low charge/check gages
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TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: Cheshire, CT
low charge/check gages i replaced the brushes and rear bearing in my alternator a little while ago and now all of a sudden im getting a low charge and check gages light. i had awesome charges up until i started it up today. any ideas?
i would check the small single wire that connects to the bottom of the alternator first. the lock on mine was weak and would pull out just enough to cause the gauge showing no charge. have you verified the low charge with a dmm? also how bout people jump off the dudes ***. if you have ever rebuilt an alternator you would understand that paying ~6 bucks for brushes and a hour of easy labor makes up for dropping 150+. if you can do a header swap you can change brushes.
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if you have a dmm or voltmeter make sure you really arent charging. then check that wire since its right there. like i said mine used to do the same thing and i would have to play with the connector until it worked. took me what seemed like forever to realize the pin was loose in the connector. oh yeah what is the dash reading?
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Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 636
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From: Cheshire, CT
voltmeter read 12.09 volts at idle. the wire that plugs into the voltage regulator was heatshrinked previously, must have been cut at one point. i also had the car idling for a good 5-10 minutes...if the alternator was bad wouldnt the car not run?
It will still run fine, but it would eventually drain the battery until it died.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Sep 2008
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From: Cheshire, CT
ok so what does the reading from the voltmeter tell me...
the battery stayed charged, and all the electrical systems didnt shutdown...which is why i said it was running fine for a good 10 minutes...the battery is still being charged
the battery stayed charged, and all the electrical systems didnt shutdown...which is why i said it was running fine for a good 10 minutes...the battery is still being charged
batteries can run for a while depending on their reserve rating. are you measuring across the terminals with the car running? you should be seeing between 13 and 14v. just to verify its not the meter measure the batt with the car off. a guy i work with was using a busted meter that was reading way high and took him hours of diag before i checked it with my meter and it was in spec. if its neither of the connections on the rear, your brushes may have come off. its been a couple years since i built one but do the brushes have a wire that needs to be soldered? another stupid question...you did pull the pin out of the brushes right?
Correct, if you are seeing 12 v, you are running off the battery. You should see a minimum of ~13 v. Keep digging into the alternator, there is most certainly an issue there.
BTW, where did you take your measurement? At the battery, the back of the alternator or the fenderwell where all the 12v connections are?
BTW, where did you take your measurement? At the battery, the back of the alternator or the fenderwell where all the 12v connections are?
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: Cheshire, CT
yea the pin is out and no the wire doesnt need to be soldered...im about to bring the damn alternator and battery to autozone to get tested...but i tested with the car running and it read 12.09 volts
As stated, that's low. Test the alt since that was rebuilt recently. If that's not it, check your grounds.
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 636
Likes: 0
From: Cheshire, CT
Correct, if you are seeing 12 v, you are running off the battery. You should see a minimum of ~13 v. Keep digging into the alternator, there is most certainly an issue there.
BTW, where did you take your measurement? At the battery, the back of the alternator or the fenderwell where all the 12v connections are?
BTW, where did you take your measurement? At the battery, the back of the alternator or the fenderwell where all the 12v connections are?