alternator bad ?
alternator bad ? ok so I was at a light and I looked at my battery gauge and the needle was fluctuating back and forth between 13 and a little past thirteen. ATM I had my heater and amp on . My amp is 200 watts. Is this normal ? And how many watts can a factory alternator handle with out running into problems ? This happened on a V6 camaro
If the needle is bouncing back and forth it's the regulator in the alternator. Most places will not detect this. Mine was doing the same thing. I took it to a alternator/starter rebuild shop. Had a new regulator put in and made it a 160 amp. Lights are bright as ever and no pulsing!!
If the needle is bouncing back and forth it's the regulator in the alternator. Most places will not detect this. Mine was doing the same thing. I took it to a alternator/starter rebuild shop. Had a new regulator put in and made it a 160 amp. Lights are bright as ever and no pulsing!!
Don't go to autozone, orielly, pep boys or any place like that. Get a voltmeter that tests ac/dc output and OHMS/amperage. With the car running, take the volt tester and put the red lead on the red post of the battery and the black lead on the black post. With the meter set to show volt output. This will give you an idea if the alternator is good and/or if there's something drawing too much power. If it reads >13 then most likely it's good but anything less means either the alt is bad or you have something weakening it. I had to replace my starter. but also check the battery when the car is cold with the engine off. It should read 13-14 volts. If you have a fillable battery check the water in the cells.
either the regulator's shot or something is pulling a lot of juice. most likely the regulator though. its also possible theres a loose connection in the system. take it to an autozone or oreilly. they can benchtest the battery and/or alt for ya. they can also loadtest them while on the car, which is a more accurate test than just pokin at it with a multimeter.
