2 weird electrical problems
 

Looking for ideas here, my 1st problem (truck related) is my battery terminals seam to corrode over every 2-3 months. I've never had anything like this on my '72 C10 or previous vehicles. It used to happen about once a month until I bought some battery goo from the parts store that I smeared onto the battery cables ends and contacts. Any ideas to the cause?

2nd - when I start the beast and turn the lights on, everything is real dim until I hit about 2800 RPM, and then things seam to be OK. :crazy: Any ideas on this?

Any chance these are related?

I would replace the battery with an optima! The battery you have may be wicking through the terminal. You might take a multi meter and check the voltage at the battery and see if your regulator may be sticking!

Voltage regulator??

The headlight dimming issue sounds familiar....
http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboa....php3?t=128794

Thanks for the inputs, I hadn't thought about the voltage regulator.

Update on problem #2, after I hit whatever RPM that makes things OK, my lights and stuff don't dim again even at idle, until I shut it off, and start it back up...

While you obviously have undiagnosed electrical problems, those little felt donuts that come soaked in something that fights battery corrosion work well to reduce corrosion at the terminals. Batt terminal corrosion usually starts from the bottom up.

1969K10, do you happen to have one of those dern one wire alt hooked up in there? This is a classic draw back to the one wire set up.

Longhorn: I got thinking about the alternator this weekend while driving back and forth to the family dinner thing... Yes I am running a newer alternator out of a '79 Camaro (internal volt regulator), AND running thru the stock regulator mounted on the firewall. :crazy: So are you thinking that is causing my problems? I like the single wire alt., I need to look this week(end) to see what is involved in bypassing the external regulator...

Well, you need to redo your harness. There is no reason to regulate it twice. This is probably your problem.
I was asking about a one wire alt becouse with them you have to rev the engine to get it to start working. (one wire, not later GM 3 wire)

its very easy to bypass the external regulator, there are 4 terminals on it, this what you do, connect the first terminal to the third, and the second terminal to the fourth

Longhorn - yes, it is a single wire alternator. Didn't realize they required a certain RPM to get working.

Hooter - thanks for the how-to. Being that simple, I might get to it this evening...