i am on my second alternator in 2 days and a new battery as well

the charging system failure light in the dash is not coming on

i will be chacking the negative ground at the engine block in the morning

if it is not the battery ground at engine block is not the problem

i am stumped , i do not know what to look for after that

any body know what is going on
( dash and radio lights go dim,, starter relay starts clicking , then the ABS and parking brake lights come on and then engine dies.)

 

is the 150 (or whatever it is) amp fuse blown that is on the side of the fuse block under the hood? disconnect power and ohm the battery cables

 

This could be the cheapest fix to any electrical problem, the battery light in the dash is part of the charging system so is the bulb is removed (or burnt out) the your alternator will not charge until it is replaced.

 

thanks toreador i will check that

on tuesday evening on the way to work
the headlights and radio lights were constantly flickering,, then then the dash lights dimmed and stayed there,, the radio light gradually became dimmer

so i am leaning towards a bad engine ground cable ( rust and corroded from the heat and moisture )

thanks and will check the 150 amp fuse


( i wonder what that fuse costs )

what amount of ohms am i looking for if all of the connections are good

 

toreador
i got the engine running but as soon as i switch on the clearance lights .
the dash lights majorly dim

( could this have something to do with the headlight switch )

i googled it.

and it seems that other owners were having the same issues

heres what i found out so far?

There is an inline fuse or link from the alternator to the battery. This may have blown if there was a shorted cell in the battery. That means the new alternator though working was not connected to the battery and you were running off battery charge. This is a good example of Reserve Minutes listed for many batteries, how many minutes the battery will last with a 25A draw. Typical draw for a car running with no alternator.

Another possibility is the regulator fuse circuit, main block under hood. Corrosion or loose connection at fuse prevents charging.





.

 

keep us updatted on this one...my mazda has been having the same battery draining issue....mines a 2.5L btw same problem lol

 

found 1 problem

the power feed wire from the starter solenoid to the starter has had the protective plastic coating burned off and the wire is badly corroded and grounding out to the starter casing

( i will also check the battery dash light bulb as well )

 

the positive lead bushings are badly burned ( the protective plastic bushing that protects the positive power leads where it comes through the alternator casing )
the wires protective plastic sleeving was burned off
the power feed wire is badly corroded and was grounding out against the starter housing

i pryed the damaged wire away from the housing and voila!!

i have fully bright dash and radio lights
turned on the headlights and there is no degration of light brightness

the truck is being towed to the place i bought it from,, and they are fixing it at their cost

( starter , alternator , battery, and any damaged wiring there-of

the battery dash light is now illuminating when i turn on the ignition

just a heads up if any 1 else is having this problem as well

 

they also found another problem
the wiring harness that runs against the driver side inner fender
the fender edge gradually wore through 2 negative and 1 positive wires ,, thus grounding out the charging system

even the mechanics were stumped how this could happen ,, and the engine and electrical could still function??