Title explains problem. ill explain the preceedings.

Battery died WHILE driving a few days ago. Figured "Sure thing....its the Alt." Replaced the Alt "140$"

Worked for about 4 hours and it died down again figured "Batt must be toast cause who knows how long the alts been out and ive been driving on the batt." Replaced batt with a Big nice pretty one "150$"

Problem went away (Do to the new battery factor) it took it a while to die this time because optimas dont go quietly.

Spent 3 hours kicking and screaming with random phone calls to random mechanic shops asking for tips. Finalkly started testing with a 12 volt test light. when i came up with nothign for the first 30min i decided to start Tearing fuses out and checking them 1 by 1. Turns out when i removed my airbag module i blew the corresponding fuse because i didnt remove the positive battery cable first. Turns out the fuse in mention "1$" also controls the Altenator......

So After many headaches hair pulling and frustration and also near 300$ wasted. all those problems where solved and i got what i wanted out of it.

Heres my new problem. my battery light is turning on for aparentyl no reason and about 3 days too late (Never once turned on during the whole episode until now.) And wont turn off unless at a minimum of 3500 rpms constant.

Things to note, Truck has 14.4 V and has plenty of crank left in her, all accessories run fine even all at once and there seems to be no obvious reason for the light. And for some reason the horn intermitently (Spelling?) works and doesnt work.

So my question is.....what is it? how do i fix it?

-Thanks

 

First off I don't just start swapping stuff cause I "think" I know what's wrong. This ain't the 80s anymore.
1. Have it tested at a good shop.
2. How's the belt? If it keeps stretching it never will be tight.
3. How's the belt idler pulley? If the bearing is going bad it could cause the belt not to stay tight.
4. When a shop does a test they may find a drain on the system somewhere. Did you add any electrical accessories lately? Is there a bare wire with intermittent contact somewhere?
5. Did I say take it to a good shop?

 

lol. everything in the list has already been done. i dont mind tho because i needed the extra beefy batt and alt to support the stuff ive got so far. "Sound system and light toys"

But the belt. i never even thought about it but you have to mess with it to swap out the alt. maybe its not back on correctly or tightly?

The only thing about shops is ima hands on type of guy and you dont learn something by having someone else do it for you. figure it out. fail learn lesson fix. thats what ive always done. a lil more expensive but in the long run it makes me feel good about what ive done.

 

Dont try to solve a problem by throwing parts at it....take it to a shop, have them do a "free estimate" they will tell you where the problem is and then you go fix it yourself....works everytime

 

i do do that most of the time. but in this case it started out as a no brainer. "batt dies while driving, ANYONE would point the finger at the alt." so that was my first instinct, than common sense pointed at a failing batt caused by the failed alt.no brainer replacement. went both of those didnt work i knew it was a fuse or wire causing a dead draw or something started checking fuses and found it. no problem.

Nowhere in any of that did i feel the need to have someone else test it because they seemed obvious. if i hadnt found that fuse and i took it to a free place they would have told me flat out that the alt isnt recharging the battery. for free. after that they would charge me a minimum of 65 an hour to find the problem. and paying 65 an hour to replace a 1 dollar fuse isnt cool.so to me. im happy the way it turned out the way it did, what with the new goodies and all. but for futur reference i know to check the fuse. lesson learned. but the only time i ever TRULY need a mechanic shop is A. when i cant figure it out. or B. when i dont have the proper equipment.

 

honestly , I would like to know this also my truck started this when I put on my sub 8" bazooka tube , and lights 4 55 waters . I have replaced everything from alternater , battery , starter , cables , everything and the light still stays on unles I go over 3800 rpms ??? any help

 

I would have the old alt. tested before i would have bought a new one.....as far as payin a mechanic to tell you what the problem is, i dont do it, mechanics around here find the problem ( for free,and tell you what the prob is) and then tell you how much it will be to fix it

 

I know, they USED to do that in my area but i live here in san diego where half the ghetto nation lives so they litterally stopped doing things for free.

Think of it kinda like Ebay sales ruining sales for small business. (Spelling?)
theyed come in and ask for what they need and than go find it cheaper on ebay. (I know. i used to help at an RC car race track. Used to happen all the time.)

But as for having it checked. When i had my truck towed the tow truck driver did a run around to figure out what failed befor he loaded it up, in case he could just fix it with a battery charge. (Hes been doing this for 12 years) and the battery wouldnt hold a charge and the alt wouldnt charge. but all he did was point me in the direction i was thinking of going anyways. because SOMETHING had to cause the failure. and i figured it was my sub amp speaker and lights setup. never second guessed it.

By the way i had the belt check. no problem. and as for the new guy, have you checked the fuses? if your truck is a ranger between 95- 99 itll be the same one mine was. Fuse 15 it should be a 15-25 amp fuse and its on the side of the dash board when you open the driver side door.

 

Update, For some reason driving around at super high rpms has fixed the problem permanantly lol. (For refrence i was doing 5400-6k rpms.)

I guess it just needed its amps back lol but for the one who had the issue also make sure your fuses are ok and let us know.

Edit: aparently it didnt fix it. but a few days have gone by and ive been chillin in my truck with the radio and stuff. and aparently its fixed NOW. lol.

could it have been a problem like being overcharged?