"Check charging system"

You don’t need a fancy tool to diagnose whether the battery is the root cause of a starting issue. If the battery has enough juice to rotate the engine fast enough that it creates self sustaining ignition, it’s not the problem. The battery might not be at 100%, but it’s not the root cause for why the engine does not continue to run.

I recommend you guys to watch the YouTube channel Vice Grip Garage where he demonstrates basic and advanced troubleshooting processes. Yes he is usually dealing with very old cars with carburetors, but batteries, alternators, fuel, and spark have not really changed since then. And he’s funny.

 

I just got through winter # 5 on my OEM battery. All good. I'll replace it when it dies... yes, I live for danger!

I do however carry a booster pack with me.

 

For reference, this code is usually a cluster, not an alternator or battery (as they would have symptoms)

Continue bickering fellas.

 

Whats a cluster?

 

speedometer, combination meter

 

You don't think a computer controlling all of those isn't a huge change? A carb doesn't care about voltage but a computer does.

And I think dude tries to hard to have a stupid name for each part instead of just calling it by its name.

 

A battery tester will check the entire charging system. Since your battery is old anyway have it tested and if the cold cranking amps are low replace and try the truck again to see if it clears the problem.

I have in the past had an alternator go and it had all the symptoms of a bad battery.

The rule to troubleshooting on your own without a mechanic is eliminate one possibility at a time.

 

Huh? The alternator puts out about 14v without the aid of a battery. The battery puts out about 12v. A battery is an energy storage device whose primary purpose is to run the starter motor. The alternator on the other hand supplies power to the engine and charges the battery when the truck is running.