Alternator needs replacing?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Lebanon, TN
Alternator needs replacing? The in-dash voltmeter reads high and low. Never consistent. I've heard that these cars are just like that. Live with it. Okay, but...
I've noticed that the turn signals slow down at stop lights when the engine idles down (in gear) and that the back-up lights get dim when it idles down as well.
So, today I had a friend check it with a multimeter.
Across the battery terminals, with the engine off, it reads ~12.5v.
Start the engine, with as little load as I can (lights off, etc.) it reads ~14.7v.
Turn on lights, air conditioning (fan on high), stereo on, rear defroster on, it reads ~14.5v.
Then I drop it into Drive, still otherwise electrically loaded, and the reading drops all the way down to ~12.7v.
Does that sound like the alternator (or the internal voltage regulator) is going out?
Thanks in advance!
Jeff
I've noticed that the turn signals slow down at stop lights when the engine idles down (in gear) and that the back-up lights get dim when it idles down as well.
So, today I had a friend check it with a multimeter.
Across the battery terminals, with the engine off, it reads ~12.5v.
Start the engine, with as little load as I can (lights off, etc.) it reads ~14.7v.
Turn on lights, air conditioning (fan on high), stereo on, rear defroster on, it reads ~14.5v.
Then I drop it into Drive, still otherwise electrically loaded, and the reading drops all the way down to ~12.7v.
Does that sound like the alternator (or the internal voltage regulator) is going out?
Thanks in advance!
Jeff
