Charging Problems. Please Help!!!!
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 228
Likes: 0
From: Mt. Airy, Maryland
Charging Problems. Please Help!!!! ok everyone i work on cars for fun in my spare time and i have been trying to figure this out and im stumped. my 96 formula bird only when i put it in gear or idleing at a stop light or something my battery gauge goes down to the yellow prolly around 10 volts or so. i have just put a new alternator and new battery in it and guess what it still does it. going down the road the guage reads like 14 or so. its just at idle when in gear. It would be awesome if someone could help me with this. im completly stumped. thanks.
Did it do this before you installed the underdrive pulley? An auto LT1 in gear idles at I think 550 rpm, if you have an UD pulley and didn't change the alternator pulley at the same time it might not be making enough amps at that rpm to maintain 14 volts.
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 228
Likes: 0
From: Mt. Airy, Maryland
acctually now that u mention it. i still did it before, but it wasnt as bad as it is now. ill have to see maybe ill take the underdrive pulley off and see if it makes it any better. another question though i heard if u get the alternator pulley too it will cause it to not charge. so i dont want to buy that and end up having the same problem again.
The pulley I was referring to is actually an OVERdrive pulley that you put on the alternator in place of the stock one, that way with an UD crank pulley the alternator spins at the correct speed, but your other accessories are still underdriven. So if you get that you can keep your UD crank pulley and hopefully solve your charging issue. The OD alternator pulley is usually sold with an UD crank pulley as part of a kit, but you might be able to get one by itself. I remember Scoggin Dickey was advertising a special on UD pulleys, maybe they have the OD alternator pulley available by itself.
