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Roger Woods Web Page
12 Volt Engine Electrical Service and Repair Rip-Offs.
Rvers dread turning the key and hearing a groaning sound, a click, or
no sound. When that happens, you are a prime candidate to be taken to
the cleaners by some jerk masquerading as a “mechanic” or “auto
electrician.” No, you ain’t gonna come out smelling like a rose but
reeking like a skunk because you just been skunked! Like rats just
waiting for an opportunity to get in your rig, these jerks are
everywhere.
You get your rig towed to the local establishment. Of course, you have
no way of knowing if the shop employees are competent, without info
from others who have used it.
The jerk turns the key, nothing, then opens the hood, looks at the
battery and announces you have a dead battery and a bad battery is the
cause.
No sh-t Dick Tracy! Uhhh… might be, might not be!
He does not take out a simple multi-meter. Or fully charge the battery
in the rig. He pulls the old battery, gets a new one, sticks it in,
turns the key. Viola! The engine fires up and all is hunky-dory. That
means the starter works.
In my discussion below I’ll talk about what the competent mechanic will
do.
If you let any such jerk get away with this
pull-the-battery-and-replace-it procedure, you is asking for trouble.
I know it is a “policy” of most shops that customers are not permitted
in the repair area. The usual excuse is insurance regulations, which
may be the case. A lot of that “policy” is an excuse to keep you from
seeing what is really being done to your rig. Because you can be ripped
off so easily when you have engine electrical system problems, don’t
take “No” for an answer when you insist you want to be in an area where
you can see clearly what is done to your rig.
Do it nicely and if you are a lady, smile real sweetly. If you got some
great T’s and A, wiggle them a bit. Yeah, I know a lot of ladies will
consider the last two sentences to be by a male chauvinist pig. Keep
one thought in mind. MONEY! Yours!!! To keep as much of it as you can
in your pocket, give a cute little smile. Jiggle the tits and wiggle
the ass.
Okay, ladies, if you is still convinced I is a MCP and you see me along
the road, it is okay if you yell “OINK! OINK!” at me and give me the
Bird. But if my info saved you money, let me know. If you got a cold
brewski, toss one over. If we are stopping at the same camping area and
you is grilling steaks, take pity on my poor empty tummy and toss one
on the Bar B for me.
Let’s say the dude/dudette at the shop appears to be okay. Clean
clothes, doesn’t stink of B.O. or booze. You ignore my observation
suggestions and are led down the primrose path, fork over some big
bucks, put the rig in gear and head for the I-state. Maybe fire up the
CD, turn on the AC…A day or so later, you are 300+ miles down the road,
just cruising along and thinking how great the trip is.
Suddenly, the radio might go off, the AC shut down. You is most
likely in deep doo doo!
A lot of vehicles have computers that will automatically shut down
everything you don’t absolutely need to get to some safe place where
you can get repairs done if the voltage starts to drop. I call it “the
get home quick” mode. If that happens, don’t bother pulling over
to the side and see if you can determine the reason for the problems.
Get to the nearest exit of the I-state where you can get the rig
checked—a big truck stop, large auto service center. If you are in a
town or on one of the red highways, find such a place, pronto!
You might want to pull out your wallet, look at the cash in there and
kiss it gently hoping it all does not sprout wings and fly away. Make
sure your credit card is not squirming and trying to get out of the
wallet and fly to the office of the repair shop.
If you are into it, say a prayer that you can find an honest mechanic
there. Otherwise, cross your fingers, your toes, your legs, and say a
prayer anyway. You never know. You might luck out. The Big Guy up There
might be having a slow day, hear your prayer, and have mercy on your
poor ripped-off soul.
The Correct Way to Diagnose A 12 Volt Engine Electrical System Problem
Different mechanics will use variable diagnostic techniques, depending
upon their training and experience.
A reasonably competent mechanic does not need a shop equipped with a
half-million dollars in diagnostic equipment to determine why you have
a dead battery. In almost every case.
He/she needs some basic hand tools, a multi-meter (Radio Shack sells
them for twenty or thirty bucks) a battery charger with the capability
of doing a rapid discharge test for bad cells, and a few other items
like battery post cleaners, baking soda, a terminal removal tool. None
of which are rocket science to use.
Depending upon how badly discharged your battery is when you get it to
the shop, it might have recharged enough to restart the vehicle.
Normally, a mechanic will try to start the engine. If it does, he knows
the starter is working.
If the engine starts I shut it down, and open the hood. Ditto if it
does not start. I turn on my trouble light and carefully inspect the
alternator belts and all the wiring, especially around the alternator,
the battery (does it have a lot of green or yellow scum around the
terminals?), the starter relay (if one is on a sidewall), wiring
running back to the firewall, and the starter. What I am looking for
are indications of overheated or melted wires. Or wires routed where
they should not be, perhaps not tied up away from hot parts of the
engine. I will then clean the battery terminals, check for water in the
battery, hook up a battery charger and fully charge the battery. I
remove the surface charge, then use a hydrometer to check the specific
gravity of the battery, and check it for bad cells using a high current
discharge tester. If all is okay, I try to start the engine. If it will
not start, it may be that the starter is not working or the cable
running to the starter is a problem. .
In my experience, most all no-start problems are a dead battery. Often
I would see the ugly yellow or green stuff around the terminals, and
occasionally corrosion between the battery terminal and the cable
connector would be the problem.
If the engine starts, I take my multi-meter and measure the voltage the
alternator is putting out. If 13, 13.5, 14, 14,5 fine. Mechanics will
have different voltage levels they require. I had an old ’78 Dodge van
that put out a maximum of 13 volts, and ate voltage regulators. I
carried three or four. The battery stayed charged, most of the time. I
carried a fully charged back up battery just in case. If I get 13.5+, I
is in hog heaven, and you is safe to go down the road. If 14+, put it
in gear and boogie.
If the voltage is 12 volts, I have to do further checking.
The most common faults are a bad alternator, or bad voltage regulator.
Once in a while an ammeter may be bad, but I have rarely seen that.
If I determine that the starter is at fault, the most common problem is
the starter relay or it could be the wiring that attaches to the relay,
or solenoid. If that unit is external, and near the battery, it is
fairly easy to diagnose. And the part is cheap. The hourly labor rate
probably won’t be cheap. If the relay is on the starter, and the wiring
to it is okay, the starter will have to be pulled. If either unit is
bad most mechanics, myself included, will replace the entire unit. Over
the years, I’ve seen many cases where a starter with an external
solenoid attached to it is bad and the mechanic will replace the
starter and not the solenoid. Bad decision! His heart might be in the
right place, trying to save the customer money, but it costs more money
in the long run.
Case History of a Rip Off, or an Incompetent “Mechanic.”
I once had a vehicle towed in to the shop. Dead battery. The customer
said that a local shade-tree mechanic had replaced the alternator and
battery. Now, don’t get me wrong. Ain’t nothing wrong with shade-tree
mechanics as long as they know what they are doing. I am one of them.
I’m also an old licensed aircraft mechanic. After working on
four-engine transport aircraft, an engine electrical system is real
simple.
I did my wire inspection and immediately found the problem.
It took all of ten seconds.
The wires leading from the alternator were lying (or is it laying?
Never could get those terms correct) on the exhaust manifold. They had
melted and fused. Whoever did the prior work did not do a simple wire
inspection. After disconnecting the battery ground wire, I hooked the
battery up to a charger, etc.
Cut out the bad wiring, did a splice and soldered the connections.
Shrank a piece of protective tubing on the connection, then used wire
ties to secure the wiring away from any heat sources. I started the
engine and the voltage output was 9 volts. I suspected internal
grounding in the alternator. If the alternator had simply not been
charging, voltage would have been 12 volts. I pulled the alternator,
had it put on a machine and tested under load. Nine volts max. It had
an internal regulator that was probably shorted out by the grounded
wiring.
One comment about NAPA. This alternator I knew was purchased new from
NAPA and was under warranty but the vehicle owner had not been given
the NAPA receipt by the “mechanic” who installed it. So, he had no
proof of purchase. I took the alternator to NAPA, explained it had been
bought at NAPA and was under warranty. No problem. The various numbers
on the alternator proved that it was under warranty and it was replaced
at no cost. I didn’t discuss any vehicle wiring.
I use NAPA only when I can’t get a part at Auto Zone or Advance Auto
because NAPA prices are way beyond the ability of my SS check to cover
them. But, their parts are first class, top quality, and they stand by
their warranty. If you want to go with the best and can afford it, buy
NAPA! (No, folks, I have no financial interest in NAPA. I wish I owned
a million or two of their stock. Retirement would probably be a bit
more cushy!!!)
Best of luck as you roll down the road.
If you have electrical problems at the Slabs, Niland, CA, let me know.
My charge for consultation is fixed in stone. It is a donation of a
case of cold beer, or a 5-liter container of burgundy, and a large bag
of ice. If you are so inclined, you is welcome to share the booze. At
the Slabs, expect repairs to be done on Slab time. I play music there
at the Range, and might just go dashing off to pick some good country
music. Plus, I want you there after I do the repairs so I know I fixed
the problem.
Roger
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