radio loses setting when it sits

dieselbeef

dieselbeef

dick doggin
Joined
Jul 23, 2007
Messages
9,885
I don't drive it everyday..cpl times a week

when I go to start it it will start right up. the alt gauge will show very low and then start climbing for about 5 mins til it levels out. the alt is squeaking like its charging as hard as it can.
after a week the radio settings will be lost.
truck doesn't hesitate to start tho. seems to start fine.
I load tested the batts before I started it last night and they were low but didn't fail. truck started right up.
shut it off and disc the batts and put an amp guage in between the positive post and the cable. I had .1 draw..nothing really.
theyre duralast batts less than 6 mos old.

need some direction or ideas where to look next

I guess I could take the batts back since my gut tells me that's the problem but I doubt they will give me new ones w/o failing the load test

I might think the radio was bad but with the alt working like it is I doubt it.

idk wtf now
 
I don't remember, but that .1 amp draw may be too much.


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I'm kinda thinking the same thing. Think you also have to check it like 5 minutes after the last key off session. The one central computer stays on for a bit. Odd that the voltage is dipping enough to wipe out the radio presets but it will still start. Probably gets wiped out when the starter engages.
 
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I know..it seems to start ok but everything electronic resets itself..and I have noticed that today towing the tractor it shuddered the converter...
I think the batts bad but cannot confirm it.

I did check the voltage right after I moved it too..but not long enough the alternator wasn't still peaking out.

I need to check it with it immediately after startup
 
dieselbeef said:
one tenth of one amp....how the **** do I find that draw
Click to expand...

That's the fun part. Monitor draw then you get to pull every effing fuse one at a time until it disappears. I'd start with anything seatbelt related. You can even disconnect all the wires under the seat.

As for the converter shuter. I'd be leaning on your alternator now has issues. Running full tilt for too long probably took out one or more capacitors in your rectifier. You can check for AC voltage at the battery with the engine running.
 
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yeah I haven't got to check the alt yet...ya think the alt is pulling it down? backfeeding it somehow

I just don't get how the radio is lost memory and the truck still starts...bizarre.


the alt reads very low on the gauge and slowly climbs to the 14 after out 5 mins. then itll be fine long as it don't sit for more than a few days
 
Is it a aftermarket radio? Has anything changed or is this just a random deal that just started.
 
After reading it again: after it sits for a week, are the stations lost before you crank it? If everything isn't reset until you crank it, it's gotta be happening when the voltage drops low during cranking.


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dieselbeef said:
yeah I haven't got to check the alt yet...ya think the alt is pulling it down? backfeeding it somehow

I just don't get how the radio is lost memory and the truck still starts...bizarre.


the alt reads very low on the gauge and slowly climbs to the 14 after out 5 mins. then itll be fine long as it don't sit for more than a few days
Click to expand...

If I were to take a guess all of your presets are there when you turn the key on. The starter current pushes the radio over the edge and it looses its mind. That is issue #1. Now I think you have a second issue presenting. When the alternator goes full tilt for 5 minutes over several sessions it tends to smoke the capacitors on the rectifier. Once enough of them get smoked you get enough AC voltage in the system to confuse the computers. This almost always result in torque converter lock unlock issues.

I'd stick with chasing down the drain. 90% of the time it is in the seat belts. The other 10% is with aftermarket accessories that are not on switched power.
 
yes its random bs..aint it always. ill give it a few days and see what happens when i key up w/o cranking it. i didnt notice if they were gone beofre or after that.

im pretty sure something is wrong with the alt like yall said. i got to thinkin bout it last night and this started happeneing not too long after i replaced the batts. duralast batts. my brother and my buddy both have em. said theyve had no issues with em so i bought em...but im starting to think they aint right. been a yr id guess tho.

i hate dealing with electrical crap...dangit
 
My CD player would lose memory of song and time every time I would start my truck. Thought the factory radio was giving up the ghost. I dealt with it for a year until my 9 yr old batteries started getting slow to turn over. New batteries solved the radio issue.
 
thats my gut feeling...hopefully this weekend ill pull em and drive em the 40 mi into town. not gonna let the autozone doosh hook anything to my truck
 
so truck sat since last friday..went in today and the radio settings are gone again...soon as i turned on the key i checked em...gone...
truck started right up but the air pump for my horns was running slower than usual til i started it. then i heard it kick into a higher speed soon as the alternator started to come into play. gauge read low for about 5 mins til i got situated in the truck but made it to full charge ok. but it was still squeakin 10 mins later at the stop sign. idk wtf....1 amp draw aint killing the batts...
 
Your air horn pump only has power with the key on, correct? I would lean towards batteries also, they can load test fine, but will not pass a sitting test. Let the batteries sit in the truck for a week or so, then yank them and take them to the store, they should fail.
 
yep..gotta suck it up this week tho..needin it for working cows for the next week

pita fukin trucks i swear
 
The slow to charge thing could possibly be a computer issue too.
 
man dont even start that bull****...im sure its either the batts or the alternator..possibly both at the same time
 
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