Make it home on 1 alternator???

[grayw0lf]

I'm hoping to buy a M1009 this Saturday. Its a pretty good deal w/ only a few noticeable problems.

1. Rear U-Joint it trash. I can take care of this easy enough.
2. Only 1 alternator is hooked up. The Passenger side alternator does not have a belt on it. Spinning it by hand I can hear the bearings sing.

I've read that the driver's side alt runs the truck & the other alt really just charges the battery & completes the 24v system.

So, the question is: If I buy this w/ only the driver's side alternator running, what are the odds of me making it 4hrs home???

Thanks for the help!

John O>.

 

[pidgeon]

If you have good batteries? 100%. I've been driving on the drivers side alt for the past week with the passenger's side pretty much dead. (waiting for a rebuild kit for the passengers side alt.). Look up the slew of alternator posts. They explain the system much better than I could.

 

[Warthog]

I'm hoping to buy a M1009 this Saturday. Its a pretty good deal w/ only a few noticeable problems.

1. Rear U-Joint it trash. I can take care of this easy enough.
2. Only 1 alternator is hooked up. The Passenger side alternator does not have a belt on it. Spinning it by hand I can hear the bearings sing.

I've read that the driver's side alt runs the truck & the other alt really just charges the battery & completes the 24v system.

So, the question is: If I buy this w/ only the driver's side alternator running, what are the odds of me making it 4hrs home???

Thanks for the help!

John O>.

Are you driving during the day or at night?

You should be good with only the drivers side alt working.

The only electrical draw required to keep the truck running is the 12v to energize the Injector Pump shutoff and run your stop lights/turn signals

The passenger alternator is only required to charge the rear battery. The rear battery completes the 24v system which operates the starter andglowplugs

Just make sure the rear battery has a good charge and limit your engine starts.

 

[Stihl029]

you can operate on one alternator. Make sure you have the batteries fully charged first just incase you have to do several starts. I have operated with a bad alternator for months. I have a charger rigged up and charge the rear battery every few days.

 

[grayw0lf]

Great to hear! That was the impression I got from the FAQ's, but I thought I'd ask.

I need a new battery for the boat, so I think I'll go ahead & get one & bring it along..

 

[datsunaholic]

I drove my 1028 home cross-state (250 miles ish) with the pass. alt nonop. Only issue was starting, since the high battery was dead. I brought 2 spares with me, so I was good to go, and I started the truck at least 5 times on that trip alone. Turned out the 24V fuse was blown, though there's something wrong with the alt or wiring as it only charges intermittently.

 

[olivedrab]

I drove my m1009 without that alternator for over a week and occasionally charged the batteries. I've got it replaced with the Caddy alt now that I picked up from Autozone, and I also got the original rebuilt as a spare.

 

[ultim8gamr]

I drove around the first month and a half in my M1008 before I realized that the pass side alt that was installed had no isolated ground (previous owner replaced it with a standard 12v alt.). Had a few unhappy moments when the truck decided not to start on me. the first being the 5 mile drive home the moment I bought it when it ran out of diesel and then didn't have the battery to restart the engine....

So yes it can be done. apart from lights, the diesels really dont require much if any power while running.

 

[Pershing Guy]

I'm sure you probably made it home by now, but I made it from Savannah Georgia to Indiana in a M1008 after charging the batteries and only driving during daylight. Just don't use the headlights or you won't have enough power left to operate any lights (and the seat belt light will come on for some reason?) Put the best battery up front (for the turnsignals, brake lights, etc), and jump the back battery if needed to get her running.

 

[grayw0lf]

I made it home just fine! I ended up having other electrical problems, mainly no power to head lights, horn, tail lights, etc. I think I have identified it though as being related to the 30a headlight fuse.

I'm still worried about my alternators though. Gen 2 light comes on & eventually goes off. Gen 1 came on about 68 miles from the house. The lights never did dim though & I made it home. Time will tell... Pics to follow.

 

[Warthog]

Glad you made it home.

Now spend some time cleaning the fuse box. After unhooking the batteries, remove all the fuses and clean the contacts/sockets with Electrical Contact Cleaner. You can also install new fuses or use some sandpaper on the contacts.

Make sure you draw a map of where the fuses go or printout the fusebox diagram.

Here is the diagram from the -20 manual.

Alot of times you can get the alternators to work also by cleaning the wire connectors.

Right link on the thumbnail and choose "Open Link in New Window"

 

[grayw0lf]

Good advice, Warthog. I'll cleanup things tonight.

I did have to wiggle the headlight fuse again last night. I may have to bypass the fuse block for that circuit & install an inline fuse.