Truck Alternator

Back when my father was here in May I started having issues with my truck. The battery didn't seem to want to hold a charge.

I don't drive my 21 year old truck with 277,000 miles much anymore, so the battery has a tendency to go dead from time to time. Usually I charge it and everything is good for the short while I need the truck.

In May I charged it, then drove it some and ended up having to get a jump in some parking lot somewhere.

When I was done needing it for the chores my father and I were working on then, I charged the battery and let the truck sit a while (2 months). When it came time to need it again, I'd see if the battery held the charge. If the battery held the charge while not being driven for two months, that would tell me the battery was good but the alternator was bad. If the battery didn't hold the charge, then it was time for a new battery.

This week I fired it up and the battery held the charge. That told me it was the alternator, which wouldn't surprise me. I've put 2 alternators on the truck (both roadside installs) in its lifetime. This would be its 4th alternator.

To be sure I first had the battery tested. It tested fine. To test the alternator, I had to remove it and take it back to the parts store.

Being that my experiences with alternators had always been roadside repairs, I was kind of dreading removing it to just test it.

I actually started the removal in a very inefficient way (I'm out of practice when it comes to car maintenance).

(I wish blogger was smart enough not to rotate my pictures incorrectly)

It didn't take long for me to get smarter and upgrade my tool.

Then get smarter still...

and had that thing yanked out in five minutes.

So I took it to the parts store to test it and it tested ok.

Huh?

Now what?

Just put it all back together and hope it works ok I guess.
Maybe the battery was just never fully charged those times I needed a jump and I hadn't driven far enough for the alternator to charge.

I guess we'll find out.

- b