smelly catalytic converter?

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DobaDaddy said:
That may very well be the problem. That alternator is trying to charge two batteries and only one is hooked up....
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I've had the truck for 3 years and it probably only ran one for years before that. I'm not a mechanic by any means but I would like to think if you have an external voltage regulator it should prevent your battery or batteries from over charging.

Thanks to everyone for your input and talking me through it. I shall report back once it's all good
 
Sorry I tend to dwell on the battery issues and sometimes overlook the potential alternator failure. Pishta is absolutely correct an internal alternator failure could be the cause. Sometimes it needs some heat up time before failure takes place. Diode trio failure internal to alt is most common . Really hoping for battery so you can get it covered under part warranty.
 
Rob said:
I've had the truck for 3 years and it probably only ran one for years before that. I'm not a mechanic by any means but I would like to think if you have an external voltage regulator it should prevent your battery or batteries from over charging.

Thanks to everyone for your input and talking me through it. I shall report back once it's all good
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Maybe, but your truck is the first I've heard of only running on one battery for a long period of time. They typically don't last long at all
 
DobaDaddy said:
That may very well be the problem. That alternator is trying to charge two batteries and only one is hooked up....
Click to expand...
Sorry the alternator does not know if there is one two three or even 4 batteries. It will put out what is needed up to a full load.
 
Rob said:
We have a winner, the battery is boiling. I'm going to assume the voltage regulator went so I'll replace it after I find it, so lost when it comes to diesels :eek:ops:

Thanks for all the help guys!
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I think the darn thing is in the computer. factory service manual for mine put's it there. I have a 92 ram cummins and it's in the computer. (read expensive) I heard mine clicking the last time I went up north in the COLD COLD Michigan weather (-15). it was coming from the black box behind the battery, and my volt gauge was swinging with it,(charge,no charge from hand held meter) luckily it went away when the temps warmed up. I looked into the computer but decided it was to expensive to replace new and am JY hunting. still no luck finding one though.

as for the external voltage regulator . that's usually a fix for having a bad computer (saw it on the diesel forums as a fix) or an add on to help charge the second battery. could be an battery isloator also.
 
66Dvert said:
I think the darn thing is in the computer. factory service manual for mine put's it there. I have a 92 ram cummins and it's in the computer. (read expensive) I heard mine clicking the last time I went up north in the COLD COLD Michigan weather (-15). it was coming from the black box behind the battery, and my volt gauge was swinging with it,(charge,no charge from hand held meter) luckily it went away when the temps warmed up. I looked into the computer but decided it was to expensive to replace new and am JY hunting. still no luck finding one though.

as for the external voltage regulator . that's usually a fix for having a bad computer (saw it on the diesel forums as a fix) or an add on to help charge the second battery. could be an battery isloator also.
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the clicking sound is the grid heater in the intake clicking on and off; nearly every early cummins I know makes the gauge needle swing when they are on and turn off; it will do this til it warms up

cummins don't use glow plugs
 
DobaDaddy said:
New dont always mean good.
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yep, was just hanging at a friends house last night. Her grandparent's were watching the Packers vs Vikings game on their brand new LG (relatively :D )flatscreen. Turned it off to eat, went back and it didn't work. Well, didn't work being the operative words. The picture was still showing up but the TV was so dark that only by bobbing around and using my body to block the light, with my face 4 inches away from teh screen, would even allow me to barely see the menu, much less what was actually on, to them it was like there was nothing on the screen at all. The TV is less than a week old so, replacement time. It's most likely that they just got a bad light or something.
 
Rob said:
I've had the truck for 3 years and it probably only ran one for years before that. I'm not a mechanic by any means but I would like to think if you have an external voltage regulator it should prevent your battery or batteries from over charging.

Thanks to everyone for your input and talking me through it. I shall report back once it's all good
Click to expand...

your battery is probably boiling over because the grid heater in the intake takes so much current until the truck warms up that the alternator is sensing both batteries are dead

never run a diesel truck with one battery or a good battery and a bad battery; between the intake heater and the starter it will draw a battery down really quick and the alternator will recharge it so quickly it will boil over

if it is the regulator its in the computer bad an external one can be put on in a matter of minutes from one of our older mopars
 
66plyValiant said:
the clicking sound is the grid heater in the intake clicking on and off; nearly every early cummins I know makes the gauge needle swing when they are on and turn off; it will do this til it warms up

cummins don't use glow plugs
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Bingo! For people that dont know the grid heater is a piece that resembles a toaster on top of the intake.
 
I just had this happen on my 05 cummins. The battery had a bad pos connection on the left side. It was charging only one at 17.10 volts. I cleaned the bolt and cable end , Instant fix. I had the same smell for about a week. until I found it
 
66plyValiant said:
your battery is probably boiling over because the grid heater in the intake takes so much current until the truck warms up that the alternator is sensing both batteries are dead

never run a diesel truck with one battery or a good battery and a bad battery; between the intake heater and the starter it will draw a battery down really quick and the alternator will recharge it so quickly it will boil over

if it is the regulator its in the computer bad an external one can be put on in a matter of minutes from one of our older mopars
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I disagree with this the alternator does not know how many batteries are connected it only senses draw and increases output as draw increases.
 
So the end result is a bad voltage regulator, swapped it out and checked everything, we're all good now. Also as it turns out, after removing both batteries, the battery tray is a long single one that had 2 mounted sideways, I guess the PO changed this at some point. Cleaning the whole thing up and putting in one of the real big commercial type batteries they run on the big trucks. Looks like that would have been the original type.

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions

Happy New Year!
 
Rob said:
So the end result is a bad voltage regulator, swapped it out and checked everything, we're all good now. Also as it turns out, after removing both batteries, the battery tray is a long single one that had 2 mounted sideways, I guess the PO changed this at some point. Cleaning the whole thing up and putting in one of the real big commercial type batteries they run on the big trucks. Looks like that would have been the original type.

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions

Happy New Year!
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Yup the 8D battery has longer reserve for cranking but the 31 series being smaller with 2 has more cranking amps. It all depends on what you need. We have went away from the 8D but it is still used in heavy equipment that sits on a construction site and is not started every day therefore the longer reserve is needed.
 
chryslerfat said:
Yup the 8D battery has longer reserve for cranking but the 31 series being smaller with 2 has more cranking amps. It all depends on what you need. We have went away from the 8D but it is still used in heavy equipment that sits on a construction site and is not started every day therefore the longer reserve is needed.
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Actually that sounds exactly like what I need, this isn't a daily driver unless it's snowing so it sits more often than not.
 
Rob said:
Actually that sounds exactly like what I need, this isn't a daily driver unless it's snowing so it sits more often than not.
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If that is the case then just tell your battery store you need an 8D battery.
 
Be careful with that request. Measure your battery tray length , with and height from tray to the hood. I don't think you'll squeeze an 8D under the hood. I think for dodges you need a group 27 or something like that. Just make sure you get the highest CCA offered in that size. I am very glad you found the source of your concern.
 
The tray is the longest I've seen in a non commercial sized truck, and lots of height by the looks of it, width isn't an issue, there were two in there sideways. My son has tow trucks and a few extra 8D's he's picked up so we'll just drop one in and if it fits great, if not we'll move on. He's bringing one over later this week so I'll know soon enough, I'll post a pic.

Thanks for all the help.
 
66plyValiant said:
the clicking sound is the grid heater in the intake clicking on and off; nearly every early cummins I know makes the gauge needle swing when they are on and turn off; it will do this til it warms up

cummins don't use glow plugs
Click to expand...


I know about the grid heaters(man that sucks juice outa the battery). this noise was completely different that that. It was the regulator that's in the computer housing. I opened it up and melted out some of the potting compound this summer and reflow soldered the 2 weak connections that I did see and when I took the truck up to Michigan this Christmas it was dead on the charging system even in zero weather, no clicking at all. seems that over on the deisel forums the early cummins had a problem with bad solder joints in the computer and the easiest fix was an external regulator. I now have an external regulator in the tool box when/if mine does go all the way out and the wiring pigtails to do it anywhere. now to get another fuel pump pin and make a few more horses.
 
Rob said:
So the end result is a bad voltage regulator, swapped it out and checked everything, we're all good now. Also as it turns out, after removing both batteries, the battery tray is a long single one that had 2 mounted sideways, I guess the PO changed this at some point. Cleaning the whole thing up and putting in one of the real big commercial type batteries they run on the big trucks. Looks like that would have been the original type.

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions

Happy New Year!
Click to expand...


I have a 1000CCA (fleet)commercial battery in mine. biggest darn battery that I have had to put in. the manual calls for it in my 92 diesel. my motorhome takes a smaller battery. and the goft cart 6volters are smaller too!
 
The 1st gen dodge diesels only came with one battery from the factory and it was a group 31. IIRC it calls for around 1100 cca and will start with less, unless it gets super cold. Your 90 does not have a computer or pcm, and is externally regulated. The 92-93 trucks had a pcm with an internal regulator. If you, or anybody else, needs a great place to hang out and learn everything there is to know about 1st gens (minus the drama of the other diesel sites), check out 1stgen.org.
 
I ended up going with the group 31. The 8D is quite the monster although I think it would fit, just need to build a much bigger tray for it and some other fiddle farting.

Cheers
 
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