1980 L-82 Dies while driving
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
1980 L-82 Dies while driving
So I just replaced my water pump, radiator, and thermostat. After completing the job, I was excited to get her up and running again. Had to jump her off in order to crank (strange that the battery would have drained), drove around the block and she just died right as I was turning onto my street. Not sure how/ why water pump, radiator or thermostat would have caused this. I replaced my alternator last month and had it working just fine. Battery won't hold a charge. Strange stuff. Any advice would be much appreciated! thanks
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 943
Likes: 73
So I just replaced my water pump, radiator, and thermostat. After completing the job, I was excited to get her up and running again. Had to jump her off in order to crank (strange that the battery would have drained), drove around the block and she just died right as I was turning onto my street. Not sure how/ why water pump, radiator or thermostat would have caused this. I replaced my alternator last month and had it working just fine. Battery won't hold a charge. Strange stuff. Any advice would be much appreciated! thanks
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
How long was the battery sitting before the repairs were made? Did you get the battery checked out? A somewhat overlooked problem is when a battery has too much internal resistance which forces the alternator to constantly put out more amperage than normal. People tell me that they went thru a couple of alternators in the last few months and the quality of the rebuilds were no good. Checking the amperage output (ammeter attachment for my voltmeter) , I found them way above the normal. Replaced the battery. So, try a simple carbon pile load tester, a conductance meter or the ammeter on your fully charged battery and get back with the results.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 943
Likes: 73
Thanks for the advice. The last time I ran her was two weeks ago. Yeah, I changed out the alternator two months ago. I also changed out my grounding wire connected to the battery (which had been corroded). This seemed to fix the issue. Yesterday, upon completion of the project, was the first time I had started her up since I began the work. I sent the battery in to be charged and will test it later this afternoon.
