electrical problems

[77bronco77]

So heres the deal i guess. My broncos almost always been on a charger for the last year and a half because my elc. choke wire is hooked up so its hot all the time (havent got it onto a switch yet) so ive always been charging the battery. i would be able to go about 5 miles and then the battery would be totally dead the alt isnt charging it. so recently i replaced the battery with a energizer 795 CCA and 995 CA@32F and it will go about 5 miles but then when i park it, it will actually start again and without a significant loss in juice. but im almost possitive it wasnt the battery. could it just be that the battery is newer and bigger there for giving it more juice? or could my old battery of been refusing a charge from the alt? i tested the new one to see if it was charging and it went from 12.68 to 12.48 after the start and after a minute or so only crawled up to 12.50....could it be that the alt isnt charging it correctly or maybe a short wire? i have the 3 wire alt. and the wire that has an odd connecter on the end was real beat up and not hooked up from the PO. so i cut it, replaced the wire and tested it to 12V and it charged it a tiny better. so i hooked it up to the solinoid. im looking into a 1 wire high OP alt with the built in volt reg. would that be a good idea or do you think this is an easy fix? i kinda need the HOP any way as im running a stereo system, 4 lights (2 of which are air strip landing lights...not sure how i got em, but they ligth up the world) and a 1600 watt power inverter is on board (not hooked up yet, i got it hooked to the non existant second battery) any help would be great

p.s. if anyone could tell me what that wire originally went to thatd be great to, im curious...

Thanks

Eric

 

[Bully Bob]

Simple answer..., go to AutoZone, or the like, & test alt. & volt reg. (it's FREE..!) on the veh. (or use your voltmeter)

I have a feel'n those lights will "****" a new alt. so you need to do some electrical research B/4 you use any strange wiring or elect. add-ons. ...Sure don't want to "smoke" any wiring..!!!! [-X B)

 

[77bronco77]

Simple answer..., go to AutoZone, or the like, & test alt. & volt reg. (it's FREE..!) on the veh. (or use your voltmeter)
I have a feel'n those lights will "****" a new alt. so you need to do some electrical research B/4 you use any strange wiring or elect. add-ons. ...Sure don't want to "smoke" any wiring..!!!! [-X B)

ya ive been meaning to get down to autozone so i can test the alt. and volt reg.

how would the lights end up killing a new alt? isnt that sort of the purpose of the bigger alts or am i missing something here?

thanks for the help though. i think im gettin pretty close to figurein it out. hopefuly <_<

 

[BLADE262US]

The way those lights would **** the alternator would be if they drew more than the alternator could produce this would keep it in full output all the time and it would die . I was running 5 150W KC,s with a 65 amp alternator if you turned them on going down the road after about 5 miles it would have the battery dragged down far enough to make the engine start running funny . I put a ford 130 amp from a lincoln on there and its fine now so youd have to see what those light or more importantly that power invertor will draw . Can you take a pic of the back of your alternator so we can see which one it is ? If its the 3 wire one theres one that goes to the battery then the stator then the field . An easy way to test the alternator is to take a jumper wire and put 12 volts directly to the field wire you wil hear it start to hum and the motor slow a bit as you have now full fielded the alternator and it is producing the most it is capable of . If this works then your alternator is fine but you will need to look into regulator . /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[oleguy74]

batt voltage should be atleast 13.5 volts when running.wireing should not be a problem,just wire your big lights to it's own powersource.the 100 amp alt wont hurt the old wireing.if you run the other eq.off thier own power(new heavier wire to lights,and inverter.)have not used one but everyone likes the 3g might check on #one wire alt.

 

[77bronco77]

The way those lights would **** the alternator would be if they drew more than the alternator could produce this would keep it in full output all the time and it would die . I was running 5 150W KC,s with a 65 amp alternator if you turned them on going down the road after about 5 miles it would have the battery dragged down far enough to make the engine start running funny . I put a ford 130 amp from a lincoln on there and its fine now so youd have to see what those light or more importantly that power invertor will draw . Can you take a pic of the back of your alternator so we can see which one it is ? If its the 3 wire one theres one that goes to the battery then the stator then the field . An easy way to test the alternator is to take a jumper wire and put 12 volts directly to the field wire you wil hear it start to hum and the motor slow a bit as you have now full fielded the alternator and it is producing the most it is capable of . If this works then your alternator is fine but you will need to look into regulator . /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

ya it is the 3 wire alt. the way i have it now theres 2 going to twelve vlts and then 1 going into the harness and im assuming its the field wire you speak off. the gray one with the weird connecter was broken off when i got the truck so i tested it to twelve vlts and it charges the battery a tiny bit so that is one of the ones hooked to 12 vlts...could u tell me which 130 amp alt u got to. like which year lincolns and such. im looking for a high output one but there freakin expencive..