stevenelle Posted January 30, 2013 Report Posted January 30, 2013 Hello all - I have been silent on the forum for a good while but now once again I need some help. B2B with original 6v system - ammeter jumps around and shows more charging than normal. No burned contact on regulator. Drove it today and smelled hot wires but saw no smoke. Heard some sizzling - checked the battery and part of the terminal had melted and spattered. Not good. Problem is intermittent, not continuous. Made it back home OK. Must be a short somewhere, but any suggestions on where to start would be appreciated. Thanks for any help. Quote
B1B Keven Posted January 30, 2013 Report Posted January 30, 2013 Sounds like you've got some wires shorting against one another. Reach around under the dash and see if you feel any hot wires. I had a similar problem and just started replacing one wire at a time. I found a bunch that had no or worn insulation. Quote
wallytoo Posted January 31, 2013 Report Posted January 31, 2013 start by making sure your fire extinguisher is easily accessible and fully charged. as keven noted, it does sound as if some of the wiring has lost its insulation. but whatever the cause, you'll want to find the source pronto, so the extinguisher won't be used. Quote
Dan Babb Posted January 31, 2013 Report Posted January 31, 2013 When I pulled the wiring out of my truck, there was a lot that had no insulation. On the ones that did, the cloth covering closer to the ends of the wires was just crumbling when I touched them. Wonder if there's a way to test the regulator. Since the problem is intermittent, maybe it's the regulator going back and not properly 'regulating' the current. I'd think if it were wires that were crossed or touching, it would be more constant (unless it's loose wires that only touch when you hit a bump). Quote
stevenelle Posted February 1, 2013 Author Report Posted February 1, 2013 Thanks for the ideas. Another strange twist to this was discovered yesterday - everthing seems OK (looking at ammeter) until I press on the brake - then meter bounces around wildly, and I can also see a response in the fuel gauge needle when brake is pressed. On top of that, if truck is idling slow, it dies when brake is pushed. Seems like a strange combination of effects. Any other ideas to help pinpoint the problem? On a related note, after Dan's post, do voltage regulators go bad with no apparant visual indications? I do not have the know how to check the regulator. It seems like a somewhat involved process for a non electricl guy. Thanks for any additional help Quote
P15-D24 Posted February 1, 2013 Report Posted February 1, 2013 You have a short to ground in the brake light circuit. Quote
Dave72dt Posted February 2, 2013 Report Posted February 2, 2013 Take a really good look at your bat cable that goes to the starter. Yolu may have rubbed a hole in the insulation and and the pedal grounds it out when you press it. 1 Quote
Jeff Balazs Posted February 2, 2013 Report Posted February 2, 2013 Take a really good look at your bat cable that goes to the starter. Yolu may have rubbed a hole in the insulation and and the pedal grounds it out when you press it. I think Dave has come up with a very likely answer to your mystery. It has to be a major short like this to cause your battery terminal to melt. Would also explain why it is intermittant. Jeff Quote
stevenelle Posted February 2, 2013 Author Report Posted February 2, 2013 Thanks very much Dave and Jeff. Once again, the boys on the forum have solved my problem. I have a long pedal stroke on brakes (which is a whole different story). Brake pedal was in fact rubbing on battery cable going to starter when fully depressed. There was even some melted copper deposits on brake pedal where the contact was being made. Will be an easy fix. Now I need to adjust brakes so that pedal does not travel so far. As a side note - I can't adequately describe how much benefit I have derived from this forum since I acquired my old 1950. it is the only Pilothouse in this town of 90,000 and I get plenty of comments and compliments on it even though it is not restored on the outside. With coaching from this forum, I have been able to tackle everything that has come up. When I bought this truck, it had to be towed to my house where it sat until I could get it running and the brakes working and a dozen other issues. It was a challenge and a joy and this truck has been my primary daily driver for the last 6 years. I am a very mediocre mechanic at best, but with your help, I have been able to get this truck up and running. Thanks again. Quote
Dave72dt Posted February 2, 2013 Report Posted February 2, 2013 Good to know what you found. Posting the solutions to a problem really helps some one else down the road. Quote
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