Hey you mechanical type....or even, injuneers....

[CECAA850]

We were typing at the same time.  Glad you figured it out.

[Coytee]

Put a volt gauge on the battery and read the voltage.  Start the vehicle, the voltage should go up once the engine is running.

 

Be sure your battery ground is good at the battery and where the cable hooks to the engine block and chassis.  Nothing happens without a good ground.

 

Yeah...  I replaced the ground wire a number of years ago (actually, both battery cables have been replaced by me, doesn't mean they can't use it again)

[CECAA850]

 

Is there a wire that goes to the single plug on the right?

 

 

 

 

I'll bet that is the hot wire that powers the lights when the battery is disconnected.

 

 

 

 

 

It may go to an external voltage regulator.  I've never seen lights run directly off an alternator plug.

[Coytee]

 

Picked it up today, he said it's working fine (then why the heck doesn't it ever charge my battery!!)

 

Shouldn't be too hard to figure out.  If he checked it and said it's charging then it probably has an internal voltage regulator, so he checked that too.  Unplug the 3 wire plug.  Test all with a test light, not a volt meter.  Both the B's should light up your test light brightly.  The D should be dead.  Turn the key on and the D should be bright as well.  If your test light is dim or doesn't illuminate as I've indicated, you have a wire or connector issue.  Let me know what you find.

 

 

To rephrase:  Take the two leads, put one on EACH of the B's  Or do you mean put one lead on "B" and other ground?

 

Second test is to put it on the single B (on opposite side) and ground other end?

[CECAA850]

Test light is hooked up to a known good ground or battery negative.  Put probe in female end of plug.  Check all 3 wires that way.  D needs to have the key on to be hot.

[CECAA850]

Test your light before using to make sure it works.  Just jump it across the battery posts to test.

[The Dude]

Test light is hooked up to a known good ground or battery negative. Put probe in female end of plug. Check all 3 wires that way. D needs to have the key on to be hot.

Out of curiosity why use a test light and not a volt meter. I haven't used a test light in years.

One quick question for coytee, do you know if this is a 12 volt or 24 volt system.

As for it being 12 or 24, it will work the same. But if your test light is made for 12 volts and your system is 24 you could run the risk of blowing you test light.

Once you hook the alternator up, another thing to check is if you have a fuse in between the battery and the alternator that is blown. These blow, and your alternator won't charge your battery.

Edited May 14, 2015 by duder1982

[Coytee]

12V

 

I'll be fooling with it this weekend if it doesn't rain.

 

Just got done fixing something on the wifes car.

[CECAA850]

Out of curiosity why use a test light and not a volt meter. I haven't used a test light in years.

 

If you have large wire that should be carrying substantial current, all you need is one good strand and an Ohm meter will show continuity.  It won't show if it will carry a load like a light will.  I'll use a fog light bulb when I want to check a load carrying wire but I didn't think he'd have one handy.

[CECAA850]

Once you hook the alternator up, another thing to check is if you have a fuse in between the battery and the alternator that is blown.

 

Most time it's a fusable link.  best way to check it is with a light

[The Dude]

Most time it's a fusable link.

 

Yes fusable link would be a better term, though my Jeep is a little different as the wire from the alt. goes to the main fuse block (though I haven't pulled the actual wire out of the loom to see if its a fuseable link or if it just relies on the 50 amp fuse in the block).along with some equipment I have worked on.   Probably why you said most of the time.

 

best way to check it is with a light

 

You might have said this, but this works as long as he goes to the point of connection on the Alt.  I guess when you have him check for voltage increase at the battery, if its not then further investigation would be to check to make sure the fuseable link isn't blown.

 

I'm not trying to argue with you, just seeing it from another perceptive.  I do like the use of a light, to look for the flow of current.   

[USNRET]

Good call Carl, big difference between continuity and ability to carry current. We have this issue a lot.

[CECAA850]

Good call Carl, big difference between continuity and ability to carry current. We have this issue a lot.

 

 

Absolutely.  Some times a meter will have you chasing your tail.  I have one and use it frequently but it all depends on what I'm tinkering with.

[Coytee]

Doubt that anyone is specifically following this....so I'll update it anyway!

 

The rest of the story:

 

Got the parts back.  Between the backhoe (90%) and the tractor (10%) I've been busy as a bee from 10:00 this morning until about 8:00 tonight.

 

Managed to pull the cylinders up.  Tough part was getting their upper pivot pin aligned with the upper pivot hole.  Before they'd mate, it seems they really wanted to be on a similar plane as the machine and not tilted up/down or right/left. 

 

Shimmied those up the say way I got them down by using two straps. 

 

The interesting (difficult) part came with the lower plate that holds it all together.

 

You have four bolts that have a certain alignment.  You then have two cylinders that as it turned out, were not fully up in their hole and therefore were cocked at a slight angle.

 

The plate to hold them weighs....(guessing) 50 - 70 pounds.  I had no real way to crank it up in a controlled fashion.  Finally, I created a sling under it so I could pull it up and then tighten the slack on the sling.

 

Of course, it kept slipping out and then....  no more than one of the holes would line up.

 

Finally, I pulled all but one of the bolts out thinking I'd wiggle things together.  Ultimately, that worked but, not without some cussing.

 

Got the plate up, held it up with a 2' board being held by a floor jack (3 ton)

 

Put the bolts on so at minimum, the plate was airborne.

 

Forgot the lube for the threads.  Figured that was ok, the mighty torque multiplier would crank them down.  Turns out it's difficult to use when it's being used from the bottom of a nut and the slightest release of pressure allows it to fall to the ground.  Other issue is, the torque wrench has the lock button (ball) that wedges inside the 3/4" opening but....the multiplier didn't have a detent so the torque wrench kept falling out, followed by the multiplier.

 

The torque target is around 211 ft/lbs if I recall.  I first took it to 50 and then 100 which is when I was reminded my torque wrench is a 150 ft/lb and I now need a 250.

 

Several mis-stelps where I worked on the tractor so pulled the air hose to the house from the field.  Finished tractor, back to backhoe....needed air and had none.  Had to go back to house & get hose.  At end of night, I decided I'd get the grease gun out and go over everything since I was already dirty as a monkey.  OH wait...  I just got done putting the compressor back in the garage...

 

Currently in process of trying to find a 250 torque wrench.  I've got a neighbor that is a high end mechanic (local Porsche/Audi dealer brings all of their out of warranty work to him, they mainly mess with the warranty work)

 

I'm wagering that he's got one.