The Camano Experience

[Machspeed]

Haven't done a lot on the 86 over the past couple of months but I did get the vacuum advance switch mounted to the carb plate using some stand offs.

Since this is activated off the A/C Selector Switch circuit (wire that goes to the pressure switch) I converted that LG/P wire to be a relay trigger and am now feeding the pressure switch and the vacuum advance switch off one of the relays in the passenger side ssVEC. They don't pull enough to warrant a relay but I needed to tie in anyways and the relay box was right there. So now the 30A factory heater/ac circuit is now doing nothing but triggering two relays

Also finally hooked the heater core back up with new hoses and the new stainless spring clamps. That only took 6 months to do....

Then some bad news. Hadn't driven the truck since I got back into town from the Big Brutus event but took it out Saturday morning to drop off recycling. Got about a mile down the road an my radio rebooted (android touchscreen). Glanced at the gauges and noticed my voltmeter was pegged out. Pulled over, killed it, restarted and same thing. It was almost maxed out at idle and went off the charts with a little throttle. Pulled the midi fuse for the alt, dropped off recycling and headed to O'Reilly's to get the alt tested. When I put the fuse back in and started it up for the test, it didn't register anything at all now. Test showed bad diodes.

Grab a new one off the shelf while I was there you say? If only. Well, I knew the Powermaster 1 wire was going to get me someday but I didn't expect it to happen with under 4000 miles on the truck.

Removed the fuse and drove it back home. As frustrating as it is, especially after warnings of the like , fortunately it happened so close to home.

Everything is already setup for the 3g upgrade with the exception of the excite wire. So last night I did some quick terminal swaps in the ssVEC so the LG/R wire that was only going to a fuse connecting it to the R/O wire for the voltmeter is now going to a relay. This relay output now splits - one leg going to the R/O voltmeter fuse and the other into a connector that will hook to the 3G harness.

So things are now setup according to the recommended practice

Looks like DB is OOS on the afd0028 right now so may have to look around.

Gary - is this the one you are running along with Jim? I was thinking you have a stock 130A but couldn't recall which model (maybe it's in stock if different).

Jim - with us running the same L&L brackets, nothing changes with having to deal with the thicker ear correct? I will still have to modify the bracket?

Scott, I'd skip on the DB alternator. Mine did not last long at all before it went south. Shortly after I ordered mine off Amazon, I came across several reviews stating that a once good product had gone south. I think Jim may have gotten his when things were good.

I replaced that DB alternator with an AutoZone unit with a lifetime warranty on it. Specific alternator was from a 93 Ford Taurus with 3.8 engine. Note, not the 3.0, as the ear for the tension bolt is too small. Ask me how I know this! They did not have it in stock but had it for me the next day.

 

[kramttocs]

Scott, I'd skip on the DB alternator. Mine did not last long at all before it went south. Shortly after I ordered mine off Amazon, I came across several reviews stating that a once good product had gone south. I think Jim may have gotten his when things were good.

I replaced that DB alternator with an AutoZone unit with a lifetime warranty on it. Specific alternator was from a 93 Ford Taurus with 3.8 engine. Note, not the 3.0, as the ear for the tension bolt is too small. Ask me how I know this! They did not have it in stock but had it for me the next day.

Thanks John! I appreciate that heads up as it was going to be the one I purchased if the Powermaster falls through. Will look elsewhere if I go 3G.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Scott, I'd skip on the DB alternator. Mine did not last long at all before it went south. Shortly after I ordered mine off Amazon, I came across several reviews stating that a once good product had gone south. I think Jim may have gotten his when things were good.

I replaced that DB alternator with an AutoZone unit with a lifetime warranty on it. Specific alternator was from a 93 Ford Taurus with 3.8 engine. Note, not the 3.0, as the ear for the tension bolt is too small. Ask me how I know this! They did not have it in stock but had it for me the next day.

John, do you have any idea what's gone wrong with your alternator?

I never really saw any diagnosis or follow up beyond that you were sourcing another one locally.

DB has a good warranty policy, and if your alternator is defective you should request a refund.

At the very least explain to them how or what has failed so they can address the issue going forward.

I'm sincerely sorry that your experience with their product hasn't been as good as mine.

 

[Machspeed]

John, do you have any idea what's gone wrong with your alternator?

I never really saw any diagnosis or follow up beyond that you were sourcing another one locally.

DB has a good warranty policy, and if your alternator is defective you should request a refund.

At the very least explain to them how or what has failed so they can address the issue going forward.

I'm sincerely sorry that your experience with their product hasn't been as good as mine.

Ohhhh Jim, no apologies needed. You had good luck with yours and so did others. Every now and then things like this happen. Rather than mess with a lengthy exchange period through Amazon, I just used it as a core. The thing here is that I won't have any issues in this area if the AZ unit goes bad.

As to what was wrong with it, I suspect it was an internal diode as Gary suggested. I changed out the regulator and it made no difference. I also had a nasty draw on my battery.

The new one appears to be just fine, though I've not put much time on it yet. I will admit that having a fail with the DB unit, I am a little apprehensive. I drove the truck around town the other day for about 20 minutes, raised the hood to inspect and felt like the alternator was a little hot, as I could not keep my hand on it for any period of time. This may be normal, I don't know. I did buy an infrared thermometer and when it comes in I will monitor the temp.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Ohhhh Jim, no apologies needed. You had good luck with yours and so did others. Every now and then things like this happen. Rather than mess with a lengthy exchange period through Amazon, I just used it as a core. The thing here is that I won't have any issues in this area if the AZ unit goes bad.

As to what was wrong with it, I suspect it was an internal diode as Gary suggested. I changed out the regulator and it made no difference. I also had a nasty draw on my battery.

The new one appears to be just fine, though I've not put much time on it yet. I will admit that having a fail with the DB unit, I am a little apprehensive. I drove the truck around town the other day for about 20 minutes, raised the hood to inspect and felt like the alternator was a little hot, as I could not keep my hand on it for any period of time. This may be normal, I don't know. I did buy an infrared thermometer and when it comes in I will monitor the temp.

Well the battery draw definitely points to the diode board.

If the exchange is through Amazon, I've never had problems or delay.

Diodes shouldn't go bad like that, but they and the windings do shed heat in operation.

It seems most alternators are only about 65% efficient.

There is a reason the 3G's have front and rear fans to move a lot of air through the housing.

Because they are often called on to put out a good amount of amps at lower fan speeds.

[Bulletproof250]

Got a couple items wrapped up tonight for after paint. Finished putting together the door latches after coating them and the rods. Just a word of wisdom if coating these things - there is a small spring piece in between the two metal parts in the second photo that needs to be removed before coating. I'd removed the big spring but didn't realize exactly what that other one was. It's thin enough that it can't break through the coating after baking and will just bend leaving you to have to pull new springs from the jy. Fortunately easy to do.

Also finished putting together my tailgate handle after disassembly, coating, and buffing. Still need to find the little spring as mine was missing. The tailgate rods are coated and are waiting for my foam gun to be returned from a friend's so I can remake the foam rattle-suppressors.

Scott,

Where did you get the tailgate rod clips for the gate handle. I bought some but they barely stay in the holes. I'm hopeing that I can get the right ones otherwise I'll have to come up with a "hack" without being a Hack.

[kramttocs]

Scott,

Where did you get the tailgate rod clips for the gate handle. I bought some but they barely stay in the holes. I'm hopeing that I can get the right ones otherwise I'll have to come up with a "hack" without being a Hack.

Hey Alex,

I am 99% sure I used Dorman 703237 (75451) from RockAuto which are the same as what is used on the door latching mechanism.

These are the same that you should be able to get locally (O'Reillys, AutoZone, etc) which may be what you already have? Do you know if your handle is factory or aftermarket? I just shipped my only easily accessible factory handle to another member or I'd happy test the 703237.

Even with the rod in there they still can be pulled out of the handle?

[Bulletproof250]

Hey Alex,

I am 99% sure I used Dorman 703237 (75451) from RockAuto which are the same as what is used on the door latching mechanism.

These are the same that you should be able to get locally (O'Reillys, AutoZone, etc) which may be what you already have? Do you know if your handle is factory or aftermarket? I just shipped my only easily accessible factory handle to another member or I'd happy test the 703237.

Even with the rod in there they still can be pulled out of the handle?

Yes Scott I shut the/ OK I slammed the gate the other day and them went to open it, and it didn't unlatch, that's when I noticed the rod still had the clip on the end of it. Looked just like it normally would be if it were still connected to the the handle linkage. I'll see if I can contact my local part-guys and ask for the doorman part number "703237 (75451)" or I'll order them from RockAuto, with my next order.

Thanks for the help.

[kramttocs]

Yes Scott I shut the/ OK I slammed the gate the other day and them went to open it, and it didn't unlatch, that's when I noticed the rod still had the clip on the end of it. Looked just like it normally would be if it were still connected to the the handle linkage. I'll see if I can contact my local part-guys and ask for the doorman part number "703237 (75451)" or I'll order them from RockAuto, with my next order.

Thanks for the help.

Let us know what happens and if they solve the problem

Time for some updates on the 86.

I'll start by saying we are in the proverbial "fool me twice" territory now.

Instead of ditching the Powermaster, I now own two

I believe last I posted the Ford Upgrade 1 wire was in the local shop. Powermaster wouldn't sell the builder the parts so I picked it up and forked out the money to return it to PM.

Few days later PM called and the unit really wasn't worth rebuilding back to original specs (apparently it has older gen internals). They gave me the options of building it to lesser specs, a discount on a newer Ford Upgrade 1 wire with better specs, and/or a discount on a 3G.

I'd talked myself into the 3G already but also went with the discount on the newer Ford Upgrade 1 wire to be used in the 80 or another project.

And since I didn't check to see if I had something written on my forehead, I went with the 1 wire 3G

Joking aside, no regrets..so far.

The 3G did require some grinding on the L&L bracket so it would have full range of motion. Not really needed once stretched out but it would have been a bit of a pain getting the belt on initially.

Have only driven it a couple of times but so far so good. The initial startup did give me a squeal so will monitor that. It was a known risk with the higher amp output potential and a single v belt.

Specs on this unit:

Since Gary brought it up in another thread, I am toying with the electric fan idea. Did some quick temp wiring for one fan (has two) and the 12" 80W fan hits 14.5A at start and then settles at 8A. I don't know how accurate the ebay specs are for the fan but it seems to move a lot of air.

I thought about trying to use the relays in the ssVEC but instead opted for the Davies Craig 0445 controller. It's a pretty simple self-contained unit but is temp configurable, has a delayed second fan start, and can be A/C triggered.

Waiting for that to come in now.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Let us know what happens and if they solve the problem

Time for some updates on the 86.

I'll start by saying we are in the proverbial "fool me twice" territory now.

Instead of ditching the Powermaster, I now own two

I believe last I posted the Ford Upgrade 1 wire was in the local shop. Powermaster wouldn't sell the builder the parts so I picked it up and forked out the money to return it to PM.

Few days later PM called and the unit really wasn't worth rebuilding back to original specs (apparently it has older gen internals). They gave me the options of building it to lesser specs, a discount on a newer Ford Upgrade 1 wire with better specs, and/or a discount on a 3G.

I'd talked myself into the 3G already but also went with the discount on the newer Ford Upgrade 1 wire to be used in the 80 or another project.

And since I didn't check to see if I had something written on my forehead, I went with the 1 wire 3G

Joking aside, no regrets..so far.

The 3G did require some grinding on the L&L bracket so it would have full range of motion. Not really needed once stretched out but it would have been a bit of a pain getting the belt on initially.

Have only driven it a couple of times but so far so good. The initial startup did give me a squeal so will monitor that. It was a known risk with the higher amp output potential and a single v belt.

Specs on this unit:

Since Gary brought it up in another thread, I am toying with the electric fan idea. Did some quick temp wiring for one fan (has two) and the 12" 80W fan hits 14.5A at start and then settles at 8A. I don't know how accurate the ebay specs are for the fan but it seems to move a lot of air.

I thought about trying to use the relays in the ssVEC but instead opted for the Davies Craig 0445 controller. It's a pretty simple self-contained unit but is temp configurable, has a delayed second fan start, and can be A/C triggered.

Waiting for that to come in now.

Scott, which 3G chassis did you end up with?

We have the same L&L bracket on a 460 and I don't have any problem with range of motion.

But I do have the 8.25" mount, and I believe I am using a non-stick belt length.

Anyway, I do have plenty of swing and my adjuster bolt is near the middle of the slot.