Visceral

iTrader: (1)

Hey all,

As the car warms up, the voltage of the whole electrical system starts to head downwards.
At start, the voltage displayed peaks right up nicely to 14 volts. As the car gets warm, the voltage goes down. By the time it's drive-in-taffic hot, the voltage is in the mid 11s. The light start to dim, and thing seem a little ... off. This can be while cruising at 2000 rpm, or idling... doesnt change the low voltage.

Was this a tuning issue? Any ideas what it is?

thanks,
Chris

wrencher

iTrader: (2)

Sure thats not a alternator issue? Sure sounds like one, have seen plenty that lose output with heat.

jimmyblue

iTrader: (11)

Mine has acted this way from new (though not that bad).
In summer the voltage would drop enough that it affected
idle, if I ran the A/C and stereo and idled too long at a light.
I could watch the volts gauge move down as I sat.

It has not done this since I made the fans run full time low
(enforcing some cooling of the bay) and upped the idle to
700, though.

SmokingWS6

iTrader: (1)

Do your low, then high fans start to kick on as the engine warms up? Do you have a underdrive pulley, if you don't have the alternator overdrive pulley that might be causing the drop with the fans on(this would only be an idle problem) My guess is that the alternator is failing

Visceral

iTrader: (1)

Hrm..... I'll try having the alternator rebuilt.

Nothign changed in relation to the electrical usage before/after the tuning, so Im guessing the alternator is on the way out.... with 22k miles

wait4me

iTrader: (10)

ive seen computers cause this problem try swapping computers with someone with your same car, and see if the voltage goes up. im using a truck pcm in mine, and get 14.7 volts instead of the 13.4 i was seeing with a factory camaro pcm.