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battery or altenator issue

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Old Mar 12, 2008 | 03:35 PM
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Exclamation battery or altenator issue

Well on my way home from work today, my check gauges light kept coming on as i saw my battery metor go into the red and come up a little bit. im hoping its the just battery so i want to charge it up and see if the charge holds or not, but i think my charger is in vegas. is there a way to test the voltage with a volt metor? and what are the signs that it could be the alternator? thanks in advance!
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Old Mar 12, 2008 | 03:39 PM
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That to me sounds more like an alternator issue than a battery issue. Your car runs off the alternator when it is running, not the battery. Sounds like it has failed so the next thing your engine does is try to run off the battery..when it gets low enough it will start doing what you described and eventually shut off if it doesn't get a charge from the alternator. Sounds like the alternator hasn't failed all together but is damn close.
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Old Mar 12, 2008 | 03:44 PM
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crap just what i didnt want to hear... should i try cleaning it with that alternator cleaner?
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Old Mar 12, 2008 | 03:51 PM
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I was just thinking about it and remembered something... My power steering pump had a leak, which is right over the alternator so maybe some of that got into it?
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Old Mar 12, 2008 | 04:12 PM
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Could have something to do with it but even still I'm not sure if cleaning it will help at this point. You can always try to clean it as it wouldn't hurt anything worse than what it is.
A new alternator is the way you want to go if cleaning doesn't help and a new one costs $105.00 shipped and is a 130amp vs. the stock 105amp. You could install it in an afternoon with a buddy or by yourself.
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Old Mar 12, 2008 | 04:33 PM
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do you sell them or can you reccomend me one?
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Old Mar 12, 2008 | 05:26 PM
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PM sent. You have mail!!
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Old Mar 13, 2008 | 06:54 PM
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I have some bad news. While I was taking the alternator out I broke a wire. It's a single red wire that plugs into a little harness which plugs into the alternator. What is that? Is there a way to splice it back in or do I have to get a new part from somewhere? Thanks. =(
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Old Mar 13, 2008 | 07:11 PM
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This is what it is http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-02...QQcmdZViewItem What the heck is this thing?
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Old Mar 14, 2008 | 10:48 AM
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i just did the same thing last night, during my header install i jacked up the one side of the engine, and the powersteering line came off. if it gets into your alternator its screwed. i also broke the red wire as well on mine during removal. if your good with soldering its fixable, i just piled solder into the hole in the connector and took another wire and soldered the whole thing back together. i believe the wire is for your gauge, if you cant get it on, no big deal. trust me just replace the alternator, mine was like $130 for a new one, and it took me 45min even with the wire braking. and im only 17 haha. hope this helps, like i said i did this last night so i know what your going through. pm me for anything else
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Old Mar 14, 2008 | 04:58 PM
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o man! lol. i bought one from that link, and then my dad actually found one at the dealership. hopefully ill have my car running by later tonight. how are your headers?
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Old Mar 16, 2008 | 11:00 PM
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well worth it!!!! the LTs make a huge difference, i still need a tune tho, with the magnaflow system it sounds soooo clean. i can make a video and post it up probably tuesday. if i had to do it all over again i would probably have someone install it, but at the time a $500 install wasnt worth it when i was already putting 1K into the system itself.
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Old Mar 16, 2008 | 11:42 PM
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what kind of cats and y did you use?
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Old Mar 17, 2008 | 11:02 AM
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i have hooker super comp lts with the hooker ORY, i removed my EGR and AIR as well, to emissions. just get a dyno-tune, you should be able to pass emissions after that. in IL i dont think there is a visual inspection.
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Old Mar 17, 2008 | 11:29 AM
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bad *** my friend. i have my LT's sitting in my garage, i still need a y pipe and some cash to get them put in =/
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Old Mar 17, 2008 | 09:45 PM
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your going to be screwed... i just reliezed you live in Cali, LTs wont pass visual inspection. btw if your trying to save money buy the hooker y-pipe w/o the ceramic coating. just get a high temp spray paint to keep it from getting any rust. everything else comes in stainless. and if you have any mechanical skills try doing it yourself, i didnt have any money to pay someone to do it. i did it myself, it just takes awhile.
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Old Mar 17, 2008 | 09:51 PM
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yea im gunna have to pay someone under table i guess lol
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 04:08 AM
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did u install with a lift? heard half the works underneath the car.
how long did it take?
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Old Mar 18, 2008 | 10:22 AM
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yes, i installed it on a two post lift, the drive on style at my house would have done but two post clears up more space. and yes almost all of the work is done from under the car. i actually had to unbolt the engine on one side, remove the alternator and jack the engine up on the drivers side. all together it probably took me about 20 hours. its not too bad if you know what you are getting yourself into but for a first timer i dont think i did to bad.
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