Charging problem - week of many problems

I don't recall having so many things go wrong in one week - in a long time.

My shop is full of vehicles I have torn apart (and would usually be driving). We have to have a 4WD or AWD or cannot even get out of our driveway when there is a good amount of snow (as it is now).

I just put my 2001 4WD Chevy Tracker on the road for the winter. I just put a new gas tank, fuel pump, new half-shafts in front, all new copper-nickel brake and gas lines, brakes, etc. Thought I was all set. Me, kid, wife and dog hopped in to go to other house 40 miles away. We got two miles and the Tracker started bucking and then died. Ends up the battery was stone-dead. So we walked 2 miles back in the snow, 5 degrees F outside. It took an hour and that 2 miles seemed a LOT longer on foot.

I grabbed a battery out of my 78 Toyota motorhome (same size as the Tracker). We took my Dodge Grand Caravan that is only front-wheel-drive and just barely made it after several attempts. I never tried before and I am amazed at how BAD that van gets traction going up a snowy hill.

So, got to the Tracker, put the battery in it and drove it back home.

I was kind of stumped at first. Note the no-charge indicator light comes on when I first turn the key on, and goes out when the engine starts. I just assumed that means the alternator is charging. NOPE. No charge at all.

A little history. This same thing happened last year and at that time, I found a battery terminal had rotted off. So I put a new terminal on it and I thought it was fine ever since. But - in a year - we have never driven the Tracker more then a mile or so at a time and it is always plugged into a battery maintainer (it is just a spare vehicle).

I am now wondering if this thing has had no charging system for over a year?

I did not think it was possible for the alternator charge-light to go off when the engine starts but have no charge. Now after looking at the wiring-diagram, I wonder. It looks like there is an 80 amp fuse between the alternator and the rest of the system. If it blows - the car runs off the battery only and perhaps -the actual voltage at the alternator is still at charge level and turns the "no charge" light off?

I guess I will find out tomorrow. I wonder now that maybe a year ago when that battery terminal fell off when driving - it made the alternator surge so bad it blew that 80 amp fuse?

Yes, I know . . this is a tractor forum. I spent some time at a dedicated Chevy Tracker forum and found nothing but nonsense. Here is the wiring diagram. Note the 80 amp fuse upper left that seems to only isolate the alternator and nothing else. Fuse is bolted in so I have not been able to remove and check it yet.

I think you are correct in your analysis. Jim

Your deduction seems like the cause. Designers some times have bad days too. LOL

On my 2002 F350 the same fuse supplies power to the voltage regulator/alternator and the no charge light. I had an alternator go bad. Put the new one on and had the batteries fully charged while switching the alternator. Took off on a two hour trip. Voltmeter kept dropping. No charge. Found the bad fuse and then the light would work. You have to look close when the key is turned on but the motor not running to catch the blow fuse wiping out the warning light too.

This is way beyond me. Funny things can happen.
The alt in a mini track loader would excite and charge if the engine was revved nearly wide open. I found a lot of grease and crud in the alt. Under that I found corrosion. Imagine my surprise when a new alternator did nothing. Finally found a diode in the fuse panel was not there! All I could guess was that between the vibration and crud/corrosion, some few electrons must have jumped around somewhere where they shouldn't have!

I think your diagnosis is correct. An open connection on the BAT terminal won't show up with the charge light.

But what doesn't make sense is that the battery would go from enough power to crank to not enough to run in only 2 miles. Guess that is possible with a gear reduction starter, and high demand, like head lights and high blower. Still might want to load test the battery, especially if the 80 amp fuse is blown.

It is up to the internal voltage regulator to ground the circuit to turn the light on. It could be possible that the voltage regulator circuitry is what has failed thus not turning the battery light on when running.

A test light or volt meter can quickly verify power at the fuse or to all 3 circuits at alternator with key turned on/run. Also from past experience on some asian products the battery light was a little primitive and would only come on if the alternator stopped turning (broken belt), this could be the case too.