Batteries 100% drained dead - new problem

[Rdnck84_03]

The switch to glovebox light had broken and glovebox light was staying on!!

I have had that happen before.

Also when I got my 97 powerstroke it would slowly drain the batteries. I never got super excited about it because as long as it got started atleast once a week it would always start.

I was working on something completely unrelated one day and the back of my hand touched the metal circuit breaker for the power locks. That thing was so hot that it almost instantly blistered where I hit it.

I pulled it out of the fuse box, and never had another issue. That was atleast 3 years ago, I never tried to diagnose what was actually wrong with the circuit since I don't have a key to the doors so them not working just makes it so it is harder to accidentally lock myself out of it.

James

 

[RSchanz]

I looked at all the previous posts on this thread and realized that same thing. Your alternator is not the same as mine, so I am in new territory here.

My wiring diagrams are no longer germane, so I am falling back to some old generic experiences

I think that little connector you pulled is the armature brush connector. I am not for sure whether one grounds it or connects it to battery to command the alternator to full output. Maybe someone else here knows.

Whatever, pulling that connection cleared the parasitic drain, so it's obvious that whatever is controlling it doesn't realize the alternator isn't turning, and trying to power the armature anyway

That would be the voltage regulator.

Something is amiss with it's circuit or maybe the regulator is malfunctioning.

I have no wiring info on it so consider I'm shooting in the dark here. Your alternator may still be good. I would inspect the regulator wiring first, if I found nothing amiss, replace the regulator, and if the test light stayed off, reassemble the battery terminals, field test, then do another quickie parasitic drain test just to verify my woe didn't magically reappear.

I may just replace the voltage regulator. Summit sells the Motorcraft ones for $38.00.

Definitely not how it's supposed to be.
It looks like a 1G alt, which is what came stock on these.

Whats odd is it worked before just fine. But I don't think the other device is a battery isolater, because the main discharge line would go to it, not one of the 2 pin connector wires.

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I think it is an isloator and you can see it in the bottom middle of this below photo. You can see where the wires go in this picture. Top post on the isolator goes to the alternator, middle post goes to the alternator also (spliced second wire near thingy bobby you were referencing) this middle post also has a smaller gauge wire going to the manual GP controller (orange wire upper middle) and the bottom post goes to that two post thing (...?) attached to the frame to the left of the alternator.

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[Nero]

Huh, strange. My isolator isn't wired that way at all, and mine worked just fine when I had my 1G alternator, and my 3G, wired up both the same way.

 

[BeastMaster]

Is that round cylindrical thing a capacitor for suppression of alternator brush noise so it doesn't screw up the radio?

 

[Nero]

Lol that looks like a Volkswagen vacuum ball reservoir.
I also noticed. Your issue may be... Your hot wire still has the cap on it

 

[RSchanz]

Ok, ok now you're just making fun of me, haha! No clue what the hell the globe is for.

Should I just upgrade to a 3G alt at this point? I'm going to be out of town until September 8th on a work trip starting late tomorrow night. When I get back I'm going to build or buy new positive and negative cables also.

 

[Nero]

3g is always a sensible upgrade.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Just be sure to leave your batteries disconnected so your batteries won't be drained again.

 

[Old Goat]

The round cylindrical thing is a vacuum reservoir, don`t remember what it is for, gave mine the deep 6.
Then the little thing between it and the horn, has a vacuum line and an electrical connector. Think it is for when there is a Vacuum loss, the light is suppose to come on the dash. Mine never did and gave it the deep 6 also.
Truck seem to run fine w/o them. Cleaned up that corner of clutter.


Goat

 

[BeastMaster]

Nero: Thanks for posting the circuit diagram. It looks like the circuit topologies are darned near identical to mine, but packaged a bit differently.

I have the 3G and agree that the 3G is a lot cleaner approach...cuts out superfluous wiring. Just spin the alternator and it manages battery charging, all in one assembly.

Goat: Your truck may run fine without the vacuum reservoir or the vacuum switch that illuminates the brake warning light in the event of low vacuum.

The problem is in stopping. No vacuum reservoir is likely to result in an expensive surprise if you need your brake and you've just shut the engine down.

I think you are just pulling my leg to get me to post another long-winded diatribe.

RSchanz: I look forward to reading of your success. Build your cables. That way, you get exactly what you need, and made in such a way should you ever need to maintain them again, you know exactly how they were made, and replace only the part that went bad. Not only that, when you make them yourself, you can do it right...maybe solder fill to prevent contaminants from wicking into the connections.

 

[Nero]

The reservoir is for the cruise control. You can operate the brakes with plenty of vacuum assist without it. My old man's truck doesn't have a reservoir, and stops just fine.

 

[Rdnck84_03]

I actually think the little ball vacuum canister is only for the HVAC controls. My 83 has that one for HVAC and a metal "tomato juice can" on the driver side for the cruise control.

James

 

[Nero]

That's strange. My old man's truck has a fully vacuum climate control, and it works fine too.
Maybe it's just a precaution? Who know. Ferd engineer'd.

 

[Rdnck84_03]

Truthfully I think it probably stemmed from the gas trucks that produce little vacuum under certain conditions. So there was a reserve.

James

 

[DaveBen]

Diesel engines do NOT product vacuum without a vacuum pump. There is NO throttle plate that closes when you let off the pedal and produces vacuum like a gasoline engine.