Battery Question/Probelm

[Zumo]

I have a new (rebuilt)Alt. I can start the truck, drive 30 minutes or get it hot, shut the truck off and it will not start without a jump. No starter clicking, no head lights, not nothing. It's like the battery is dead. I do get the brake light when I turn the key and it's not dim. But as soon as I jump it it fires right up and when I get back home and shut it off it will fire up agin no problem with out a charge. I the new alt not charing right?

[JayDubBlazer]

I had the same problem with my blazer last year. I first replaced the alternator (I had it tested it put out power ut it was a little low) we figured that the wobble alternator shaft was the culprit. That didn't work, so next I replaced the external regulator. The problem still existed. Finally I figured there was a slow drain somewere. I regrounded everything problem still there. So I broke out the ammeter and followed the entire circuit. Only to find out the harness wasn't properly plugged into the regulator. So just swith the ignition off and make sure nothing is running, including clock memory and follow the circuit back till you find out what is draining the battery.

[Southpa]

Run a voltmeter across the battery poles while the truck is running. If the result is not close to 14 volts then the 'lectricity is going elsewhere and not enuf juice going to the battery for charging. That means there is a ground problem. If there IS more than 12 v going into the battery then your battery is toast.

I had a similar problem years ago. Couldn't find the ground fault so I opted for the quick easy fix. I ran 2 thick wires (12 ga. , I think) directly from the back (driver's side connector) of the alt to the + battery post. This makes sure the battery gets juice directly from the alt. and not losing any thru the grounding system.

If the problem is not related to the charging system you might have the classic "hot starter" syndrome. Older starters with exhaust manifolds right next to them tend to seize up when hot and won't turn until they have cooled down. The symptoms you mention ie. nothing, nada, no sound, no clicks etc. when turning the ignition are the same. I think it has something to do with the windings in the starter expanding. The fix for that is either installing a heat shield between starter and exhaust or replacing the starter with a new one.

[ChevLoRay]

I had to put a shield on the starter solenoid on my small block, after changing from an Edelbrock 600 to an Edelbrock Q-Jet. Seems (and I knew it) that the smaller carb was running way rich. The Q-Jet runs leaner and (therefore) hotter. My starter began to drag, when the engine was hot (normally hot). But, check all your connections. Do the headlights go dim, or off, when you try to crank it after it has warmed up? It may be the starter. Just trying to offer a few more ideas.

[Zumo]

I would agree with the starter prob if the head lights would come on when this happens. But they don't. The are dead too.

[SEVEND2]

check voltage reg. and gounds, hmm tuff problem

[Blue68]

I had a car many years ago and was driving home from college one night in the middle of nowhere central Texas. My lights start going dim, loosing speed, I'm sitting on the side of the road, luckily not too far from a truck stop (okay, almost nowhere). Turned out I had a dead alternator and ran for a while on the battery. I'm going to guess you aren't charging the battery and are sucking it dry between cranking and driving. Then after it sits it cools just enough to crank the truck again.

Or, you have some loose wires somewhere. What fun.....

[cdowns]

first thing i'd do is remove both battery cables clean them and the battery terminals and see if that helps