Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Alternator problems?

[kboettcher]

Started the truck this morning and was heading out the driveway(about 500 meters long) and the check guages light kept coming on. Only thing I could see that might have been causing it was voltage was down abit. Then when I pulled out of the driveway and gave it some throttle it just died. I waited a couple seconds and it restarted but again as soon as I gave it throttle it died... did notice the fuel pressure guage drop to zero just before it died. Managed to get back in the driveway and idled back to the house, by the time I got back the voltage had climbed back up and then I couldn't make it stall again. So I did manage to get out and te truck seems to be fine now. Could it be an intermittent problem with the alternator? Do they tend to fail slowly? I did think I could smell something around the alternator when I brought it back to the house the first time.

 

[Moose Truck]

Its probably the Alternator, My '00 did the Check Gages thing with a dropping voltage, some times setting a code. It started doing that this summer, went back to normal, then died for good. Swapped it with a re-build and the problem went away. Get the codes read, as you can't do the key thing. Try Autozone, and/or Advanced Auto for the code read.



I will guess that you get a, "P1682 (G) Charging System Voltage Too Low Battery voltage sense input below target charging voltage

during engine operation and no significant change in

voltage detected during active test of generator output

circuit.



P1682 Charging System Voltage Too Low Charging system output voltage low. ", Code.



This from Toolman's most excellent 24 Valve code list, @ https://www.turbodieselregister.com...ine-transmission-faq/96634-24v-code-list.html



Hope this helps, Moose

 

[KcoleKennyc]

Don't know about all models but I have two 98. 5's and they won't charge above an idle until they are warmed up or up to a certain speed. Cranked mine on a cold morning, raised the engine speed up to warm it up, and it quit charging. Replaced the alternator and it did the same thing. Both of mine do this but you can let it them idle and they charge again. With the grid heaters on it won't take long for the light to come on and probably discharge the batteries. Wouldn't hurt to have the alternator checked but I doubt that it would have started working again on it's own if it were bad. Bought one form Advance Auto Parts with a lifetime warranty. It lasted over 200K miles and went out, they handed me another one for free. Advance did have a problem checking mine, they said that it was bad and I needed a new one. Bought it and told them to check it, it wouldn't charge either. We found in the instructions that if it failed to work a certain way to swap 2 wires and it worked. Guess I have been very lucky, have had 2 go out, one in the garage and the other one about 20 miles from home. Always worried about this when several hundred miles from home, take a spare in the toolbox now.