Oh, if only life was so simple – my yesterday’s problem would have remained yesterday’s problem.
Instead, I was able to enjoy a second round to my truck’s electrical saga.
Could this be the real source of my troubles?
Things were great this morning. Instead of a dead battery, like yesterday, the truck roared to life as if it was brand new. No red lights. No bouncing volt meters. Just a steady hum of the engine. That was until I decided to go out for lunch.
At that point, my truck decided that it was time for round two and the problem returned with all the same characteristics.
This time, I needed to think a little harder about the solution. The dashboard was indicating the voltage was high – not low. The motor seemed to run smoothly – thus any electrical issues were not translated into the ignition system. For some reason, the ABS light was on – indicating that it was disabled. This must have been an artifact of high voltage – a built-in safety feature. There was a clicking sound coming from under the dash – usually when the voltage would peak into the red area of the meter. This was likely some type of protection mechanism so that various components wouldn’t short out.
A nearly humorous artifact was that the motorized window would raise up and down really fast. It must not have a voltage limiter – thus higher DC voltage means faster rotational speed.
It's back on the bike for anouther round to the auto parts store.
All of this was influenced by the RPMs of the motor – the higher the RPM, the higher the voltage.
All of this points toward the source of the electricity – the alternator.
This is where the truck was trying its best to trick me. I had replaced the alternator less than one year ago – thus leading me to look elsewhere for the problem. Since the chance of this going bad was low, I was trying to convince myself that an alternative source (hey, another pun) of the problem must exist (ignition coil, battery connection, bad replacement battery). But, no. The alternator seemed to be the next, most-likely source of the trouble.
The fortunate part of this story is that the alternator is easily accessible on my truck. It takes all of five minutes to yank it out. The unfortunate part is that this renders the truck useless. That meant it was back to the Rockhopper for my mode of transportation to/from the auto parts store. Without the treacherous snowstorm, I would dare consider it an enjoyable ride. My joy was tempered slightly when I had to write a check for $170.
It Works! and receives Jeremy's Seal of Approval
With parts back in the truck, it roared to life with all systems go. As good as new. Just like this morning when I thought I had fixed the problem.
Should I expect a third round of foolery tomorrow?
