Alternator charge problem
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Teching In
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 31
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From: TX
Alternator charge problem Sorry if this is a re-post, but i couldn't find any other thread that seemed to fit my problem "perfectly."
Saturday afternoon my car showed the exact same signs as an alternator failure. A very consistent drop in volts until it cut off. I had no previous problems before this past weekend(no low voltage or dimming lights). The alternator was just over a year old and was reman acd. I replaced it with a 'brand new' alt the next day, drove 80+ miles back home, and it seemed perfectly fine at 13-14v.
On Tues, i noticed the volts were running in the 12s but didn't think much of it.
Wed. I got in the car to go to the BCS street meet and the voltage was even lower, but stayed fairly consistent. took the battery to azone and they said it was bad so i bought a new one. Hooked it up and it was back up to 13+ the rest of the night.
This morning (Thurs) it was low when i cranked it, it rose a little and i drove to my parking garage, but when i was leaving the garage, by the time i got to the bottom, my volts were back up to 13+.
Took both alts to napa and they said both were good.
Put the original reman alt back in and drove for 30 minutes or so and it was running at a solid 13, until i plugged in my subs+amp and killed it.
So my problem is that my alt(s) aren't charging per say, but they are just maintaining my voltage. Which makes me automatically think it's the alternator, but i can't afford to buy another alt if thats not the actual problem.
It also sounds like it was too sudden for it to be corroded ground points, and neither the excitor plug nor the positive => alternator wires are destroyed. Keep in mind i'm getting a charge, but not a 'full' charge.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance
Saturday afternoon my car showed the exact same signs as an alternator failure. A very consistent drop in volts until it cut off. I had no previous problems before this past weekend(no low voltage or dimming lights). The alternator was just over a year old and was reman acd. I replaced it with a 'brand new' alt the next day, drove 80+ miles back home, and it seemed perfectly fine at 13-14v.
On Tues, i noticed the volts were running in the 12s but didn't think much of it.
Wed. I got in the car to go to the BCS street meet and the voltage was even lower, but stayed fairly consistent. took the battery to azone and they said it was bad so i bought a new one. Hooked it up and it was back up to 13+ the rest of the night.
This morning (Thurs) it was low when i cranked it, it rose a little and i drove to my parking garage, but when i was leaving the garage, by the time i got to the bottom, my volts were back up to 13+.
Took both alts to napa and they said both were good.
Put the original reman alt back in and drove for 30 minutes or so and it was running at a solid 13, until i plugged in my subs+amp and killed it.
So my problem is that my alt(s) aren't charging per say, but they are just maintaining my voltage. Which makes me automatically think it's the alternator, but i can't afford to buy another alt if thats not the actual problem.
It also sounds like it was too sudden for it to be corroded ground points, and neither the excitor plug nor the positive => alternator wires are destroyed. Keep in mind i'm getting a charge, but not a 'full' charge.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance
Given the symptoms and the assumption that the battery and alternator are good, I think you are down to connectors and wiring. If you have headers I would pay particular attention to wires and connection points (e.g. starter solenoid area) that are in the vicinity of the headers.
