Please Help...Electrical/Alt. Probs! - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

406cid70Chevy · 11-17-2002, 05:59 PM

Ok, my 70 chevy 3/4 ton pickup has been sitting for about 5 months. I put some new gas in it and fire it up, it started right up no problem. I let it run for awhile and then all of the sudden it just flat out dies...no stutter or nothing. I try to crank it again, but it hardly will crank, like the battery had no juice. So I checked the battery and it's got like 14 amps. Then I try to start it again and BAM! it starts no problem but then it dies again! I try to start it but it barely will crank. So I hook some jumpers up to my car battery and it cranks up and starts. When I removed the jumper cables from my car battery it dies again!!! So I tested the alternator at autozone, it was producing the voltage, but a red light came on, which meant it was defective internally or something? So I got a new FREE alternator (lifetime warranty), and hooked it up. I turned the key and the truck acted like it didn't want to crank, but it started anyway, but then died again after only being on a few minutes!!! I don't know what to think! There are two braided copper wires on each side of the firewall, which I think are ground wires? I'm not sure. The driver side wire is not hooked up, but the passenger side one is hooked up to one of the valve cover bolts. I also replaced the voltage regulator about a year ago? Any suggestions??? Sorry it's so long, I just tried to be as detailed as possible.

cableguy0 · 11-17-2002, 06:14 PM

well make sure all ur grounds are well connected. the valve cover isnt really a good place to ground to not enough contact. clean up two spots on ur frame and connnect the grounds there. i'd replace the voltage regualtor too. a bad battery can also cause this. charge the battery take it to autozone or wherever and have em perform a load test it should stay above 9 volts witha load of 250 amps on the battery

406cid70Chevy · 11-17-2002, 06:18 PM

Oh yeah, I guess I should also mention that sometimes it will also just crank and crank and crank but never start. It is externally regulated. And awhile back when I was driving it everyday, a few times I would be driving along and all of the sudden the motor would just die with no stutter, like it just stopped getting spark or something. I don't know what to think.

Willy Prost · 11-17-2002, 07:32 PM

Are you running a points or electronic distributor?

If you are using a points distributor an intermittent condenser will let the engine die woth no warning.

chevy_fatman · 11-17-2002, 07:53 PM

Same thing happened to me last week, just as you describe it, the red wire that goes to the battery to the starter wasn't properly tighten and wasn't making any contact with the clamp, did you try cleaning the posts?, they get dirty after time.

11-17-2002, 05:59 PM	#1
406cid70Chevy Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 43	Please Help...Electrical/Alt. Probs! Ok, my 70 chevy 3/4 ton pickup has been sitting for about 5 months. I put some new gas in it and fire it up, it started right up no problem. I let it run for awhile and then all of the sudden it just flat out dies...no stutter or nothing. I try to crank it again, but it hardly will crank, like the battery had no juice. So I checked the battery and it's got like 14 amps. Then I try to start it again and BAM! it starts no problem but then it dies again! I try to start it but it barely will crank. So I hook some jumpers up to my car battery and it cranks up and starts. When I removed the jumper cables from my car battery it dies again!!! So I tested the alternator at autozone, it was producing the voltage, but a red light came on, which meant it was defective internally or something? So I got a new FREE alternator (lifetime warranty), and hooked it up. I turned the key and the truck acted like it didn't want to crank, but it started anyway, but then died again after only being on a few minutes!!! I don't know what to think! There are two braided copper wires on each side of the firewall, which I think are ground wires? I'm not sure. The driver side wire is not hooked up, but the passenger side one is hooked up to one of the valve cover bolts. I also replaced the voltage regulator about a year ago? Any suggestions??? Sorry it's so long, I just tried to be as detailed as possible.

11-17-2002, 06:14 PM	#2
cableguy0 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Delta,Pa Posts: 14,950	well make sure all ur grounds are well connected. the valve cover isnt really a good place to ground to not enough contact. clean up two spots on ur frame and connnect the grounds there. i'd replace the voltage regualtor too. a bad battery can also cause this. charge the battery take it to autozone or wherever and have em perform a load test it should stay above 9 volts witha load of 250 amps on the battery __________________ Owner of North Point Car Care in Dundalk Md. We specialize in custom exhaust on both modern and classic vehicles. We are a full service auto shop from classics to modern vehicles. Feel free to contact me with questions. I will give a 10% discount to any board member.

11-17-2002, 06:18 PM	#3
406cid70Chevy Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 43	Oh yeah, I guess I should also mention that sometimes it will also just crank and crank and crank but never start. It is externally regulated. And awhile back when I was driving it everyday, a few times I would be driving along and all of the sudden the motor would just die with no stutter, like it just stopped getting spark or something. I don't know what to think.

11-17-2002, 07:32 PM	#4
Willy Prost Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 398	Are you running a points or electronic distributor? If you are using a points distributor an intermittent condenser will let the engine die woth no warning.

11-17-2002, 07:53 PM	#5
chevy_fatman Where's my beer? Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I live in the state of denial.... Posts: 5,621	Same thing happened to me last week, just as you describe it, the red wire that goes to the battery to the starter wasn't properly tighten and wasn't making any contact with the clamp, did you try cleaning the posts?, they get dirty after time.



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