Dead truck. Please send help. #M715livesmatter

[ColoradoSpringsRob]

Guys,

I am close, so close, to having a running truck....I think.

I have replaced all the fuel and brake lines with Classic Tube stainless, had the fuel tank reconditioned, replaced the sender, did the e350 wheel cylinder / 1 1/8" dual MC conversion and rebuilt the e-brake, did an interesting dual battery relocation (one in glove box area after removing the box, and one on other side of firewall, using military fuel can holders as mounts for the batteries), made up new battery/power wires, bled the brake lines (after realizing that my first dual MC I installed was a dud), burped the fuel pump and got fuel (and rust flakes...hmmm), hooked up the batteries.....and I successfully fired her up. Huzzah.

I victoriously drove her around the block while my wife whispered in my ear 'You are not a god....' and then she died (truck, not wife). So I towed her back to the driveway. I figure the fuel pump is to blame, because the truck would start and then die, so it seems like a no fuel issue. I did have about 10 minutes of glory there, after all that work, so I call that a win. But man, am I tired of this truck not working. But that is not really my problem today...

After that discouragement last weekend, I left the batteries hooked up this last week, power was turned off.

I go out to the truck earlier today to burp the fuel pump again to see if the pump is to blame so I can rebuild it and now I have zero power at the volt gauge. Dead, dead. Batteries read about 12v each, and I am charging them now to top them off, but I am not getting any current to the meter. None.

I have no idea where to even start here. I have a multimeter, but no real electrical knowledge. Could I have fried something? I have had trouble previously with power draining off, which is why I reworked the battery cables and grounds hoping that might help, but the truck has never just been dead like this. Other than replacing the battery cables, I did not touch any other electrical, and truck is pretty much stock.

I searched the threads, hoping to find a step by step on how to go through the M715 electrical system to figure out this kind of thing. I am hoping someone can point the way here, as to what I need to check, step by step so that I can trace the problem.

I need to figure out a) why the truck is just dead as a door nail, and how to fix it so that it has power again, and b) how to find the phantom drain on the batteries, or (maybe the best option) c) the name of a good mechanic in Colorado Springs that can solve all my problems here and get this thing working once and for all.

Thanks fellas.
Discouraged Rob in Colorado Springs

[ColoradoSpringsRob]

Here is the battery configuration. I took out the glove box housing and installed a gas can holder to the firewall, and another one on the other side of the firewall. I dig it. It came out pretty clean, and uses dead space. Battery in the glove box is hooked up to the charger.


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[m38inmaine]

Get a decent multimeter, set to amps, unhook the positive lead of the battery, attach one lead of the meter to the battery post and one to the lead you removed, sort of like using your meter as the battery connection, see what the meter says, that will tell you if you are drawing current when the truck is off. One common suspect is the alternator, a diode can go bad allowing it to draw current when the truck is off. If you see it drawing current, try disconnecting the alternator first ad see if the draw goes away, if not I would disconnect the connector from the back of the light switch next.

[Nailhead]

Don't discount bad contact at the battery cable clamps-- this has marooned me more than once. Twist all four clamps about 90º & back, and see if you get voltage at the gauge.

[Nomad]

Like M38inmaine stated, I would suspect the alternator. Have you checked if the alternator is working properly? Not sure how much a 24v system is suppose to read, mines 12v and it feeds back 13-14 to charge the battery and run lights, radio, w/e else.