help with alternator issue
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Teching In
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 29
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help with alternator issue I know this has been done before but i cannot find a definitive answer on here about my problem. The last thing to hook up on my car in the alternator. I have the alternator exciter wire from the chassis harness connected to the correct resistor going to pin 3. engine is an 01 ls1 and the wire is an exact copy of what is in my 02 ls1.
with the key on i am suppose to get 8.X volts with the resistor. Problem is I am getting 11.5 volts to the alternator? This doesnt make any sense. No matter how I hook the wires up I still get the 11.5 volts.
My alternator is turning on, but I am afraid it will fry. I also am only getting 12.5 volts on my volt meter and I am wondering if this is causing it.
Thanks.
with the key on i am suppose to get 8.X volts with the resistor. Problem is I am getting 11.5 volts to the alternator? This doesnt make any sense. No matter how I hook the wires up I still get the 11.5 volts.
My alternator is turning on, but I am afraid it will fry. I also am only getting 12.5 volts on my volt meter and I am wondering if this is causing it.
Thanks.
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,148
Likes: 12
From: Downers Grove, IL
What kind of meter are you using to measure the voltage? If you are using a digital meter that could give you a higher voltage reading than the alternator would see.
The resistor is there to create a voltage drop... according to ohm`s law voltage = amperage x resistance....so the voltage drop across a resistor increases as the amperage that flows through it increases. A digital voltmeter requires very little amperage so it will register a higher voltage than a standard meter.
Have you tried measuring the voltage on that wire while it is plugged into the alt with the engine running?
The resistor is there to create a voltage drop... according to ohm`s law voltage = amperage x resistance....so the voltage drop across a resistor increases as the amperage that flows through it increases. A digital voltmeter requires very little amperage so it will register a higher voltage than a standard meter.
Have you tried measuring the voltage on that wire while it is plugged into the alt with the engine running?
