Gary Lewis

You are pretty much stuck with the Bullnose sender as others have a different resistance range. But you can use brass or steel pipe fittings to change the angle or relocate it. But I'd use some pipe sealing compound on the threads to ensure you don't have a leak.

Andy - Glad you joined, but you probably missed the email that asked you to go to the New Members Start Here folder, read the guidelines, and then post an introduction. We ask that of everyone since we hold everyone to the guidelines. So it is important that you have a chance to read them, and if you go to the NMSH folder you'll see them. So before we answer your question can you assure me that you've read the guidelines?

I guess it would be the one you showed, above.

BB rolls pretty easily on pavement. But when aired down to 15 PSI and winching not only up hill but over a berm, like we did in CO last fall, it takes a bit more. The 12K winch was picked for overkill and I sure hope I'll never need its full capacity. But I do want to be able to use it should I need to do so. So I want to fuse it appropriately. Now, if I could just figure out what that is...

I don't have a breakout box. But I really don't think one is needed since we are just talking about the one pin - #4 - and I have that one extended to a 1-pin connector. But several things about the page confuse me. For instance, what does the "(M)" mean after PTO? The next column appears to say that the #'s in the following column are DV voltages and they are in the order of "Off" then "On", presumably for the PTO function. But then it shows that the Off voltage will be .1V in all cases and the "On" voltage will be "Off". That is really confusing as the diagram from earlier in the document shows taking Pin 4 to battery voltage to turn the PTO function on. So what does "Off" mean?

Here's another page from the 1996 ENGINE PERFORMANCE booklet, and I'm trying to figure out what it means. Ideas?

Yes, and yes: 1800 CCA, and 400A is at full tilt. So I'd guess that it'll pull ~200A when getting BB out of danger - like we did when in CO last fall. On the alternators, I'm finding these: 160A for $235; 200A for $259; 220A for $302. Right?

Here's an excerpt from the 1996 ENGINE PERFORMANCE booklet that shows how to wire the PTO switch and how to perform tests. Please let me know what this suggests to y'all.

Bill - Those numbers are pretty close to what I remember that Jim's DB card shows. IIRC it was 105 at idle and 160 at full tilt. (But my memory's almost as old as yours, so... ) Jim - I haven't found the exact specs for my winch, but what I'm reading says a 12K winch will pull ~400A at full load. And my nephew's amp prob only goes to 200 so I don't think we'll find out for sure about it. But I could fuse if for 500A and be safer than I am now. As for the air compressor, the way I've used it is to bring it up to 200 PSI as we near the end of the trail, meaning while the engine is above idle. Then I leave it on but with the engine off as I air up. And that doesn't always cause the compressor to kick back on, so the majority of the electrical load is while the engine is running. As for a replacement alternator, I've certainly looked at DB's 200A unit. And if/when I have to replace this one it'll probably be with something like that. But right now I think this one will work if I'm careful with the load. And now for the PTO trial. Nada. Ford's Ford Engine Performance - 1996 book provides some info on the PTO circuit, as described here, and I need to study it more as I don't yet understand it. But it clearly shows wiring a switch to the battery and to the PTO wire that goes to the ECU and turning the switch on to enable that function. I'm a little leery of applying 12v directly to an ECU pin so I hooked my incandescent test light to 12v and then touched the end to the wire. Nada. And the light didn't even glow. So I hooked this laptop up and datalogged while touching the wire with the light and there was no bobble on any parameter that was logged. In fact, Desired RPM stayed at 640 the whole time. AFR never wavered. Nothing. I guess I should put my DVM to the probe on the test light to see that it stays at battery voltage when I touch the PTO circuit. But I feel pretty sure that it does. I'll read up on the usage of the PTO function to see if there is something I can monitor that will reflect a change when I touch the wire. But so far nothing happens at all.

Bruce - Thanks, but I think I have it covered with my nephew's unit. Jim - The compressor documentation says 14A. So lossless it would be 140A, which is obviously way more then the alternator can put out at idle. I'm getting ready to try the PTO function...

I installed the 794 regulator, the one w/o LRC, and got the same downward slope with temp as with the 795, so that's probably built in. We started with 14.2 showing on my DVM awa on the graph below via the ECU, and ended up after about 9 minutes of idling at 13.8 - essentially the same with both regulators. Oh, and I rev'd it up to 1400 RPM at one point and it didn't change the voltage, so what you see is what the regulator wants. And while I've not done the Ground Here test, I think I did essentially the same thing in a different way - I turned the air compressor on. And the voltage went to 11.6 after 28 seconds. So the alternator can't keep up with that load at 640 RPM - whatever that load is, and I'll figure that out on the 2nd. At this point I'm thinking that staying with an engine-driven fan is the way to go. We'll see on the 2nd what the alternator is capable of at various RPMs, but I'm thinking that electric fans might be a bridge too far.

Thanks, Bill. But at the moment I'm trying to not spend more money. So here's Plan B. My nephew has a clamp-on unit that goes to 200A, and we have a 4th Of July party we'll meet at on the 2nd, so he'll bring it and I'll take the truck. We can see what current it'll throw and how much the winch pulls. Also, I found that the regulator I put in is an F795 from Quick Start Automotive Electric. It says it is a "14.6 Vset, 2.5 second LRC", but I never, ever see 14.6V from it. This morning when I started the truck up cold, with the ECT at 72F, the voltage the ECU saw was 14.2. And my DVM is showing the same thing at the battery. But it never goes to 14.6V and it tapers off pretty quickly to 13.7V. So I'm wondering if I have a bad regulator? I have an F794 that is supposed to be the same but w/o the 2.5 second LRC and I'm thinking about swapping that in to see what will happen.

Well, the plans of mice and men... The ammeter function doesn't work. I took the pickup apart and discovered it is somewhat complex, but there was nothing obviously wrong: So I pulled the back off the unit. Six circuit boards?!? I pulled each of those, cleaned the contacts, and put them back. And I changed out the 9V and D-cell batteries. But no obvious problems were found and it still didn't work. So I called the # on the back of it, which got me to a holding company that had, at one point, bought out Stewart-Warner in a hostile takeover. And according to the gentleman I talked with SW didn't give them any documentation, whatsoever. So they had nothing for me. Then I called the new Stewart-Warner and that guy said that they have a real guru that has been around forever and he might be able to help, so I sent him an email that included pics. We shall see. But barring a miracle from SW I don't have an ammeter that will handle more than 100 amps, and this alternator could top that at idle. So I'm kind of on hold at the moment, waiting to see if SW comes through. Bruce - How big and heavy is your unit? EDIT: The guy from SW got back. All of their info was lost in the Chicago fire. Man, I knew this thing is old, but????

Thanks, Larry. If/when I have to replace the MC I'll probably go with one of those. Where would I get the connector?

Ok, thanks. I really don't know so will have to see what others say about the OBS ones.

Chad - Have you used them on your Bronco? If so, how did they work?

Thanks, but my MC is bigger - for an F450. Does the reservoir swap? And wouldn't it be smaller?

Well, Bruce, it looks like I'll pass on borrowing your meter. But thanks anyway. Mine appears to be adequate, and I'm pretty sure it works. I haven't used it in years but did when I first got it. The Cranking Amps scale goes to 800A and the Charging Amps goes to 200A. Bill - Don't you have the mate to it? Have you used it?

Well done!

Yes, my MC is an OEM one and doesn't have a float in it.

Thanks, Bruce! Let me check to see what I have. IIRC the roll-around tuneup unit has a clamp-on ammeter, but I'm not sure I've ever used it so need to check it out. But determining the current supplied awa the current used on several devices is a good idea. For instance, I really don't know what the winch truly pulls, so have it wired directly to the aux battery w/o a fuse. I did that because I don't want to be in a pinch and blow a fuse getting out. But if I knew what it really pulls then I'd feel safe to fuse it. And the inverter is fused, but I don't truly know what it pulls so should measure it as well. As for testing, I'd feel better having a lot of load on the batteries/alternator before hitting the Ground Here To Test screw since I don't want the voltage to go very high. So I think I'll turn the air compressor on while running the A/C. And I need to test the PTO input to the ECU. I really don't know what happens when you take that to 12V. Some have said the idle R's come up, but I see nothing in the tune that supports that and I'd have thought there would be a parameter for idle RPM with PTO if that were true. Others have said that the emissions are disregarded when PTO is turned on, but what does that mean? So I really need to test to see if I can tell what happens.

Nice truck. Very clean, and if the "no mods" bit is accurate then it would be a good buy - assuming the price doesn't go too high.

Well done, Jeff! Keith - Dennis Carpenter is doing it correctly. Not only can we link directly to the part in the catalog, but they show the original part number so we can find the part in a search of the internet. Hopefully your IT department will see the need to do it that way.

Alright Sir! Helping moving one of my sons this weekend, will modify that when come back home. Stay tuned! Thanks! But there is no hurry, what so ever.

I don't think mine has a float, but can you show a pic of that? And glad you made it home and have no leaks.