Ground issues
 

With these two cable disconnected, I still have full power. These are in the harness along with the positive cable that runs to the starter.
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...grounds001.jpg

I actually disconnected those and started the truck right up and had power to everything.

This also looks like the same grounding cable going to the firewall?
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...grounds002.jpg


I have had my battery light on since I first fired up this engine but have driven it over 200 miles with no voltage or battery issues. . . help?

You have everything hooked up? What about the inline fuse in the Alternator harness?

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...939-181915.jpg

I 'll see if I can find a better pick , I built a few harness for these things - Pics somewhere ?? Might be online. - Crap I'll find them , hang on.
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You can pull the regulator (Gray boxy thing) off and check the brushes. I've had the brushes stick before. Battery light was on when that happened.

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...943-211846.jpg

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I gottuh find that harness pick, wanna make sure ypou got that right - still looking for the damn thing ...

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Here it is -

https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...9-dsc02821.jpg

The green circle is the fuse wired into the Alternator (Orange wire) Check the fuse.

Red circle - Connects directly to the MEGA Fuse on the firewall along with the Alt main hot cable (not pictured).

Yellow circle ? I believe that signals the PCM when there's a problem (that could be yours).

Blue - Connect directly to the Alternator.



You get all that ? lol


BTW - If you bent that MEGA fuse , even just a little - They crack/fracture inside and it's a PITA , because it can pass continuity but still be bad and you can't see where it cracks...Guess how long that one took me to figure out ... What a pain lol.

uhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... um....... ill get back to you. .. sometime within the next year. .. . .

by mega fuses, are you talking about these thing that the wires bolt to?

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...grounds003.jpg


if so, I have been bending the hell out of those



also I checked the fuse and connections, everything is connected. The battery light on the dash has a slight flicker to it if you look close, so its just BARELY making a bad connection somewhere. I also hit the alternator with butt end of hammer a few times. Nothing

Bypass that fuse real quick , - see itf the light go's out. It will go out right away if that's the problem.

That dot in the middle is a little ball of solder. If they get hot enough to melt that solder , these fuses will break right next to the solder ball.

This isn't the case with mine below. That broke because I F^cked with it to much, bending it a little here , a little there - not thinking to much about it -

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...939-181709.jpg

Did you check this fuse (WhiteCircle) - Should be a little yellow 20 amp inside the holder..

https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...grounds003.jpg

yes sir I did. Going to buy those parts tomorrow from the yard.

I replaced both of those 175A fuses. Light still on. It flickersonly when standing still upon idle. Would my spark plug wires being too close to the alternator cause this?

Going back to the OP's original picture, the black wire seems to my tired old eyes to be a simple loop connecting back on itself at the frame bolt. I don't have any idea why you would want a loop there. If, in fact the black wire at the firewall is the same wire (easy to confirm with both ends disconnected) then it's just a grounding strap to improve the electrical continuity between the firewall and the frame (so that the whole thing acts like a solid ground). I imagine there are some redundant connections so that when you disconnect this wire, the ground circuit is completed through another path and that's why you still have full power to everything.

Jbrew, does what I'm saying make sense to you? You've done more on the electrical system in these things than I have.

Now, a flickering alternator light means low output voltage from the alternator, am I right on that too? The fact that it goes out at higher engine RPMs seems to say its output voltage has increased enough to charge the battery. Wouldn't a blown fuse keep that from happening?

This sounds more to me like a loose or corroded connection in the alternator charging circuit. I'd disconnect, clean and retighten all of these as a start.

- Jack

Holy sh^t!!!! I didn't catch that - Yea, CT - You have it hooked up wrong. Jack got me to take a second look at it :thumbsup:


https://www.f150online.com/galleries...939-214238.jpg

Starter connections -

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...943-213169.jpg

The large Neg cable(I don't have a pic of that connected) needs to be re-routed to the stud-bolt w/nut on it/bottom of the starter. Then bring just the smaller ground back up to the frame rail.

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...939-221139.jpg

This does not make sense. Your telling me I need a positive to the solenoid(i have), the Bigger positive to the starter(I have), than the negative to the starter??? I need 3 wires to the starter?

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. ok I remember now, it actually gets grounded on the stud that bolts the starter in. I currently only have the two bolts holding starter in, I'll have to add that 3rd stud n nut for the negative. ITs dark now, I'll do it tomorrow. . . thanks guys

nope. moved that big ground to the starter. light still on. . whatever.. FUK it

It's already FUK'ed.. You have to Un-FUK it.. Other wise it could FUK U when you least expect it, - Then what ? . ? You could be hoof-in it - Shoe leather express freezing your FUKing Arss off.. That would FUKing suck the bawana...

CT - What the FUK ?


Yea, I didn't thing that was the problem, but your better off having one ground on the block and one on the frame.

I would definitly pull the brushes like I've been telling you, - I bet there just stuck. It happens , - happened to me in- fact.. Look -

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...940-211937.jpg https://www.f150online.com/galleries...940-211936.jpg
Yep, the battery light could blind yuh when that happens...

Here's what there suppose to look like.. -

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...940-211972.jpg

take it off tomorrow after I get the SCT chip installed n tuned