Electrical Issues
 

I don't think there is anything more frustrating than electrical issues in an old vehicle! Ok, bought a 77 F150 Custom that had a partial restoration done on it, undercarriage has been painted, new ball joints, tie rod ends, etc. It has a fresh 351 Cleveland in it, 4 bolt main version with about 5000 miles on it. I had it about a month and the alternator went out, no big deal right? I am no mechanic, but I can change parts out, do minor troubleshooting/repair work. So I picked up another one and proceeded to swap them out, only to find out none of the wires matched up. I took it to a local shop, and was told it had been converted to a one wire system. So he installed the new one and set it up to run one wire. About 2 days later I am driving it and that alternator went out, and started smoking, thankfully I was close enough to the house that I coasted it home. Back to the shop it went. So, 3rd alternator gets installed, is charging like it should - all is well. A few days later I notice the gauge is showing its charging at 15 volts, then 18 - shortly after that the ignition module burned out. So here I am getting a 4th alternator installed in this thing in less than one month. Anyone else ever have this kind of problem??

No One?
 

So no one has had electrical issues with their old trucks?

Of course other people have had the problem of paying for repairs, and not actually getting them. Did you really think no one had just because no one felt like commiserating?

If you're paying someone to fix it, and it isn't fixed, either keep taking it back until he fixes it correctly, or get a refund.

If you want to start diagnosing it yourself, and you need help, you're going to have to post more description of WHAT diagnosis you did that led you to believe the alternator "went out" the first time. You haven't said anything about that so far. So there has been nothing for anyone to help you with, which is why I assume you got no replies.

I am going to go for it sat for a long time, and like most old vehicles that sit - things start going wrong when you start driving them. I mistakenly thought someone might list ideas or common reasons 3 alternators would fail in a month, not being a mechanic - after I checked all of the wire connections for good connections and/or corrosion, I ran out of ideas other than Made in China. The mechanic I took it to did not charge me for the subsequent repairs as the failures happened shortly after he worked on them.

A list of common reasons won't help you find the ONE reason YOURS is having problems. It might distract you and make you look at the wrong things; but even if your truck's reason is on the list, having a list won't help you diagnose it.

No, sitting is not a likely reason for the first alternator to go bad; it's certainly not a reason for the others. Yes, abandoning a vehicle is hard on it, and it does affect many things. But not often the alternator.

There are about 300 "wire connections" on the truck, so I doubt you checked all of them. If you're not going to list exactly what you did, and exactly what you found, there's nothing anyone can help you with over the internet.

Well steve83, you could ask questions such as, "does the alternator have a built in voltage regulator or and external regulator?" You see Steve, this is how brainstorming works, people come on here to "BRAINSTORM", because they need help. He fully admitted he is not an expert mechanic, so how are you always so rudely expecting people to know what they haven't learned yet. Reported. I'm gonna check the rest of these threads to see how many other people you've been pestering lately. I want you out of this forum so bad, sick of seeing your BS.

...and right there is someone NOT helping you. :rolleyes: Posting a personal attack in a technical discussion thread is called "trolling".

Suggesting each of you place the other on your Ignore list and call it a day.


Pecked out on my iPhone.

You troll every newb that posts on here. That's why I don't like you, stop condescending me.

Ok, I'll bite. Here's a few things to think about... On a 77, putting a Cleveland in, you've got a lot going on, but one of them isn't likely electrical draw. Newer vehicles use power for everything. On a 77 you've gotta have electricity to start, and power the spark plugs, lights, and interior lighting and that's about it. No electric fuel pump, no electric injectors, no electric fan, etc., etc. Anything that's not connected right will likely blow a fuse or cook a wire (had it happen many times). But someone did put in an engine that doesn't belong to that vehicle. Perhaps the alternator is overheating because the fan on the alternator is spinning the wrong direction? Did you check the rotation direction? Is the alternator for a 77 Windsor or a Cleveland engine? Do you have a serpentine pattern or the original drive belt pattern? For sure, it sounds like the voltage regulator in the alternator is messing up causing the voltage to spike before burning out. This could be caused by incorrect wiring to the alternator. To figure this out, you need to know what type of alternator you have, how to wire it, and also how the chassis wiring should be connected to it also. I recommend searching for 2G to 3G alternator conversion.

Here's a site with some info:
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/el...harging-power/

Hopefully this gives you some ideas of things to look at to fix the issue, and at the very least, you will know your vehicle a little better.

All alternators are designed to be driven by the inner surface of the belt, so it doesn't matter if it's V or serpentine - it'll never be driven backward unless it's mounted backward (in front of the belts).

And they're all wired essentially the same way: B+, case ground, low-current 12V turn-on to the VR.

She Works Now
 

Thank you! The alternator that came with it was a GM one wire that the original owner had some shadetree engineering going on, and aside from missing brackets, the wiring was crazy. The second one was wired incorrectly because the mech did not know what the previous guy did, and it got ridiculously hot and started smoking, the 3rd one is the one that overcharged. This last one he stripped all of the rigged wiring off and rewired it for a true single wire system. So this one has been working and knock on wood, is working well. He also traced everything to ensure there were no ground issues. Thank you very much for the response though, I am always up for learning more about my truck, I just hope that my next issue is not electrical! Thanks again!