Help please! I dont know what to do!

[95opal]

post 17 edited. hissin i spaced out on that sorry

 

[BlackVert]

whats the easiest way to check for a hot idle vacuum leak?

spray carb cleaner at stuff while idling.

 

[mo_dingo]

You have a ground/alt/battery problem, without a doubt. Start with re-doing all of your ground, scraping down to bare metal at all points.
Scott

 

[deadlast]

my battery has 12.4 V, and holds solid at 14.9 V when running. so i dont think its my alternator.

 

[Green 94 5.0]

is there any advantage to buying an aftermarket/upgraded HB to an OEM one? maybe you guys could point out some good ones

romac all the way. dont even waste your time with the stock replacement.

 

[mo_dingo]

my battery has 12.4 V, and holds solid at 14.9 V when running. so i dont think its my alternator.

Voltage doesn't necessarily mean it's working 100%. Amps is what you need to measure. But you are likely right that your alternator/diode packs are working fine. If you can measure the AC amps with an amp clamp, it will show what the alternator is putting out (big red wire that hooks behind the alternator). It should start high, and slowly drop as the battery gets charged.

A poor connection means the amp draw will go up, and that could be causing your problem. And since you are only seeing 12.4V, assuming your battery is fully charged, the battery MAY not be getting charged enough; which may relate to the possible bad connections.
Scott