dodge truck question

[Mr. 6pak2go]

hey guys i have a question about my old dodge truck i just got it back on the road iv been driving it for a few months know but im having some wiring troubles when first fired it up something shorted out and melted some wires at the fues box (fuse 4,5,6) well i replaced the wires and everything seemed to be fine for about two mouths well thurs and hooked my cab lights up (linked in to fuse 5 acc lights) drove the truck maybe a mile and parked it when out on monday to take off the trash the battery was dead i poped the hood and the thing swelled up like a melon and busted acid everywhere!! i know something is shorted or grounded but what?? and suggestions on what or how to find it?? btw i know the cab lights had to have something to due with it cause it was fine till then! any help would be apperciated peace out! kevin

[Chryco Psycho]

disconnect the cab lights & use an Ohm meter to make sure that circuit is shorted , start checking for places where the wrie couldbe pinched or exposed ,probably in the lights up top

[Mr. 6pak2go]

i stand corrected i walk out just know to make sure all my facts where right they wasnt the lights are in fuse 2 (acc lights) 456 are radio hazard and wipers but the only wire that melted (before) was the wire coming from the ignition! it melted from the ign harness to the fuse box thats it it didnt even blow any fuses!?? maybe oh btw there is no radio installed! if that helps anything i guess that blows that old arron tippin song all to heck! (aint nothing wrong with the radiO) aint got no radio lol

[wagesofsin]

i could be wrong, and i may be, but it could be the switch is bad, and its open all the time, and without actually utilising the current, it is backlogging.

just a thought. id drop the switch and disconnect any pertinant wiring, keeping in mind where it all went of course. and then run a test of each circuit.

[Mr. 6pak2go]

i thought the same thing but i asked the electrician at work and he said he didnt think so he said it would be like a light switch at home if its bad then it wouldnt work. he said its shorted out somewhere some im gonna check for ohms !

[Aussie Challenger]

  Must be a decent short to blow up the battery, disconnect the positive lead at the battery, install an amp meter between the positive terminal and power lead and note the current draw. With the help of a friend disconnect all the different circuits one at a time and see which one drops the amp guage to zero when disconnected, some circuits may draw a few milleamps and these shouldn't be your problem. Look for cables rubbing on or pinched by brackets or going through the firewall and under dash.    
  This can take some time but you have a problem and it has to found, don't want truck to catch fire especially when you are driving it.   

[Mr. 6pak2go]

ok il try that! tonight while driving i noticed the headlights would dim when i let off the gas what could cause this?? im thinking it has to be a bad ground somewhere like the secondary ground that bolts the the radator support! im  gonna check the amps going to the lights before and after the truck is running and see how much it changes! it thought maybe the alternater but i disconected the battery while the truck was running and it didnt die is this a flawless way of testing the alternater? how else could i test it? i need help yall lots and lots of help!!

[Aussie Challenger]

  Have you checked to see what the alternator is charging at idle and at say 2,000rpm. At idle it should be around 13 volts, at increased rev's go up to between 13.8 & 14.5 volts. A loose or slipping fan/alternator belt can cause fluctuations at low rev's, I would check the ground on the alternator panel, I run a wire between that panel and the battery Neg terminal, eliminates most of those problems.   
  Having said all the above if you have a decent short in the system you will also get the lights dimming as you described.   
  Don't disconnect the alternator while the engine is running you can "blow-up" or fry the alternator, it needs a voltage source to tell it how much voltage to put out.    

[Mr. 6pak2go]

ok another question iv read on another site that the ammeter in the dash cluster can cause the alternater not to charge is this true?? and what should the ammeter read cause eithor my alternater is not working or my gauge is not working cause it never moves! its got a d on one side and a c on the other im assuming its disscharge and charge and it never moves form the middle running or not!!?? is this normal??

[wagesofsin]

ok another question iv read on another site that the ammeter in the dash cluster can cause the alternater not to charge is this true?? and what should the ammeter read cause eithor my alternater is not working or my gauge is not working cause it never moves! its got a d on one side and a c on the other im assuming its disscharge and charge and it never moves form the middle running or not!!?? is this normal??

no its not normal. best way to check that was mentioned by aussie, you need to disconnect all pertinant systems. get it running and check the battery with an ammmeter. it should read 12 volts at least standing charge(11.6 is not uncommon and no cause for alarm). upon running, the battery should read a max of 14.5 upon acceleration. any more and the regulator is not functioning. any less than 13 and the alternator is not working properly.

this is going to be a process of elimination at the least. i would start by just marking every circuit to the best of your ability, and eliminate them as you reinstall them.it only takes a couple to make the engine actually run.(turn it over,live ignition and spark)

an ammeter, and some masking tape(to mark what goes where), a bit of patience, and it shouldnt be that hard to de-gremlin the truck.
i hate electrical, but if i was closer, i'd jump right in, i do love a mystery!

good luck

john

[Chryco Psycho]

if the ammeter is not working almost nothing on the truck will have power , someone may have bridged the ammeter in the past to allow current flow without going through the guage
 battery power is 13.2 V or lower , charging while running it should be 13.6 or higher

[Mr. 6pak2go]

   well know im really confussed i know the ammeter is not bypassed because it used to work and know it dont is it possible that the needle is just broke? im gonna start by checking the charge and go from there... but so far the new battery has been in the truck for a week with no problems so maybe it was just the cab lights  I guess well see!

[wagesofsin]

like i said, you dont need much hooked up to make it actually run. just reconnect circuits as you need them, and its a process of elimination.
the alternator needent be hooked up till you need a charge.

be patient, it will be evident soon enough, and then you can remedy it

[Aussie Challenger]

  Check the wires on the back of the amp meter, they may be loose & shorting out.
  Otherwise check as said before, fault finding can be a real pain in the a$$, check the basic's first, best of luck   

[Mr. 6pak2go]

ok checked it today it was 12.7 volts not running and 14.9 running it didnt change while reving!! so i guess its not the alt!!