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DrewSkizzle

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Hey guys ive checked the forums and I see some other people having alternator problems I am also but im having a additional symptom that nobody is reporting. Ok I have A 03 Exp 54 EB I was driving one day and my battery light came on then it went off, I said hmm ok, so after that it came back on then off then on then finally it stayed off until I park. over 2 weeks it got more frequent then as I was driving I started smelling something like burning plastic I tracked it down to the ground wire to the fuse box it was hot as a firecracker and it melted the plastic by the tip, so I replaced the alternator everything seem A ok at 1st now its doing the exact same thing as well as the hot ground. I do want to note I noticed through out this whole thing my headlights and dome lights dimming at times but no battery indicator so im sure im getting some voltage drop, the battery seems ok but I will be getting a new 1 in the morning just in case some how its the battery and lastly occasionally when I crank it up it will click a couple times like a low battery then it this awful screeching sound as it cranks up(it might just be the starter gear temporarily stuck out to long because of the power flux). Thanx in advance.
 

Don Hall

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I understand your desire to save money, but sometimes it is necessary to spend in order to solve a problem. Why not take your vehicle to an auto-electric shop where they solve electrical problems
before the vehicle catches fire? Adding parts without proper diagnosis is wasting money.
 

Trainmaster

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You've got an intermittent short somewhere that replacing parts probably won't help. If you don't know how to troubleshoot that stuff and it can be a lot of work, follow Don's advice. Something will probably burn otherwise. If the fire's not too bad, it will pinpoint the problem. But if the fire spreads, you may never know what caused it.

Screeching is usually the belt. The alternator may be under a huge load because it running into a short, causing the belt to slip.
 
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DrewSkizzle

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Sorry im just replying it been workin crazy hours and I dropped my phone the screen went out, but to Don Hall, I understand that once I noticed just replacing the alternator and the light stayed on and the melting wire I new it was more to it I just figured I replace the battery to be sure, im good at problem solving and ive done some minor electrical work so im gonna try it myself but if I cant solve this problem THEN ill take it to the shop. Now trainmaster I understand I have a short and what can happen, but thanx for the belt answer. So all in all ima try to diagnose this myself, I was hoping for some kind of advice on it instead of just take it to shop, like telling me what the ground is for going to fuse box will really narrow it down and possibly a wire diagram would help but if I cant get that info ima just follow it and see where it leads me but I do I have a idea of what it could causing it
 

Don Hall

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Nothing wrong with trying to do your own trouble shooting. My humble advice would be to
disconnect one battery post while checking for obvious wiring defects. If no wiring problems
are obvious, reconnect the battery, and begin using your electrical meters and knowledge.

What can happen with a short? A fire can happen, so have an extinguisher handy. If a short exists, why wouldn't the circuits be protected by fuses?

Good luck!
 
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DrewSkizzle

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Yes I have a portable extinquisher handy lol I have the day off so I tried that to I found out that its not a negative ground to the fuse box but a positive one and when its disconnected its no power what so ever to the truck and that wire leads to the fuseable link harness to the alternator so ima replace that which is cheap and go through process of elimination if that doesn't help.
 
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DrewSkizzle

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Hey guys sorry im soooooo late replying i had to drive for a while to make sure the problem was solved but shortly after I last replied I did some troubleshooting and wire following and traced the problem to the Starter, when i asked you all about the starter sound it was said it was probably a overload but what it was was I had a exposed wire from the starter and the current was arcing over to the positive side causing all my problems. So anybody having this problem and you come across this post check your starter wires underneath the truck.
 

Anthony DeVor

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Hey guys ive checked the forums and I see some other people having alternator problems I am also but im having a additional symptom that nobody is reporting. Ok I have A 03 Exp 54 EB I was driving one day and my battery light came on then it went off, I said hmm ok, so after that it came back on then off then on then finally it stayed off until I park. over 2 weeks it got more frequent then as I was driving I started smelling something like burning plastic I tracked it down to the ground wire to the fuse box it was hot as a firecracker and it melted the plastic by the tip, so I replaced the alternator everything seem A ok at 1st now its doing the exact same thing as well as the hot ground. I do want to note I noticed through out this whole thing my headlights and dome lights dimming at times but no battery indicator so im sure im getting some voltage drop, the battery seems ok but I will be getting a new 1 in the morning just in case some how its the battery and lastly occasionally when I crank it up it will click a couple times like a low battery then it this awful screeching sound as it cranks up(it might just be the starter gear temporarily stuck out to long because of the power flux). Thanx in advance.

CHECK ALL GROUND WIRE CONNECTIONS, make sure there is no corrosion and they are tight even more run one or two EXTRA ground wires from the battery to the block, frame, and fuse panels. If you still have the issue then I would take it somewhere
 
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