Sounds like a charging system problem somewhere. Put it on a charger
overnight and see if the problem goes away for a while.
Your voltage sounds a little low for when the truck is running.
It should be up to around 13.8 to 14 volts when the truck is running.
One other thought, have you added a super stereo or a bunch of lights
or something? These old truck generators only put out around 20
amps max. This can be fixed by converting to an alternator.
Start with the easy things, check both ends of the battery cables,
the wires going to the voltage regulator, the terminals on the generator,
and so on. If it becomes more serious than this, you may want to
give up and get an alternator. There is a reason modern cars and
trucks don't have generators and mechanical voltage regulators anymore.
Bruce Kettunen
57 3200
Mt. Iron, MN
At Sunday, 17 November 2002, you wrote:
>Hi Ol'truckers, I need help!
>
>Over the past week I've noticed every time I go to start my '59 Chevy
>Apache, it cranks over a little slower, but eventually starts. This
morning
>it finally wouldn't crank, like the battery is dead. Here are the
facts:
>
>All the lights work fine, I had a new Diehard battery installed
4 months
>ago. I checked it on a multi meter and it's right at 12 volts, seems
fine
>
>It cranks right over and runs great if I jump start it off another
vehicle.
>I check the charging system with a tester (one wire on the coil,
another
>on the battery and one ground).
>At idle the meter showed 11.8 volts, when revving it showed 12.5 - 12.
>8 volts. The charging system seems to check out.
>
>I drive it around for an hour or so, then try to start it but the
starter
>just clicks like the battery is dead.
>
>Could this be a bad starter solenoid? If it were, how cold it jump
start?
>Voltage regulator? any ideas?
>
>Thanks, Dana
>San Francisco
>oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
>
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