Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Your favorite way to check the charging system.

[JFaughn]

Becouse to the computor controling the Alt. [ one more way of hosing the consumer] I wanted to see how others were finding there charging probs.
I've been in the auto repair buis. for 25-30 yrs. and seen a lot of stuff , but these are the 1st I've had the ??? to diagnose .
I've called this type of stuff preventive maitanace , its built to prevent you the do-it-yourselfer from maintaining your own stuff .
I get off it now and see what comes.

 

[tp0d]

I believe AutoZone and the like have a roll-away charge checker that they will hook up to your truck for free. You also can use a voltmeter, check the voltage of your batteries with the engine off and everything shut down, then start it up and see if you have a change in voltage. Far as I know, the alt either charges or it doesnt, there may be a 2 stage charge, not sure. .



good luck



-j

 

[JFaughn]

Not sure what yrs. , but mines one of them , that the regulator is in the PCM , and I was also asking what was [the way you] liked to check it , not who , but thanks anyway.
I know I do it a lot , old eyes , I guess the brain should be the same age , I miss points in a post and then give a wrong answer , the other day in alt. fuels I thought that somebody was talking about bio-diesel and gave what I thought was a good answer , but then I read other peoples answer and that made me go back to the original post , and the guy was talking about some came up with cooking plastic and getting a fuel for diesels , now I got to find out more about that .

 

[Bob4x4]

I believe AutoZone and the like have a roll-away charge checker that they will hook up to your truck for free. You also can use a voltmeter, check the voltage of your batteries with the engine off and everything shut down, then start it up and see if you have a change in voltage. Far as I know, the alt either charges or it doesnt, there may be a 2 stage charge, not sure. .



good luck



-j

The computer controlled charging system has an infinite amount of adjustment up to its max output. That is the beauty of the computer control. A voltmeter only tells a small part,the amperage is what you need to know.



Bob

 

[CrosbyJ]

got an volt gauge from autozone that plugs into the cigerate lighter tells if it is low med. or high charging. had it checked next to an professional pretty close and matches what the stock gauge reads. its not prefect but cheap and gives a good base line

 

[JFaughn]

Maybe I should rephrase the ?
How to diagnose a check eng. lite , code 12- batt. disconnected within the last 50 cycles [ not unles inside wiring ??] code 41 - low volts [ well the gauge told me that ]
and yes the tach works .

 

[Berrigan]

Becouse to the computor controling the Alt. [ one more way of hosing the consumer] I wanted to see how others were finding there charging probs.

I've been in the auto repair buis. for 25-30 yrs. and seen a lot of stuff , but these are the 1st I've had the ??? to diagnose .

I've called this type of stuff preventive maitanace , its built to prevent you the do-it-yourselfer from maintaining your own stuff .

I get off it now and see what comes.

Do a search on charging systems. Afew months back there was a thread on this subject. A member posted a simple diagnostic procedure and if the problem was the pcm he posted a simple schematic on how to take the old style mopar solid state regulator and wire it to control the charge rate. This just took the pcm out of the charge regulation duties but continued to let it do all other duties. It was a cheap fix (about 35 bucks) for the old style regulator and 2 wires if I recall. good luck, Bill