Need Help on a 2000 F350????

I have had a 2000 F350 diesel for going on three years. I bought it with a known engine issue. That turned into needing a complete remaned engine or good used one. Finally found a 95K used motor. Had a local shop do all the work. After we got it running the motor runs great. We only have had it back on the road for 5-6 weeks, less than 2000 miles. The rest of the truck keeps giving me problems now.

AC system failed when it got hot. Bad compressor and condenser.

Power steering pump blew the shaft seal. Had to replace the complete pump as the shaft was roughed up.

Right rear wheel studs broke off lost the rims completely. Ruined the hub, rims, brake rotor and caliper.

Now the current issue. Last week the battery light came on. Checked an alternator was not charging. Replaced the alternator. Battery light went out. Volt meter reads half way between the 8 and 18 volt numbers so that would be around 12-13 volts??? Thursday I went to move a tractor with the truck and trailer. The hydraulic tail just barely had enough voltage to work one time. This is charged from the pickup system. So I thought that there was an issue in the power wire going back to the trailer or the fuse for the trailer power supply. Checked that out and everything is fine. Checked the pickup's battery voltage 10.5 to 11 volts at the battery. So Low when not running. Start the truck and the batteries do not charge. The alternator has battery voltage at the power terminal on the back when it is not running. When started it jumps up to 13.5 volts at the power terminal on the back of the alternator. Volt meter in the cab show increase when running. Battery light goes out. The charge is not getting back to the batteries. The batteries will power everything in the cab when the truck is not running.


The trailer has a built in charger you can run off 110 volt. I plugged it in and left it set over night. I had forgotten to unplug the trailer cord from the pickup. The trailer charger charged both the truck batteries and the trailer battery. So that should mean that circuit is fine.

So how am I getting power from the batteries but not getting any charge back to them from the trucks charging system???? It seems to show charge voltage inside the cab. This has me baffled.

Mine acted just like that when the batteries got tired, or if I let it set and idle for long periods of time, like an hour or longer. They just don't seem to charge much at an idle even though mine will show the battery being at 13.5 or so, if you shut if off, you'll be lucky if it would restart the next day. If it did happen to atart, a few days of normal driving will let the batteries get back to normal if I can't get a charger on it overnight. Maybe I misinterpreted your problem, but that's just my experience with my PSD Ford.

You need to check voltage with a dvom, at the hydraulic pump motor with the motor running , then check voltage at the battery with the motor running. Compare the readings and see how much drop you have. There is a big difference between a circuit trickle charging a set of batteries, and working a electric motor with the load of a hydraulic pump. My guess is there is a bad connection between the truck batteries and the trailer hydraulic pump motor.

Check ground straps between engine and chassis and body.

Maybe when they lifted body and/or the engine they broke some or forgot to connect them back up.

As my old uncle used to say when only a portion of your problems, GET SHED OF IT.

You are sure having some problems with that pickup. It must have had a rough life before you got it. Will it start without jumping it? If the batteries are low, it will usually have enough power to crank the engine, but not enough to fire the injectors.

Alt isn't charging. You should have 14.1-14.5V with engine running. Could be a computer problem...I believe the charge rate can be adjusted with a good scan tool. Have you tried full fielding the alt (jumper wire from Hot post to field terminal) That should show 15.5-17+Volts if the alt is charging. If full fielding it makes it charge the regulator is most likely bad. Bad rebuilt alts out of the box are fairly common....

You need an amp clamp meter to follow where the power is going. Sounds to me like one or both of your batteries have turned into more of a resistor than battery. Meaning, they will keep sucking the power from the alternator without getting the voltage up. Anytime we have a vehicle come in that needs an alternator the batteries and current get checked with the new alternator. A good battery will charge up in short order and let the alternator amps fall back. Bad batteries will just keep taking what the alternator will put out. A whining alternator when the battery should be charged is another indication of a "resistor" battery.

Never saw this condition until about 8 years ago. Rumor has it the EPA required a change in metals in batteries. As to your charge through circuit to trailer, is a different can of worms.

I agree with juniur,you have a weak/bad connection in the battery cable circuit some where.It can't carry a load-amperage above a trickle.And your batteries may be failing-summertime and it does not take a lot to crank up the engine like it would in winter.If you have a battery load tester,I would hook it to the cable ends away from the batteries,even the alternator cable.Follow the trailer charging cable back from the rear.Follow the alternator cable back from the alternator-it probably will go to the starter,or it maybe integral into a + battery cable end.Or one battery may be getting voltage but not the other.Check each - and +. Just do not load the cables too high of amperage for their size.You can compare readings to what you get at the batteries.Mark

Isnt there a diode on the charge wire going back to the trailer? I think that is so your truck can charge the trailer battery, but not discharge the truck battery.Could it be the diode is turned around so your not getting power to the trailer yet when you charged the trailer it also charged the truck batterys.

Especially from napa.

Take a look at this link. Sounds about the same issue.

http://www.justanswer.com/ford/4auhr-2000-f350-changed-battery-cables-7-3-liter.html

Fusible links burned out by the starter solenoid.