3 bad alternators in a row?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
From: South Texas
3 bad alternators in a row? hey guys i need some help or advice. let me start off by saying that the reason i changed the alt in the first place is because my lights and gauges would flicker.was only noticeable at night. i read on another thread that it could be the alt. I changed it and everything was working great no flickering. about 3 weeks later it stopped charging and took it back to get tested and the guy at o'rielys said it was bad, he replaced it under warranty and tested it before I put it on. everything again was working to about 2 weeks later.and it would not charge again and then about evry 5-6 min the needle would go to alittle above 13 v and right back to 10v,I had my brother ,who is a ase certified technician, take a look at it he said battery passed the test and it was the alt, so far the alt from orielys I got said delphi or some thing, for the 3rd alt we paid the diff on there ac delco about 30.00. again it was working fine for about a week but this time it is charging but only at or a little above 13 volts usally and at times a little below when idiling, It also has a whinning noise. I forgot to mention I broke the one wire on the top but soldered it back as best i could and my brother re-did it and said there was 10 or 12 v at that wire?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
From: South Texas
I have one 10 sub powered by a 800 watt amp. but I disconnected it yesterday and cleaned the termials really good with a wire brush but they werent even dirty to begin with.no radar.
Last edited by L SS 1; May 23, 2008 at 04:56 PM. Reason: .
You need to replace the exiter wire. I had the same thing happen to me and had to have that wire replaced. That wire is very sensitive. Go to the dealer and ask for the wire on top of the alternator. They'll probably sell you one fron a truck, it comes with 4 wires. Just cut the ones you don't need and cost about $35. I replaced the alternator 4 times and got stranded in S.A. because of that wire. Luckily the dealership had one and I replaced it and got another Autozone alt. and haven't had any problems for about 4 years now...............
I forgot to mention, recharge your battery or get a new one before installing the new alternator. A low charged battery after an alternator failure will make the alternator fail again and again.....................
The one you get from the dealer will have the conector plus the extra wiring to splice into the existing wiring, that way you have more slack. If it snapped from the connector, there is no way it will work right even if you had it soldered, which is what I did also. Check for codes also. It will be P01637..............
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Staging Lane
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
From: Columbia S.C.
In addition to Dmoney's advice, I always check the battery's ability to build internal resistance when I have a vehicle with repeat alt failures. I have a DC clamp on ampmeter that I put on the ground wire and let the vehicle run. The amp draw should fall down to around 10 amps with in about 15 min. if the amp draw stays high, it keeps the alt output high and burns them up. Ask your brother to do this for you. Most of the time, only a load test gets performed on the battery.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 143
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From: South Texas
2SLOW T/A does that test only the battery or the ground wires, I swapped batteries from my t/a that is only about 3 months old when the first replacement alt went out. both these batteries are optima red tops.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
From: South Texas
2SLOW T/A does that test only the battery or the ground wires, I swapped batteries from my t/a that is only about 3 months old when the first replacement alt went out. both these batteries are optima red tops and where fully charged.
Here are two more random things...
1. Make sure your power steering pump isn't leaking fluid down on the alternator. I went through a couple due to that...
2. I had always heard that Optima Red Tops are hard on alternators for some reason...could be internet folklore though. Something about them taking more energy to charge, so the alternator was constantly having to keep up with their heavy demand. Granted, my Optima Red Top lasted a long time, and I only went through 2 alternators in 2 years.
1. Make sure your power steering pump isn't leaking fluid down on the alternator. I went through a couple due to that...
2. I had always heard that Optima Red Tops are hard on alternators for some reason...could be internet folklore though. Something about them taking more energy to charge, so the alternator was constantly having to keep up with their heavy demand. Granted, my Optima Red Top lasted a long time, and I only went through 2 alternators in 2 years.
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