ritchie1791

i bought a new alternator with voltage regulator, new battery and my voltage drops greatly with signal lights and a/c or cruise control. why does it do that?

sjsingle1

iTrader: (1)

crappy reman.......welcome to the club

sjsingle1

iTrader: (1)

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

cookba

iTrader: (10)

have your battery checked. and do the big 3. and have that alternator checked as well.

ritchie1791

So bigger gauge wire is a good thing?

cookba

iTrader: (10)

yes bigger gauge wires for the Big 3 is better, use 0/1 or 4AWG. sometimes just doing the big 3 will correct a bad ground or replace a chewed up wire which may be causing your issues.

ritchie1791

Oh tight I might just do that. and the wires do look kinda thin....

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

I learned a long time ago to never ever ever buy a reman alternator. Just not worth saving the extra $15.

sjsingle1

iTrader: (1)

but no one makes a NEW alt.........well........almost no one.........


https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...lternator.html

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

Bad connection causing a bottleneck.

cookba

iTrader: (10)

i am having the same issue. i have replaced the alternator with a quality piece not a crappy vautozone one, replaced the battery and double checked all bolts are fastened down. dont know whats going on. it randomly goes from mid 13v's into the low 12's. cranks up in the morning at 14.2'ish

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

You could take it back to Autozone and have it tested. If its bad, I'd expect they would return it and upgrade for a Gold model. I understand that the Gold alternators use all new components. I've gone "gold" on other cars and not had a problem.

If the alternator tests out good, you might have an exciter wire problem.

cookba

iTrader: (10)

mine is not an autozone alt. its a purpose built alternator and is tested good. the exciter wire is actually new since i stripped it when i replaced the alternator when i was having this same issue.

Ive also been told voltage fluctuating can be caused by a high speed fan signal malfunction, which i am looking into.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Ok. If the problem started after your alternator and battery install - its most likely to be something in that system. If your alternator and battery test out good, then I'd go back to the exciter install and make sure its tight.

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

Guess I got lucky. Mine worked perfectly in my Camaro.

cookba

iTrader: (10)

nope problem was before new alt and battery install and is still a problem with a brand new alt and battery. all connections for the 4 pin (1 wire) cable are tight and the bolt on the back of the alternator is tight. nothing else on the car has been changed before or after this started.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

What kind of aftermarket electrical accessories do you have on the car?

Have you also checked the indicators on the tensioner to make sure your serpentine belt isn't stretched out? Also, have you matched the belt routing to the sticker on the driver's side shock tower? (A loose belt can cause things like this.)