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From: djw@lanl.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Dodge Van alternator failure #2
Message-ID: <26021@lanl.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 17-May-85 18:48:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: lanl.26021
Posted: Fri May 17 18:48:31 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 18-May-85 08:03:48 EDT
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Sender: newsreader@lanl.ARPA
Distribution: na
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lines: 49

I have a 1979 Dodge B300 Pathfinder 4X4 Van.  I have some electrical
problems also.  Around Christmas I replaced the alternator, the battery,
the regulator, and the starter.  I have a short in the horn button but
I've unplugged most of the stuff going through the steering.  My Amp gauge
has never really moved.  The last time I fixed everything the Amp gauge
would go up about a 16th of an inch.  The pathfinder conversion has
heavy duty everything, so I don't know whether the qauge movement is
a symptom or a cause.

The van is being repainted just now and I will get into the electrics
as soon as that's done.  The alternator is blown again I believe.  The
first time it was a combination of a dragging starter and a blown regulator.
The other alternator wasn't really blown, it was dirty internally and
threw sparks like a children's toy.  I found that the rubber skirt had
been left off when they lowered the engine ( or raised the frame, depends
on your viewpoint ).  The tires threw slush into the alternator and that
ate brushes.

Unless, we have uncovered some design flaw that could be common to
some vans.  I did discover a short ( pinched wire ) inside my tilt-steering
on the cruise control.  I wrapped it with tape and my cruise works again.

I have the factory manual for my van ( at home ), I will post the
address to order same next week if anyone cares.  $17.50 from someplace in
Ohio.  The manual shows stuff about the electrics that are really
amazing.  Guess where the factory dual battery is mounted?  With two
parts illustrated in the manual, it is mounted next to the main battery
but just a little lower and it's a little shorter battery.  I don't
have to cut my floorboard to get the dual battery setup.  ( I couldn't
figure out where to put the battery because I didn't know where the
dual exhaust pipes would go. )

I believe you need to have your starter checked.  Whenever anything goes
wrong on the electrics of a Dodge Van, the problem is usually cause by
a severe ( >200amp ) drain caused by a dragging starter.  There is a high
torque/high speed starter available; I bought one this time, It is about
a half inch longer than the stock one.  But the spin is very different.
Chase one down at your local rebuilder's or call Bijan at Target
Distributing in Albuquerque, New Mexico and make arrangements to buy one
from him.  I have nothing to do with his business.

An Auto battery is not meant to be deep-discharged, it will self destruct
after two or three times, but you all know that because I learned it from
USENET!  People do take these things to heart you know.

Dave Wade

Note: entire article is quoted starting here...
	maybe not.