98 dakota, have to smack alternator to get alternator to charge the battery. if I don't smack it no charge.sometimes engine will rev up on it's own and guages go crazy.what might it be.I had Alternator And Battery Tested Both Passed.seems like may be black connection on the back of the Alternator taht Has The 2 Small nuts on it may be Involved. What Does This This Do? Is It A Bridge Of Some Sort?

Hey Anon, What RPM are you checking the "at battery" voltage... Rev the engine to about 3000 RPM,, you should get 13.5+ volts.. if not, while running >> CAREFULLY<< try disconnecting and reconnecting the terminal at the alternator,,, this sometimes "excites" the alternator and makes it start charging again..

The 12 is normal for the starting code. The 41 says generator (alternator) field is not switching properly. Code 45 says Turbo boost limit exceeded (engine was shut down by logic module). I doubt that you have turbo on the Dakota. However there IS a code 46. Battery voltage too high during charging or charging system voltage too low. That would make sense with the 41 code. Sounds like you may have an alternator/charging system problem.

Change your starter as it sounds to me like the Solenoid is gone inside the starter.

I had a similar problem on my 98 Tioga (Ford v10). Turnd out to be just a blown fuse in the cab (wich controls the alternator's regulator.) First, confirm its the charging system and not the battery it's self. To do this, start the engine and take a voltage reading at the battery. It should be above 13 volts. If you don't have a tester, with the engine running, disconnect a battery terminal. If the engine stalls, it's proff the alternator is not out putting as it should. Check for a blown or missing fuse. Anything labeled "intrusment cluster" or "Alt" (maybe 14). If the fuses are ok you'll likely need to replace the alternator it's self. On those engines it's not hard to do. Only takes about 20 min and the the alternators are around $130. But defiantly check the fuses first.

have the alternator checked. if the alternator is not charging the vehicle is only supplied with what power is stored in the battery. once the battery is dead there is nothing to charge it

Sir. lets figure what is happening to fixing it
Your car`s battery is loosing it`s charge because it is not charged in proper manners thinking why ? Simply what charges the battery is the alternator after the car is running it the engine drive the alternator ant different speeds when alternator is revving faster with faster engine revs it produce lots of electric that the battery may don`t need and could harm the battery
when revving low the alternator my generate less than 12 voltage
the alternator is need something called the Regulators witch as name suggests regulates the voltage generated adjust it to constant limit that the car needs to work fine
alternator belt and pulley
have a good day Sir .
we are happy helping you any time

I would get a second opinion on your alternator. Does your battery light come on while your driving? That can be an indicator of an alternator going bad. Also, there's an easy way to check the alternator yourself if you have access to a multi-meter. Turn the multi-meter on to DC volts and start the car. Put the positive lead on the positive battery terminal and the negative lead on the negative battery cable. While the car is idling, the meter should read 12.5 - 13.5 volts. Have someone rev the engine. With the increased RPM's the meter should read over 14 volts. If the voltage goes down when you rev the engine, your alternator is bad.

Good Luck!
~Brandon

Check output from alternator with a voltmeter it should be between 13.8 to 14.7 if so then check at battery if it is not at least 13.8 minimum to be charging then the big wire on back of alternator is not getting back to the battery through ammeter gauge in dash.
I have hooked a wire from back of alternator straight to the plus[+] side of battery to fix that issue.
Sometimes ammeter gauge burns out breaking the circuit from the alternator back to the battery.

There are a few things you can check. There should be a large fuse in the fuse box in the engine compartment. I believe it is a 100amp fuse. If you connect the jumper cables backwards or even touch the wrong post for a split second it can cause that fuse to blow. Also check the connector on the back of the alternator they sometimes are dirty or have a bad connection in the plug also check to make sure the connectors are not open and are making good contact. Do yourself a favor and check all the fuses inside the cab and in the engine compartment. Good luck and let me know if this fixes it, if not I will research it. I will look for your reply over the next few days

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/edward_020b3320326d263d

Could be battery. The starter takes a lot more amps than the lights or radio. You should get a jump to start the truck. Then drive to your nearest chain auto parts store. Most of them will do free battery and charging system checks. You could also try disconnecting the positve ( red) terminal of the battery after you get it running. If the engine dies your alternantor is bad. You should also get your battery checked if your alterator is bad. Sometimes a bad alternator damages the battery.