Electrical - Anyone make sense of this..? where you at Skylark

[Jeffgmcgrr]

Seattle!
These guys have given you some solid advice. If you have further troubles, post up again.

Sky... I saw a comment of yours in a different post. When it comes to the negative ground positions... I have the battery post and then a small ground heading passenger side fender and then the bigger ground goes down and bolts to one of the frame bolts passenger side engine. My question is where does the frame ground to the block? Or how exactly are these terminal wires supposed to be grounded. I can't remember if I moved the big ground to the frame off the block or not

 

[Oldblue98]

I haven't messed with it yet but when I tested the battery before hooking it up it gave me 12.6. I started the truck and it jumped to 14.3 or 4 and then over about 5 minutes of idle that droped down to about 13.9.

After I turned the key off I tested the battery and was now at 12.9.

To be honest I really feel as if there's something in my wiring. I've had hot start issues with this truck for a long time before the transmission and all the bullshit I just fixed happened. When it's been dying on me is after an idol sitting in the parking lot, say I go to maneuver into a parking spot or put it in reverse and turn the wheel a little bit it would die. Subsequently I would need a jumpstart. This though was just over the last few days and on the old battery. I haven't tested it with a new battery however with the battery light being stuck on causes me concern.

I feel like after things warm up for a while something stops transmitting in the wires. Which is causing my battery to be low

13.9 volts you say, but was that with everything turned on such as lights,a/c, etc etc in other words is it keeping up that 13.9 running everything or is it falling below charging volts

 

[Shaun Anderson]

Bad diode in alternator can cause poor charging of the battery as well as drain while sitting.

 

[evilunclegrimace]

Sky... I saw a comment of yours in a different post. When it comes to the negative ground positions... I have the battery post and then a small ground heading passenger side fender and then the bigger ground goes down and bolts to one of the frame bolts passenger side engine. My question is where does the frame ground to the block? Or how exactly are these terminal wires supposed to be grounded. I can't remember if I moved the big ground to the frame off the block or not

You should have 3 ground wires on the engine, 1 from the batt to the intake bolt,1 from the rear of the passenger side head to the firewall and 1 from the block to the frame.

 

[Jeffgmcgrr]

13.9 volts you say, but was that with everything turned on such as lights,a/c, etc etc in other words is it keeping up that 13.9 running everything or is it falling below charging volts

13.9 was with nothing on

 

[Jeffgmcgrr]

You should have 3 ground wires on the engine, 1 from the batt to the intake bolt,1 from the rear of the passenger side head to the firewall and 1 from the block to the frame.

this is the big cable coming from my battery it's down to the frame as you can see you.. when you say intake bolts should it be going to an intake manifold bolt instead?

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[Jeffgmcgrr]

13.9 volts you say, but was that with everything turned on such as lights,a/c, etc etc in other words is it keeping up that 13.9 running everything or is it falling below charging volts

It's about 13.4 with headlights etc.. at idle

 

[evilunclegrimace]

this is the big cable coming from my battery it's down to the frame as you can see you.. when you say intake bolts should it be going to an intake manifold bolt instead?

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I will get some pics from my trucks and post them and then you will see what I am talking about

 

[someotherguy]

If that's your main ground right off the battery going to the frame, that's a little sketchy. It may not be the source of the problem but any failure of the grounds between the frame/body/engine and you'll have all sorts of problems. You also should have a pair of braided straps, one going from the frame a little bit rearwards of the passenger upper control arm, to the firewall near where the heater core connections are. Then another from that same spot up to the rear of the passenger cylinder head.

That main ground from the battery usually goes to a stud on the intake manifold, passenger side, 2nd position from the front. That position may vary depending on year/model, but that's where it's been on a number of TBI-era GMT400's that I can recall. That way you've got a solid ground between the battery, and everything directly attached to the engine - such as the alternator. Don't overlook those other ground straps I mentioned though as they're critical as well.

Richard

 

[evilunclegrimace]

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Here are the Pics,

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