alternator question

[MJ86YJ90]

So when I bought the truck the guy told me it may need a new battery. every once in a while it won't start i just jigle the positive battery cable and it starts up. Sometimes at start up it makes a horrible squeal that I can't isolate. it has blown a few dash light fuses. and the battery light comes on sometimes. could this be the alternator? locking up and the belt squealing. the last time the dash light fuse blew I was driving it squealed then bam out went the lights. any info would be great thanks

[Geonovast]

Replace your battery cables and terminals. Jiggling the pos battery cable to get it to start... obviously there's something wrong with the cable.

[mvusse]

Belt squeeling could be a loose belt, a seized pulley, or too much load on an accessory. Blown fuse means a short somewhere, and wiggling the positive wire means either corrosion between the clamp and the post, loose clamp, or bad wire.

 

Start with the battery cable and the belt, and go from there. An intermittent short in the dash wiring can be near impossible to track down, though.

[MJ86YJ90]

the guy told me the side post battery thats in it is bad because the pos post is broke somehoe thats why i have to jiggle it. I am going to try new top post battery and an alternator and belts. looks like the alternator pulley is locked up for a sec until i rev it at start up then it frees up.

[carnuck]

Belt is loose enough that it squeals when trying to put power back into the drained down battery.