-LS1-

iTrader: (4)

I was experiencing faulty alternator symptoms at the end of summer last year (car would run for about 10-15 minutes before the battery would die, volts would be steadily dropping on the dash gauge the entire time) so I decided to replace the alt while it was in storage for the winter. I picked up a remanufactured alternator and installed it about 2-3 weeks ago. After starting the car up I was getting a constant 14-15 volts which I have previously never seen with this car (for the last 4 years on the previous alternator, before I started having issues, I was ALWAYS a hair under the 13 volt mark on the dash gauge). I assumed everything was good to go.

Fast forward to today. I decided it was finally nice enough out to swap insurance from the winter beater to the trans am. I had been driving it for about 45 minutes today running errands around town and decided to go WOT when getting on the highway. Less than a minute later I looked down and saw the "check gauges" light on and I was at about 10 volts. From the time I got off the exit to finding a parking lot to sit in, the volts would randomly jump around from 10 to 14, and would jump up if I gave it a short free-rev (but no change under load). I had about a 15 minute drive home at this point and I made it home just fine, though it sat at 10 volts the entire time.

Any ideas on what I should check first? At first I thought it might be a ground issue but it seems like if that was the case then it wouldn't be charging at all, which is weird that I would be able to make the drive home without the volts getting any lower. Once I had about a minute left to get home I cranked everything on (headlights, foglights, sub cranked up to max, volume way up, a/c on, etc) but I couldn't get the volts to drop down any more.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Take the alternator in to be tested. If its bad, you should ask for your money back and upgrade to a new alternator.

There was another thread the other day with someone who had a similar problem. It sounds like your voltage regulator was re-used in the reman alternator and is going bad.

samson_420

iTrader: (1)

I seen a grip of posts on here with remans just failing back to back.

When the time come, I might just have to eat **** and buy a new quality HO unit.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Most of the issues with remans seem to be with the voltage regulator. If you search for Alternatorman on youtube, he has a great set of videos that show how to replace this part. (On our alternators, I recall its just behind the plastic cover on the back of the alternator. Should be cheap and relatively easy to replace.)

vikingramair

I would check the The excitor wire, red thin wire connected on the upper side of alt. This wires suppose to tell how much the alt. must charge.
Often they make bad connection / brake due to years of heat exposure from exhaust manifold. Check this first and save money.

-LS1-

iTrader: (4)

So I went and got it checked at Autozone and O'Rielly's. Alternator passed all tests at both locations.

As far as the excitor wire assembly goes--it looks like that's been replaced before. It's now a thin green wire connected into the push-in connector. There are also a couple of other wires in the connector that aren't wired to anything--they're just hanging loose.

Edit: After taking a close look and following the excitor wire all the way up, I found where it was previously spliced into the stock red wire. There's a good inch or so of bare exposed wire the previous owner didn't bother to enclose so I'm *hoping* that it was just shorting out. Going to get it covered up and put the alt back together and pray that this fixes it...can't believe in the almost 4 years that I've owned it that it never shorted out before?

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Please post back. If your volts start down from the time you start the car, than the exciter is probably it.

-LS1-

iTrader: (4)

Just got it all put back together after getting the excitor wire connection nice and sealed up. I was tempted to bust out the sodder and re-do his joint but I figured I'd leave well enough alone. I also cut off the unused wires coming out of the connector and sealed those up with electrical tape as well. (I tried pulling those things out--they are IN there!) Started it up while still on the jacks and I'm back to 14+ volts again. I'll update if it does it again under load, but here's hoping not! (Next time it will probably just be my reman alt failing on me )

HuddSS

I am experiencing the same problem. Ill try and detail this the best I can.
My excitor wire stabs into the connector that plugs into the alternator. If I trace it it leads me to a barrel connector, then to a bundle of wires.
I discovered this while taking my aternator off due to the same problem with the volts shooting into the red then back to 14 volts.
If I turn AC, lights and stero on it strats to drain fast. To top it off If I roll the wiondows down and keep the button pressed you can watch the volts drop all the way into the red. Then the car wont even start.
I had the Alternator checked on and off the car at O'rileys. WHen its off the car on the machine it passes. Thats why I put it back on. Then when they tested it on the car it showed LOW OUTPUT. So the gentlemen said it was a bad alternator. You can get different readings form it being on and off the car. I still think that excitor wire has some reasoning in this problem.

sjsingle1

iTrader: (1)

https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...-failures.html