Damn! No power after replacing alt and water pump...

[mpro69rr]

Hey Guys,

I worked on my 69 RR 383 4 speed this weekend. The car was running great before the work. I replaced the water pump and alternator. Got everything connected back up and went to start it and got a click the dakota digital dash blinked and then no power. I have the MAD wiring for info. I put the old alt back on and nothing. I checked the battery and got 12v, I tried connecting the two studs on the starter relay with a screw driver and nothing. Checked fusable links and fuses all seem fine. I checked power at the starter relay and the meter flashed all kinds of numbers so I assume there is no power there? Why I changed the alt was because I was receiving high voltage, sometimes 15v so I thought I would put the old alt back on to see what kind of volts I would get, I thought maybe maybe the power master alt was bad. I don't understand why I wouldn't get 12v at the starter relay? The battery gets 12v? Could it be a bad battery, it was working great before I replaced the alt?

 

[dadsbee]

Could it be a bad battery, it was working great before I replaced the alt?

A quick boost will answer that..

 

[mpro69rr]

Forgot to say I got a new negative battery cable too, I'm checked the end that connects to the head for ground and got flashing numbers which I think means no ground right? Maybe the new cable is bad? Hard to believe a new negative able could be bad?

 

[mpro69rr]

A quick boost will answer that..

What do you mean a boost, like charge? It has 12v and it was working before so I don't think its that, but you never know....

 

[Cranky]

A fully charged battery should have 13.5 to 14.5 volts......probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have it tested.

 

[mpro69rr]

A fully charged battery should have 13.5 to 14.5 volts......probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have it tested.

I got it! I put the old negative battery cable back on and it started right up! I can't believe a brand new negative batter cable could be the problem! Thanks for the suggestions though, I still may get the battery tested because it only shows 12.49v.

 

[MWbirdLOVER70]

I got it! I put the old negative battery cable back on and it started right up! I can't believe a brand new negative batter cable could be the problem! Thanks for the suggestions though, I still may get the battery tested because it only shows 12.49v.

Strange but parts today are not the parts we grew up with

 

[AR67GTX]

A battery fully charged, but just sitting static (engine off) should be around 12.7-12.8 volts. But with the engine running you should see between 13.5 and 14.5 volts, maybe a little more if you have an electronic voltage regulator. The charging system has to put out more than the batteries static charge of 12.8 volts in order to force a charge on it.

 

[mpro69rr]

A battery fully charged, but just sitting static (engine off) should be around 12.7-12.8 volts. But with the engine running you should see between 13.5 and 14.5 volts, maybe a little more if you have an electronic voltage regulator. The charging system has to put out more than the batteries static charge of 12.8 volts in order to force a charge on it.

My battery must be good then, its 12.49v not running and 14.5v running, so it should be OK. Thanks!

 

[davek]

Seems everything is junk today.

 

[Crackedback]

run a jumper cable from neg battery terminal to block.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Hey Guys,

I worked on my 69 RR 383 4 speed this weekend. The car was running great before the work. I replaced the water pump and alternator. Got everything connected back up and went to start it and got a click the dakota digital dash blinked and then no power. I have the MAD wiring for info. I put the old alt back on and nothing. I checked the battery and got 12v, I tried connecting the two studs on the starter relay with a screw driver and nothing. Checked fusable links and fuses all seem fine. I checked power at the starter relay and the meter flashed all kinds of numbers so I assume there is no power there? Why I changed the alt was because I was receiving high voltage, sometimes 15v so I thought I would put the old alt back on to see what kind of volts I would get, I thought maybe maybe the power master alt was bad. I don't understand why I wouldn't get 12v at the starter relay? The battery gets 12v? Could it be a bad battery, it was working great before I replaced the alt?

Well, that bypasses virtually everything... So check you battery & battery cables... Clean the terminals thoroughly...

Well... I read the rest of the thread after posting... I'll just shut up & go play elsewhere..

 

[Geoff 2]

A fully charged battery measures 12.6v at room temp. Slightly lower at colder temps. After charging a battery, it retains a slight 'surface charge' that is higher than the actual charge. So always let the battery sit for a couple of hours after charging before measuring the voltage.