Is my alternator going bad??
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On The Tree
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 102
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From: athens tx
Is my alternator going bad?? in march of this year my alternator for 17 years finally decided to go out on my camaro. so i decided to buy one from quick start high output alternators. i bought a AD244HD200 - TOP QUALITY AD244 Series, Heavy Duty, 200 Amp Alternator$299.95 Item #AD244HD200. when i installed it was reading around 14v and had been working fine till around two weeks ago. slowly but surely the voltage started to drop. as of today 8/7/17 it reads around 12.5v but if breaks are applied it will drop to 12.1v or sometimes below that. it will also jump around from 12v to 12.5-12.6v (i have a radar that reads voltage thats how i know). i just replaced the battery yesterday so i know its not the battery causing the problem. so if anyone could help i would greatly appreciate it.
Make sure your positive wire connection is tight on the back of the alternator, make sure everything is snug regarding battery/grounds/etc. Plus, make sure the mounting bolts for your alternator are nice and tight (might as well)
i am having the same issue..i need to check all of the grounds and may need new battery cables. My alternator is about a month old and they keep popping diodes, so something is wrong somewhere.
Check cables
Pull battery, charge it, then have it tested
Pull alt and have it tested
If the battery had a cell short, it will kill the alternator in short order. Sometimes better to just replace both at once if you are short on time, both for proper diagnosis and down time. Batteries in TX only last 3 years or so, anyway, due to the heat. I like Everstart Maxx, great bang for buck at about $100. Got to spend double that to get anything much better. Your choice of alternator is a solid one.
Pull battery, charge it, then have it tested
Pull alt and have it tested
If the battery had a cell short, it will kill the alternator in short order. Sometimes better to just replace both at once if you are short on time, both for proper diagnosis and down time. Batteries in TX only last 3 years or so, anyway, due to the heat. I like Everstart Maxx, great bang for buck at about $100. Got to spend double that to get anything much better. Your choice of alternator is a solid one.
in march of this year my alternator for 17 years finally decided to go out on my camaro. so i decided to buy one from quick start high output alternators. i bought a AD244HD200 - TOP QUALITY AD244 Series, Heavy Duty, 200 Amp Alternator$299.95 Item #AD244HD200. when i installed it was reading around 14v and had been working fine till around two weeks ago. slowly but surely the voltage started to drop. as of today 8/7/17 it reads around 12.5v but if breaks are applied it will drop to 12.1v or sometimes below that. it will also jump around from 12v to 12.5-12.6v (i have a radar that reads voltage thats how i know). i just replaced the battery yesterday so i know its not the battery causing the problem. so if anyone could help i would greatly appreciate it.
Check cables
Pull battery, charge it, then have it tested
Pull alt and have it tested
If the battery had a cell short, it will kill the alternator in short order. Sometimes better to just replace both at once if you are short on time, both for proper diagnosis and down time. Batteries in TX only last 3 years or so, anyway, due to the heat. I like Everstart Maxx, great bang for buck at about $100. Got to spend double that to get anything much better. Your choice of alternator is a solid one.
Pull battery, charge it, then have it tested
Pull alt and have it tested
If the battery had a cell short, it will kill the alternator in short order. Sometimes better to just replace both at once if you are short on time, both for proper diagnosis and down time. Batteries in TX only last 3 years or so, anyway, due to the heat. I like Everstart Maxx, great bang for buck at about $100. Got to spend double that to get anything much better. Your choice of alternator is a solid one.
I missed that you bought a HO alt. That alone will make a part store bench test difficult at best. If it's a US build, it was probably good but a bad battery may have wrecked it. Bad battery can kill the alternator AND vice versa...I've been a victim of both. Once you take the time to check, clean, and replace cables...you may as well replace both so as not to waste the effort. Powermaster is my preferred brand of HO alt, their product is great and service is phenomenal.
