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3G Alternator Generating too many volts

CowboyBilly9Mile

Charter Member
7,118
442
USA
Last edited:

Kaajot

Micro Machine Manager
It was Jones' Automotive Engines, which became something else, which became something else, etc, etc.

Oh man...

I wish I'd known they had to rebrand themselves. This is a strategy to avoid liability.

I guess the J in S&J probably is "Jones."
 

Kaajot

Micro Machine Manager
Let me know, I am a master mechanic by trade and will speak to them if need be. Just let me know

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

Hey Doc-

So, right now I'm approved to submit warranty paperwork, receipts, etc and get it to a new shop which is actually recommended by a different social group of people (like my post master, it's her cousin or brother that works at this shop and they've been around for a long long time). Going to take it to All Good Auto Service in Brownville, NY. Has a good reputation in the area and good reviews online. They specialize in the older vehicles or at least have an older mechanic with years and years of experience and it's probably GOOD experience.

Second, S&J Engines said based on my report it sounds like the head blew. They affirmed they magniflux before and after machining the surfaces, etc to condition the block for remanufacture.

Third, they mentioned that it's probably a timing gear problem that caused the head to blow?

So, this gets me back to my mechanic (now out of business) at TTR. Keith would always say the timing looks great. But, he's done (with my help doing labor when I could) three head jobs now and they have all resulted in the same condition -- losing all my oil and coolant out my exhaust. And every time I pointed at it, he'd say it was just condensation.

I think he just doesn't know any better anymore. I think he literally believes it or he believes I believe it every time he says that, but I don't. I know my truck when it ran well before a tornado, before a 12 pt buck, and finally before the transmission blew in 2015 and started this journey.

The question is, could the timing have "looked good" and still been off and caused the head gasket to blow? S&J Engines said that's probably what happened.

I also will state, my throttle body adjustment does not adjust the rpm idle at this time. I've not placed a new IAC on it yet or examined the throttle body butterfly vent for warping which could cause bad air intake.

That's where I'm at. I have to get the warranty paperwork together, take to All Good once I have the 4 new tires and transmission fluid done on my Saab SportCombi (it runs and is clean, very happy this will work in between with just illegal plates because of the Coronavirus shutting down all DMV/SOS functions), and then see what they find in their diagnosis.

-KJ
 

Kaajot

Micro Machine Manager
Alrighty, so....

Currently it looks like S&J Engines will help me out whether it's a blown head or a cracked engine. All Good Auto Service referred me to the Machine Shop next to our local NAPA on Mill Street in Watertown, and that mechanic shop is where they send their engine work (they don't themselves).

Once Saab is running (got battery in it today, working on tires, then transmission flush and oil change and uh, looks like later I need to change the timing chain guards and will just buy a timing set in case the chain is loose, etc -- there is a clicking noise and I'm relieved it's likely the timing, water pump, or a loose bolt on the alternator).

ANYWAY, back to Ford. Once Saab is reliably up n running, F-150 will go there and for about $150 can diagnostic everything, report to S&J what's wrong, and go from there. Should get any required parts from S&J and labor. If it is a head job, hoping this shop is good at their diagnostics 'cuz I don't want to find out we blow another head and have to yank the engine to find a crazy microfissure or something that shouldn't have happened but did -- will be another $1500+ in labor if that happens. If it's just a head job, at least the warranty labor SHOULD cover that, but if the engine is determined bad from the get go, I can probably get half the engine removal/reinstall done with warranty labor and pay another $600-$900 to finish the job on the reinstall.

So that's where I'm at -- they're not fighting me over it yet, but we haven't done the diagnostic check yet.

I should probably start another thread once it goes to the shop and helpful information is available to report since this is an Alternator Overcharging thread (tighten your energizer bolt, it will fix the over-charging condition on the instrument cluster).

Also, F-150 IS on its last leg. Blew the radiator cap off as I went to put the chickens up tonight and put the new battery in my Saab. Luckily, I had just gotten coolant at WalMart and was able to put some in. The F-250 plow truck and F-700 are parked there too, so I grabbed the F-250's spare radiator cap with pressure release and decided to install with the cap depressurized so if it does build pressure, it just bubbles. That's my solution rather than creating a backburst or old faithful and loss of all the fluid at once and another cap.

Obviously driving this vehicle MINIMAL and next week we're shooting to get it into the new mechanic shop so they can do their work. Was pretty good at $69.99/hourly rate, but also reputable and sharing NAPA's space and the place All Good Auto sends their engine work. I don't have the name of the shop, will get it later but it's probably my best bet at this point based on referrals.
 

Blue-Truck-Nut97

crank polisher
551
18
Glad you are making progress.

I did want to mention, the fact that it hasn't hydrolocked makes my initial knee-jerk reaction of cracked cylinder wall less likely. At least in my experience anyway. Here's hoping you get away with a quick head gasket. Good luck.

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