[shakenfake]

Having a couple issues recently

• In the morning when I open the doors before I start the truck and even shortly after all my interior lights flicker and so do my license plate lights.
• Randomly get service brake system (No ABS Light) when key on engine off for a quick second and then goes back to normal with my odometer. Only once did I ever get the loud ding ding dings associated with that.
• LCD screen in the head unit randomly is either not on or very very dim when you start the truck. After about 5 minutes it goes back to normal
• My battery gauge is about 12V for a minute after starting the truck. I know glow plugs and what not take a lot of juice but it was 80* out today. I am thinking it is not this.

Also if anyone has read my other threads I have other intermittent codes but I doubt this is part of them.
My main question is about that 12V on start up. Is that normal? I also know that this truck has the voltage regulator in the ECM iirc but I figured that it shouldn't be telling it to be that low when the truck is off right?


I plan on taking the batteries to get load tested this weekend. They test out when engine off at 12.5V, passenger is 9/19 and driver is 5/20 date coded. I would like to rebuild my alternator if that is an option, if that is my issue, but don't know much about it. A new one is about $200.


I also found this on the driver side battery. I will be getting a new battery cable.

You can just barely see it but is that second wire coming off the ground normal? I have not had the time to really trace either of these down but I should have my truck down this weekend to go through it.


Anyways, thoughts?

 

[shakenfake]

Extra image of the second wire. RockAuto does not show a battery cable as looking like that like.

 

[heymccall]

Yea, it's OEM.
Big wire to engine block.
Small wire to driver's frame ear at core support body mount.

 

[shakenfake]

Thank you literally 5 minutes after this post I had realized the one with the single wire is auxiliary cable lol
Depressingly enough you can get an ACDelco 33" for $30 but the 36" costs $180 lol wtf

Guess Standard Motor Products will be the answer. Not my favorite but no other options here.

 

[shakenfake]

So I found that I can just replace the boot and bolt instead. I will still be cleaning and going over the grounds.
Boot is Dorman 60300
Bolt is Dorman 60307

If you open the doors but don't turn the key all the lighting and stuff is normal no flickering and what not. You turn the key on engine off and the volt gauge will be at like 10V maybe go up to 12V and all hell breaks loose with the flickering lights. You turn the truck on and give it a minute or so and the flickering goes away and volt gauge is up to 14-14.5V.
I know the volt gauge isn't the most accurate and I will go back with my volt meter and test it as well. Just weird

 

[Ben A Gonna]

So I found that I can just replace the boot and bolt instead. I will still be cleaning and going over the grounds.
Boot is Dorman 60300
Bolt is Dorman 60307

If you open the doors but don't turn the key all the lighting and stuff is normal no flickering and what not. You turn the key on engine off and the volt gauge will be at like 10V maybe go up to 12V and all hell breaks loose with the flickering lights. You turn the truck on and give it a minute or so and the flickering goes away and volt gauge is up to 14-14.5V.
I know the volt gauge isn't the most accurate and I will go back with my volt meter and test it as well. Just weird

Just a FYI
A good coating of di electric grease will do wonders at slowing down corrosion on bare wiring.

L8R

 

[shakenfake]

Yup bad battery. Bought two new AAA batteries.
Replaced the boot and bolt on the primary battery ground cable and replaced the bolt on the secondary battery positive cable.
The primary battery had the hold down block bolt broken off in the tray and no block in sight so I pulled the tray out (broke one of the tray bolts off at the head so that bolt is gone) and slowly twisted the bolt out. Wire wheeled some rust off and then repainted the tray and got a new block and bolt from Advance Auto.

Battery hold down kit DieHard P/N: 45165
Battery cable boot kit Dorman P/N: 60300
Battery cable bolt kit Dorman P/N: 60307

 

[roswell]

AAA is a little small for the truck. You should at least get AA..

Wasn't that a pleasant surprise though? A couple of batteries and a decent cable. 99% of the time when things are flickering and don't behave correctly, that's the cause. Highly suggest you heed the advice about dielectric grease. Big fan.

Roswell

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[shakenfake]

I got a tube of it in my shop just for times like these

I still seem to have some flickering but I wonder if it is these LEDs I have in the cab. It is not nearly as bad though and I have yet to see "Service Brake System" again. Knock on wood.


I didn't have map lights or license plate lights when I bought the truck as they were burnt out. I put the LEDs.

 

[shakenfake]

I did end up swapping out the LED bulbs and that also fixed my lights flickering issue.

My head unit still comes on dim so I am just thinking it is aging a bit. I planned on replacing it anyway with a 1factoryradio BT unit.

 

[Ben A Gonna]

Just another tip.
Even though a battery cable will show 12 volts of conductive current, does not mean it will transfer the required amperage. Unseen corrosion is a PITA.

L8R

 

[shakenfake]

Thanks Ben.

I don't want to jinx myself since it has only been a month so I will decline to give a status report.

 

[Ben A Gonna]

Do whatever needed to keep MURPHY at bay.

L8R