Got to love the easy fixes!

[Becker]

I'm booked solid before connection and won't be homing home from Vegas on Friday, instead taking a detour until Sunday evening, then back at it hard Monday.

No time for down time.

Friday on the 1st of 3 nice sized jobs I notices my APO was pumping real weak.

When I went to start the machine on the 2nd jobs it turned over real slow, but started. The APO kicked on and all the lights on the front of the machine when real dim.

I got the job done, shut the machine down and tried to turn it back over, nothing.

Still one job to go.. So I came home installed a spare battery and went off to do my last job.

By the end of that job the battery was nearly drained.

That night I charged the battery so I could do a nice little comm job in the early AM.

As I was wrapping up on that just I put a meter to the battery just over 12v.
I started it and put the meter to the battery. Should read higher right. Nope.. 11.54v.

Crap, alternator is shot.

Today I got a chance to look at it after playing for the rest of the day yesterday.


Problem?


Ground wire to engine block and voltage regulator broke.

Spliced it back together, fired it up, meter to battery 12.58v

 

[Steve Lombardi]

you still have a problem with your charging system. A battery has 6 cells in it each cell should be 2.1volts for a total of 12.6 volts when your charging system is operating correctly it should be charging at 12.7 volts of higher

Steve Lombardi
All Care Dist.

 

[Becker]

I think I'm fine...

The battery just had enough juice in it to start the engine, I had the motor running at the slowest speed. Only because I was in my driveway here at the Mobile home park on a Sunday. And did not want to wake all the drunks. I put the meter to the battery 15 secs after starting it. saw I was getting well over 12v.

we will see today.

 

[Greenie]

I thought 13v+ was more of a "normal" charging level for a system that requires 12v sustained?

 

[Becker]

I think everything is fine.

After a day of working I just now put a meter on it, mind you the apo ran for a good 5-10 min without the engine running after the last job. Meter reads 12.46.

So I pop the hood of the 06 work van, meter reads 12.58

So I pop the hood of the brand new 07 pickup. meter reads 12.51, turck has been sitting for 48 hours and the battery is cool.


Maybe I have a bad meter, but it look like the charging system on the TM is working like new!

 

[Becker]

Open Circuit Voltage ~ State-of-charge
12.65 V 100%
12.45 V 75%
12.24 V 50%
12.06 V 25%
11.89 V 0%