I have a 64 peterbuilt 383 drillrig with working alternator and not charging the batteries any body have a schematic i could get to run traces and get this thing going again its been worked on a few times before and has lots of hanging wires installed by a realy smart electrician im looking to get her fixed right thanks
I really doubt that you will find a schematic or wiring diagram, but it should be fairly straight forward to find the problem. You say the alternator is working, is this an off vehicle test or on, and if on how are you testing it? What alternator, Delco, Motorola, Prestolite, Leece Neville, and what model. What is the voltage at the alternator terminal when running and can you place a small load at that terminal?
Does this truck have a 12 or 24 volt starter? With all the extra hanging wires, did it have a series parallel switch that may have been removed to make it a 12 volt system? Is the alternator 12 or 24 volt? If it did have a series parallel switch removed and now is a straight 12 volt system it might be quicker and cheaper to just find a standard charging system schematic and re-wire the truck accordingly.
It is series/parallel, he had the alt bench tested a few years ago, was working,he put it back on the truck and still wasnt charging. i fixed his 30kw gen set now he wants me to fix his rig, its not been charging for a few years, puts a bat charger on it when he needs to go out for a well drilling. a basic wiring diagram is all i need ill get it working, just need to know where to plug in and not burn things down, so far ive found 2 acdelco regulators i the few minuts i had to look at it didnt have my multi meter when i was out there. need to do some pressurewashing under hood, rats like to eat cactus here needles and greasedirt packed in eavrywhere just need somthing to start with
64 with an alternator ??
Yeah, that don't sound original.
The other question I forgot is, what type of alternator? Is it internal or external regulator? I found a good series parallel diagram on-line but it doesn't cover the charging part just the starting part. I'll try and locate a good schematic in an old manual. It's been to many years since I've worked on those to remember anything accurately.
The two regulators is usually a clue that something has been messed with. Never worked with parallel/series switches, but I'll bet that doesn't affect the alternator wiring. Start with finding the regulator, what brand, or even better a picture of the terminals with their letters. Then we'll have something to go on.
kd7ura, if you send me a PM with your e-mail address I'll send you some scanned schematics out of a Mitchell Truck repair manual.
The series parallel switch needs to be in good condition for the batteries to get charged. The best way to fix one is to get rid of it, swap the starter for a 12 volt unit and change the battery cables accordingly. That way you have a charging system as simple as the one in your pickup, easy to diagnose problems, no mysterious wiring diagrams to sort out.