Mopar1973Man

As current flow increases so do the AC voltage. There is still frequency that you have to consider but can't meaure.

Well here is a song I enjoy from my personal archive. I've got a weird taste in music...

Ok... As for the PCM did you do any wiring mods or AC noise filters or voltage regulators (transmission)? If so make sure the power lead is still connected to the PCM. I've ran across @pepsi71ocean that his brother installed his voltage regulator for the transmission wrong and cut the power wire to the PCM. So this causes a weird issue of when the blower motor comes on the NO buss message and the transmission goes into limp mode (unlocks) and then as soon as you turn off again it goes back to working normally. So double check any and all wiring modifications you have. If you need to remove then from the PCM and return to stock form and see if thing work better.

Typically you need a fairly expensive meter like a Fluke or SnapOn that cane read as low a 2V scale or lower on the AC side. I see lots of cheap DVM in hardware stores for $10 to 20 and only measure in the 200 volt range this is not low enough it must have a 2V AC or 200mV AC setting.

Fan clutch is loaded with a thick oil it normal when cold to hear the fan locked for the first say 1/4 miles then unlock. Mine does the same thing most in the colder winter days. My fan clutch locks up typically around 208-210*F the stays locked as it falls to 195*F or close to it then unlocks. I've only had one time that scared me the fan didn't lock till 218*F come to find out the thermostatic coil on the clutch was all buggered up with packed dirt and dust. Too much dirt road traveling. I will mention anyone that is attempting to use water other than distilled and its known city treated I would be very cautious of that. Chlorine and other things added to the water can already set the water for low pH making it corrosive natured from the get go. I've even used my well water during times when there was no irrigation water available. Still no issues with well either. The whole trick about it is my water here is very close to neutral pH level so there no corrosive nature to cause problem like distilled. Even though both sources of water have mineral in it it doesn't hurt nothing as long the water is not corrosive. Now like Riggins, ID city water I would not use that with a ten foot pole. I know that was start like already very heavily treated with chlorine and you can smell it in the water. As for the ppm of hardness of water. Again personally I don't think the hardness has anything to do with it. It has to do with pH of the water where people living in the city and using treated water already start out lower or higher than a pH 7 from chlorine treatment and already forcing the coolant to compensate for the pH correction giving shorter life to the coolant. Once the additive in the coolant is washed out the coolant can no longer hold up and scale blooms start to form as the metal start to corrode away. Since my water is rather neutral already it has no impact in the coolant since it does have to correct for pH. Again if mineral and dissolved solids where an issue then my radiator should of been packed tight by 14 years and 263k miles as you can see it did not happen and still will not happen. So if you in the city or know that your water is already offset from neutral pH then yes you will have to shift back to distilled water.

This should help... 0.010 to 0.030 normal good alternator. 0.050 and up is marginal... There is some people that report strange happenings at this level. 0.100 is a fail. The diodes are damaged and producing too much AC noise.

When I get some more free time I'll do just a "Alternator AC Noise" article.

If the panel has a good aluminum frame you should be able to create some sort of folding legs with basic hardware. Then you'll be able to set it just about anywhere to catch the daylight for charging. Like this afternoon in the heat of the day went out and watch a DVD movie for about hour and had the water heater turned on to give the dog a bath with the outside shower. Last time I check the voltage I was still 13.2 with everything still running. Day before with everything shut down and just the panels out there is was bounce off the regulator cycling up and down at about 14.5 volts. I know it would be nice to have just a wee bit more power but when I go out boondocking I really don't need much typically there is no over the air TV, rare that I might watch DVD movie, but keeping the fridge, powered up is easy. Some use of lights at night is typically recovered in the morning hours. Water pump and furnace would be you biggest eaters. But you don't have fan forced heat nor do you have a full bath so you power requirement should be easy to cover with at 100 watt panel. I'll admit I'm a bit tight at times with mine would be nice to have 100w (7.1 Amps @ 14.0 volts) compared to 45w (3.2 amps @ 14 volts)

Some people think I plain nuts then... The only water ever used in my cooling system. Yep... Just good old Idaho creek water. Flush the block, mix my coolant load it back up. 263k miles and absolutely no mineral or scale build up. As I've been documenting this since first coolant change till now. Radiator and cooling system still spotless. As for the photo in my coolant flush article the radiators was removed for cleaning. I spray the front and back with degreaser and power washer both faces. As you'll see the battery cable laying on the valve cover and the radiator is missing. So while I was doing that I flush the block out from top down. Being there is no way to run it and flush it. As for the whole scale mineral scare. I personally don't believe mineral scare really any more after 255k miles of absolutely nothing but creek water. I've seen factory loaded distilled water and HOAT coolant look complete scaled up on the inside the radiator. Again that is cause by the coolant become corrosive and oxide of metals turning into scale blooms. Kind of like the previous owner of my 96 Dodge distilled water and coolant... Shouldn't eat the thermostat housing. Again its not because of the distilled water but the coolant become corrosive and dissolves the metals into solution which now creates the scale blooms. This is where your minerals come from. I suggest @leathermaneod to do what makes you happy feel the best...

Updated video... Other videos are deleted now as well so this is the only video in my library for AC noise testing now!

That video is skewed being it was done from the batteries not the alternator. You DVM has to be of good quality and have a setting for 2V or less. If the smallest scale is 200v it will not work. Make sure all loads are off and the batteries are charged up before testing. 0.010 to 0.030 is a good alternator 0.050 marginal (Some folks have reported weird things at this level) 0.100 Fail. The alternator is producing too much and TQ converter locking issues typically occur. This is the best one to explain the process and what is going on. Now you understand why I said to unplug the alternator and go for a drive if the alternator noise is an issues it should be gone now and the noise issue should be gone as soon as you unplug the field lead like in the video.

Fords are more prone to the caviation problem than the Cummins ISB. Again remember the OEM coolant was standard old green coolant. Anything today from a good name brand is better than the coolant technology from 15 years ago.

No. The heater core has no flow control. It's always pump through the heater core.

Here is an example... Now the outside temperature. Now the temperature inside the RV. No the clock on the thermostat is wrong it has been changed forward yet... (D'Oh!) So now if the solar panel where on the roof. There would be ZERO solar charging. So the RV would have to be parked out in the direct sun like my main house is and then suffer through 80*F temps inside the RV but you'd have solar power on the roof. This is the huge reason I will not mount the panels on the roof of the RV. Because like right now as the main house get hot for the day I can retreat to the RV and take a after noon nap if I wish or just watch DVD movie out there... Nice and cool and I've got power!

Place the hose in the radiator full force, start the engine and allow the water to pump through the system. This why I suggest surge the throttle now and then forcing water back into the heater core and the back of the block will stir the crud up. It will pump out of the thermostat housing.

Thermostat housing.

I'm not saying to fill the truck with it I'm say to rinse and drain it out then load up with distilled water. Any cooling system shop is going to use a garden hose and lots of water. Then drain it out and fill with mixed coolant and distilled water.

Won't be enough...I drain the existing coolant first. Then I pull the upper hose and thermostat out stick the garden hose to the radiator and leave idling for 2-3 minutes pumping through the block till nothing but clear water comes out. I normally kick the throttle up a couple of times to force more water through in surge to remove all sediment i the bottom of the block. Usually takes the 2-3 minutes of flowing water and engine idling to clear the entire system completely. The whole fill with distilled water and run thing does not remove all the debris or sediment from the rear and bottom of the block and typically those people end up with water pump problems. Just draining out and filling up leaves all the junk in the back of the block. Where constant flowing water and surging the throttle now and then will remove it.

Basically all name brands should be safe for use in our trucks. Like the whole silicate issue was a big stink on Honda Goldwing's on how it would destroy water pumps and how you had to use a low or zero silicate coolant (Honda Coolant). I never did... Never had a water pump problem. So like I said green coolant came with our trucks and anything today design wise is improvement over 15 year old technology which is still improving to this day. So I would have to say pick something of a name brand and go for it. If your changing colors I highly suggest you flush the either system out with lots and lots of water until it runs clear. If your using the same color / technology light flush with but good before loading up again.

(A-105)/20 doesn't even come close. Starts at 4.5 PSI and at max boost its 7 PSI.

I think there is too much being caught up in the technology and extended life change cycles. Pure in simple all coolant have a life cycle once the the coolant become corrosive in nature all them will do damage to a cooling system period. Don't matter if its HOAT, IAT, orange, yellow, or any color. If seen badly damaged radiators that have ran HOAT I've seen the same thing with yellow or green coolants too. So it comes down to cost of operation. Which material is cheaper and going to provide the needed protection for a period of time without damage. Being green coolant is what came in the engine that would be the cheapest typically. Yellow or orange typically are a bit more spendy (more so on the HOAT). Still in all you have to change and flush the system every so often because all coolant will break down and turn corrosive with time. The life span varies greatly with the vehicle, weather, driver and driving conditions.

As for universals like Prestone, Zerex, or NAPA coolants that yellow in color do a very good job as well for protection as well.

Trip got canceled and alternator repair done so the truck didn't go any where yesterday really. I'll plug it in this morning and see what your math shows. I did get a chance to see the difference in readings early to late models. 14.9 PSIa (99 Dodge) compared to 28.3 PSIa (02 Dodge).

I thought about bolt on aluminum fins. PTO are just steel plates. If I can reach and hold 200*F I would consider making a set of heat sinks for the PTO covers. So far most of my daily driving empty I'm hard pressed to get 130*F maybe 140*F. First 10-20 miles is stays below 100*F. So far thew only time I've seen good hot temps is climbing slow up forestry roads towing. Most of the dirt I travel are steeper than most common highway grades. Highway wise it warm noting too bad. Might surge for 6-7% grade but back side always cools right back down again. I'm waiting to see winter time now. Summer is no problem so far. I know I've got a trip up north to do soon which will be be a empty truck again. But I'll report as I have been.

(Hua) Flat ground towing on paved highway or street is pretty easy going. Low power required. Now leave the city, pavement, and flat ground... Now go up a steep road, dirt, switch backs, potholes, washboard, etc. I see a increase of load %, HP is higher, TQ is torque high, fuel flow is up, etc. Your foot is in and out of the throttle so you slow down and the lay more power to pick it back up. Way different that even paved grades where you can maintain even pace even at slow speeds. Lot of surge throttling, slow down for the corner, speed up again for the straight, slow down for the washboard, speed up for the smooth road. etc. So like in my run all way from home to the dirt road its 23 miles of pavement. Trans temp never rose off 100*F. Turn off and start up the dirt road it only took 2 miles and it crested at it high temp and stayed. Morning hours so the air was still cool. Now loaded and coming out the very same way. Even going down hill it only took 2 miles and it crested again at it high point. Like I said it's not smooth even throttle its up and down, slow down, speed up, etc. The only time that change is when I got to the grade and it was pure exhaust brake all the way to the bottom. Highway now that just cruise control and ride home. Now with you comment I can see it holding true like driving through town at 25 MPH. still climbing a slight grade but controlled throttle, smooth roads, etc.