No Charge

[The Preacher]

OK, so it wasn't the starter. It was a dead battery. Problem is the battery is a whole week old. I replaced the other battery due to slow crankning even though it was fairly new. Apparently I am not getting any charge.

Is there a list of usual suspects I could start tracking down what could be draining my battery of keeping me from getting a good charge?

[andy d]

get the battery re-charged. then take a voltage reading across the battery terminals with a voltmeter.a fully charged battery should have around 12.5 volts. it should read at least 13.5 volts with the engine idling. 14.5volts is ideal. less and the alternator is failing. it may also be a poor connection with the main cables.

[ibnfe]

there's a good chance that your alternator isn't giving anymorew juice. I've had to replace the voltage regulator in mine several times over the years. The Haynes manual tells you specifically how to read out each part of your alternator to save some money. A new regulator is about $9.00 or so, a new alt is quite a bit more. Also, give a good look over your wiring to and from the alternator and battery or solenoid (depending on where it is connected) as well as your regulator (if you have an external regulator).