96 GMC K2500 Suburban Restoration (with a couple of mods)

[Reluctanse]

Great looking suburban!
Towing in OD is no problem. If you have a bluetooth OBD adapter and the Torque app for your smart phone, or similar, you likely can pull your transmission temp that way, if you want to start monitoring before you get to the gauge install. Nice to be able to keep an eye on it.

 

[South VA]

After the new alternator install, I noticed that the gauge would read less than 14 v. I checked the battery voltage with a voltmeter, and it's a bit over 12. I started it up and while idling, the voltmeter was reading around 14.5, and holding pretty steady. Evidently I have a bad gauge, as it was reading around 13 at that point. I'm wondering if there's a sending unit of some sort that I can replace. I'll have to look into it. In the meantime, I'm pleased that my alternator seems to be working properly.

 

[Erik the Awful]

I'm wondering if there's a sending unit of some sort that I can replace.

No sending unit. The gauge in the dash is just a voltmeter and you should have a wire running from the charging system to it. Check your connections and especially your grounds.

 

[South VA]

No sending unit. The gauge in the dash is just a voltmeter and you should have a wire running from the charging system to it. Check your connections and especially your grounds.

Got it. Thanks!

 

[Orpedcrow]

Sounds like a voltage drop somewhere, if you have a multimeter it’s pretty straightforward, little tedious but will help find the culprit. The factory gage probably isn’t super accurate but several volts* difference is pretty far.

 

[South VA]

More stuff: I ordered the door sag kit for the driver's side, and figured I might as well do the passenger side while I'm at it. Also ordered a spring compressor tool and a spring, as the driver's side spring is missing.

I also suspected that I didn't have the weight distribution hitch set properly, as it was putting too much weight on the rear wheels, which made the front end (and steering) a bit light. I think that might be contributing to sway when trucks were passing us. So I contacted a local RV dealer (Bish's RV), intending to tow the camper there and have them set up the hitch properly. Instead, they had their techs call me up and do a video conference so they could see my setup. Didn't cost anything, and it didn't take long for the tech to explain what I needed to do, and why. Now I understand what I'm doing, and won't need to take it to them to have them set it up. Glad I called Bish's!

Our next trip is in a couple of weeks, so I'll hook it up the day before departure, using my new found knowledge.

I also decided to become a supporting member. This forum has already given me value well beyond the price of admission. I plan on having the '96 Suburban for a very long time, so it was an easy decision. Plus I have a '93, which will be needing some TLC.

 

[South VA]

Well, it's Wednesday, and our next trip is on Monday. I decided to try my newfound hitch knowledge earlier than planned to do a trial run on the camper. Good thing I did. Long story short, the hitch appears to be correct, now that I adjusted the spring tensions. The bad news is that when I got ready to tow the camper up to get it inspected, the 'Burb wouldn't start. The new alternator doesn't appear to be working. So I'm having it towed to the shop; and hopefully they'll be able to sort it out by Friday evening. I'm wondering if it's a voltage regulator (does this truck even have one?). Or maybe the new (rebuilt) alternator just decided to die. I wish I knew more about this stuff.

 

[South VA]

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[HotWheelsBurban]

Well, it's Wednesday, and our next trip is on Monday. I decided to try my newfound hitch knowledge earlier than planned to do a trial run on the camper. Good thing I did. Long story short, the hitch appears to be correct, now that I adjusted the spring tensions. The bad news is that when I got ready to tow the camper up to get it inspected, the 'Burb wouldn't start. The new alternator doesn't appear to be working. So I'm having it towed to the shop; and hopefully they'll be able to sort it out by Friday evening. I'm wondering if it's a voltage regulator (does this truck even have one?). Or maybe the new (rebuilt) alternator just decided to die. I wish I knew more about this stuff.

GM alternators have had internal regulators since the early 70s. I haven't had to replace the alternator on either of my 400 series Burbs, but I'm not entirely sure how well the one in my crew cab is working. With the AC and DRLs on, the voltmeter needle barely gets to 13. On the Burb it stays at 14, straight up. Of course the Burb doesn't have functional AC or DRLs, and it has the larger 145 amp alternator as opposed to the 100/105 amp that the pickups got.... I'm sure that's got something to do with it.

 

[South VA]

GM alternators have had internal regulators since the early 70s. I haven't had to replace the alternator on either of my 400 series Burbs, but I'm not entirely sure how well the one in my crew cab is working. With the AC and DRLs on, the voltmeter needle barely gets to 13. On the Burb it stays at 14, straight up. Of course the Burb doesn't have functional AC or DRLs, and it has the larger 145 amp alternator as opposed to the 100/105 amp that the pickups got.... I'm sure that's got something to do with it.

The mechanic told me the same thing, which is one less thing to check. He thinks it's the new (rebuilt) NAPA alternator, but he's also going to check the wiring to see if there are any gremlins lurking there. Hopefully it's a simple fix. With all of the vehicles I've owned, this is only the second alternator I've had an issue with, so I guess I can't really complain.