadly they seem to have all disappeared.
i put as much trust in my cellphone working when i need it most as i do in politicians , basically none. samething goes for gps vs. paper maps.

hijacking over, back to the original topic.

it is possible to have a working generator with the idiot light properly functioning and a weak battery and the generator not keep the vehicle running or not provide sufficient charge to start it without the light coming on especially when using all of the power accessories and having a couple extra.
i had an old battery and was running heater fan on high , high/low beam headlights at the same time, cab marker lights, 2 extra taillights and 2 100w rooftop halogens. at less than 1100 rpm the gen light would come on and even if kept above that and the light out the battery would not have enough to start the truck.

[dcombs]

Thanks, dragginwagen. That light has not come on, recently. I have seen it come on before. Everything else on the dash works except my gas gauge.

I called Autozone they have a voltage regulator for $25. I'm going to pick that up on the way home.

Brian, I appreciate your advice on the battery too. Maybe this new battery and voltage regulator will fix it...

Thanks,
Danny

[BigMike]

Did you put a volt meter on the battery?

Don't be a parts changer, be a mechanic. Diagnose the problem and then install the right parts.

[dcombs]

Not yet, Mike. I will when I get home. Part of me wants to change the regulator anyway because it's old and before I got the truck it sat unused for 13 years...

More later today, thanks again everyone!
Danny

[Toyz]

What Brian, Rick, and Mike said: generators, if that's what you have, are not known for efficiency at low rpm.
Get a regulator if you want, but test the %$#& system before you end up afoot again.
That "gen" light should be on when the key is switched to "run" prior to starting, if it's not......... well, you've heard the response.
Paul

[Toyz]

thats why I installed an idiot light, mines a alterantor, and I think the generators are wired differently

That's why I like voltmeters,; more useful information, IMO

Bill, there is no finer footwear for perambulating!, than a worn in pair of thongs!

Man, I'm glad you added the "footwear" part
I can picture some applications where a thong could vastly ease, or avoid the walk home.
Sorry, Alan, I don't think you would fit in that picture!
Sorry 'bout the OT, Danny
BTW if you end up replacing the generator, "there's a procedure for that"; one of the few times I would be comfortable "arcing" a circuit.
Paul

[dcombs]

OK, I just replaced the voltage regulator. I put my multimeter on the battery and it reads 12.37. I fire up the truck and it instantly drops to 9.3 - 9.5. It holds for a 30 seconds. I turn on the lights and it instantly drops to 8.7-8.9. Again, I just watch it for a little bit. I rev it up and it drops extremely fast, within 10 seconds it was down into the 5's and cut off.

I'm thinking it's the generator.... what do you guys think?

Thanks,
Danny

P.S. I put the new battery (that I bought last night) on my charger after these tests because it was almost dead.