Well, I've been running this 720 for about 6 months now and other than replacing the carrier bearing, two U-joints, and blowing a brake line I haven't had much in the way of problems.
The one thing that has been bugging me is the battery light. Since I resurrected the truck it has always been on while driving. At higher RPMs it will dim down quite a bit but it is always on. Very apparent at night, not so much in the daytime.
I've heard people suggest checking the fuseable links... but I've got no idea what they are and what I'm looking for. Any guidance to help dig into this problem would be appreciated!
Battery Light on - No apparent problems
Re: Battery Light on - No apparent problems
First off, the "battery light" is actually for your charging system in general - not specifically the battery. Your battery may be 100% fine. The icon on the light is slightly misleading in this way.
The fusible links that people are referring to are on the positive terminal of the battery, and are large plastic/molex-styled connectors. They're normally not but 2-3" off of the +. I believe there are 2-3 fusible links stock that connect 5 sets of wires to the terminal. They are easy to bypass/replace if one is burned out. They are the most common problem between the alternator and the battery in my experience. When the fusible links "burn up" (similar to a fuse "popping") they often don't 100% disconnect like they should. Thus, you get a partial connection - so you may be losing 20% of the power that is going from the alternator to the battery. At higher RPM, the alternator's output is higher, so even though you're still losing a % of the power, you're not doing as badly overall, hence the dimmer @ higher RPM.
1) Do you have the voltmeter in your truck? (Next to oil pressure gauge underneath the AC) If so, where does it read? It should always (except while cranking) read about 1/3-1/2 of the way between the middle and right side.
2) Do you have a handheld multimeter/voltmeter?
Let me know if you have further problems, I had a headache with that portion of my wiring a year or more ago in my '85. Since the fusible links I couldn't source from anywhere, I ended up replacing them with regular in-line fuses, 1 for each line/source - so if you end up having to go that route I can double check and let you know the amperes each line should have a fuse for.
The fusible links that people are referring to are on the positive terminal of the battery, and are large plastic/molex-styled connectors. They're normally not but 2-3" off of the +. I believe there are 2-3 fusible links stock that connect 5 sets of wires to the terminal. They are easy to bypass/replace if one is burned out. They are the most common problem between the alternator and the battery in my experience. When the fusible links "burn up" (similar to a fuse "popping") they often don't 100% disconnect like they should. Thus, you get a partial connection - so you may be losing 20% of the power that is going from the alternator to the battery. At higher RPM, the alternator's output is higher, so even though you're still losing a % of the power, you're not doing as badly overall, hence the dimmer @ higher RPM.
1) Do you have the voltmeter in your truck? (Next to oil pressure gauge underneath the AC) If so, where does it read? It should always (except while cranking) read about 1/3-1/2 of the way between the middle and right side.
2) Do you have a handheld multimeter/voltmeter?
Let me know if you have further problems, I had a headache with that portion of my wiring a year or more ago in my '85. Since the fusible links I couldn't source from anywhere, I ended up replacing them with regular in-line fuses, 1 for each line/source - so if you end up having to go that route I can double check and let you know the amperes each line should have a fuse for.
Re: Battery Light on - No apparent problems
Yea, I'm aware it doesn't mean my battery is bad... better not, it's a brand new battery! Haha
Anyway, no I do not have a volt gauge but I do have a couple mulitmeters and I did check voltage both at the battery and the 12v cigarette outlet back when I first picked the truck up to confirm it was looking right. IIRC it runs about 13.7v.
Anyway, no I do not have a volt gauge but I do have a couple mulitmeters and I did check voltage both at the battery and the 12v cigarette outlet back when I first picked the truck up to confirm it was looking right. IIRC it runs about 13.7v.