OUCH...That hurt

[KF5BET]

Well it happened...

Crysti and the girls went to Dallas to Visit her sister. She took my truck (05 f250 6.0 dsl).

She got up Thursday Morning to come home (about 7 1/2 hrs door to door). About an hour into the drive she calls me at work and says she has no gauges or radio...and the ABS light is on. I tell her to check and make sure the belt didn't break (told her not to turn the truck off).

She calls back about ten minutes later and says "were losing power". Took an exit and coasted to a stop on the service road. Truck is now done...no fire and no go!

She calls me back and says now what...I am thinking I have no idea what can I do 7 hours away!.. I call my BIL and he is only about 30 minutes from them. He goes and gets them and takes them to a dealership just 9 miles away. The dealer gets the truck back to the shop and run diagnostics on it and find out the alternator died (there was no warning...also no gauge for volts...seriously thinking about installing one now!).

Long story....They finally got aroound to getting it fixed about 4:30 this afternoon. They will go get the truck tomorrow and head this way.

So if you are curious... a nine mile tow, diagnostics and a new alternator will cost roughly $740.00 (yep that's right) from a dealer.

What kills me is I would have done it myself if I had been there with them....

[AE5BI]

It should be a law that every vehicle have both a voltmeter and ammeter. I carried a spare Cam Position Sensor when I had my truck, it is another part that will stop the truck dead in its tracks.

[wa8yxm]

$740.. Is an OUCH! But it sounds right close to what I'd expect.

Might be cheaper to pop a Honda EU-1000i in the bed of the pickup and plug in a PD-9260 to charge the battery... Though depending on the time of day (Day/Night) and weather that might be a bit anemic... Still. the fact that the Honda can charge 'er up while the truck is parked makes up for it. (joking of course) Now a EU-2000i with a larger converter... Well that's too much for the truck's battery to accept.

Oh, and as for a volt meter..... Alternator failures are a bit like fuses.. one mile as you go down the road it's working perfectly... The next it's working not at all, totally dead.. At least that's how it usually works.

And the ABS light is often your first warning.. IT's one of the most voltage sensitive devices on the vehicle so when the voltage starts to drop the ABS alarms.. Next is radio in many cases. (not all)

[W7PSK]

Well If it makes you feel better. I lost my Injector Pump on my Dodge while in Redding California

2400.00 later I could come home.

[KF5BET]

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

$740.. Is an OUCH! But it sounds right close to what I'd expect.

Might be cheaper to pop a Honda EU-1000i in the bed of the pickup and plug in a PD-9260 to charge the battery... Though depending on the time of day (Day/Night) and weather that might be a bit anemic... Still. the fact that the Honda can charge 'er up while the truck is parked makes up for it. (joking of course) Now a EU-2000i with a larger converter... Well that's too much for the truck's battery to accept.

Oh, and as for a volt meter..... Alternator failures are a bit like fuses.. one mile as you go down the road it's working perfectly... The next it's working not at all, totally dead.. At least that's how it usually works.

And the ABS light is often your first warning.. IT's one of the most voltage sensitive devices on the vehicle so when the voltage starts to drop the ABS alarms.. Next is radio in many cases. (not all)

That's funny but true: My Uncle went to go on a job one morning and found that the alternator in his silverado had died...He had no time to get another truck or call someone so he grabbed his generator threw it into the bed, ran an extension cord up into the engine compartment, hooked up a battery charger cranked up the generator and off he went. Changed it out later that day after the job!

[KF5BET]

I am just happy to have my girls home...Only took them two extra days!!!

[wa8yxm]

Of course it can always be worse.. Alternator went out on my wife's car so I told her when I got home from work I'd hook up the charger and we'd run it up to the service place that installed the nearly new faulty alternator.

Well.. Did she listen (NEVER) so when I got home she jumps in and by now the reserve capacity has kicked in so the car starts. She takes off before I can charge it up

Got part way there and it dies. I hook up the charger put about 10 mintues worth in it (Heavy duty charger) and it's off to the store now only about a mile away.. She comes up to a red light and afraid the car will die before the light turns green runs the light.......RIGHT IN FRONT OF A POLICE CAR

The new alternator was free (Warranty) the ticket was $80 bucks plus a hit on our insurance.

Did she learn to LISTEN... Not as of this morning she had not... Still hears half of what I say and makes up half of what she hears.

[TXiceman]

Both of my F350's (1997 and 2002) lost the altanator at about 84000 miles. Last one was repalced in late 2008 and it was about $640.00 from a local garage and Ford part. I would have done the work, but we were leaving on a trip the NEXT day.

Ken

[donnie]

Originally Posted by AE5BI

It should be a law that every vehicle have both a voltmeter and ammeter. I carried a spare Cam Position Sensor when I had my truck, it is another part that will stop the truck dead in its tracks.

I agree with this instead of idiot lights.
But how many people would pay attention to the gauges anyway?
How many have you seen driving down the road with the left turn blinker on when in the fast lane of a freeway?
Makes me wonder if they would try to turn.