Click Banner for Details on this Saabnet.com Classified
The banner above is an advertisment - if it asks you to download software, please ignore.
Site News - 7/1: Members: Log In to See Fewer Ads! | 5/28: SAAB Evolutions/TSN T-Shirts $14
[General | Members | C900 | 9000 | NG900 & OG93 | 93 | 95 | NG95 | 99 | Sonett | Vintage Models | Clubs | Other Cars | FAQs | Gifts | Member Photo Galleries | Member Directory | Classifieds | Manuals | *Buddy Registry | *Mileage Registry | Polls | What's New | Raffle | Photo of the Month | Sponsors]

9000 Bulletin Board
1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest]
(Search Author's Posts: e.g. Keyword:username)*Members Only

[Main 9000 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ | Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ] Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: Do I have a bad alternator, Ari, Anybody?
Like This Post: - Subscribe to Daily Digest for this Bulletin Board
Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Tue, 18 Jun 2002 08:33:07 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: Do I have a bad alternator, Ari, Anybody?, Stevo, Tue, 18 Jun 2002 07:52:01
Alert me when someone posts in this thread:
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup

If you turn the car to ON but don't start it, the Battery light should come on. The battery light is part of the charging system - the light itself is in the path of the current that starts the alternator working.

When the key is turned to ON, current flows from the battery, through the battery light, through a thin wire to the alternator. That current energizes the magnets in the alternator. A good test is to ground the THIN wire at the back of the alternator, then turn the key to ON. If the light doesn't come on, the problem lies in the light or the light wiring. If the light does come on, then the problem lies in the alternator.

There are two wires to the back of the alternator - one, big thick one from the battery, and one skinny one, usually yellow or green, from the light. DO NOT GROUND THE THICK WIRE! This is directly from the battery, and the results will be very bad.

To access the back of the alternator, open the hood and look at the engine oil dipstick. You'll notice the top of the dipstick tube is held in place by a metal bracket bolted to the intake plenum. Remove that bracket, and use a piece of rope to pull the top of the tipstick tube away from the firewall, along with some of the hoses from the power steering system. Be gentle. Look straight down, and you'll see the back of the alternator. Since this area tends to be greasy, I wrap my arm in a plastic garbage bag before reaching down.

You'll see the thin wire on the back of the alternator. That's the one you should ground, then turn the car to ON to test the light.

Given your symptoms, I'm going to make a bet that when you look down at the back of the alternator, you're going to see the thin wire is pretty corroded right where it meets the alternator. I've seen this on both my '88s. I'll bet that wire has either corroded off at the alternator, or is still attached, but by a thread of old insulation. The fix is to follow the wire back up into the bundle a few inches until you find some good wire, and splice on a new piece. You don't need to replace the wire all the way back to the light - usually good wire is found once you get to the protection of the cable bundle.

If the wire is OK, and grounding it turns the light ON, then the next step is the alternator/voltage regulator.

Good luck!

posted by 140.157.4...
Posts in this Thread:
Alert me when someone posts in this thread:
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
Post a Followup

No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.

Name: Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
E-Mail: (Optional)
Re-Enter E-Mail: (Confidential & Secure - Not revealed to other users!)
Note: Please check your spam folder for BB responses.

Subject:

Posting rules are simple - No for sale/wanted ads may be posted here - use the site classifieds.
You may not cross-post your message to multiple BBs.
Not permitted: political/religious topics and being disrespectful (personal attacks, insults, etc...).
 Site Members do not see any red text, inline ad links, bottom of page anchor ads, box ads, or anti-spam check.

Message: (please no for sale/wanted classifieds - post those in the Saabnet.com Classifieds)
Links are now automatically made active, no need for any special code (or use the Option Link field below) - don't put links in () or end with a '.'
To add inline images to your post, use [img]http://www.domain.com/img.jpg[endimg] (or use the Optional Image Link field below).

Links are now automatically made active, no need for any special code (or use the Option Link field below) - don't put links in () or end with a '.'
To add inline images to your post above, use [img]http://www.domain.com/img.jpg[endimg] (or use the Optional Image Link field below).
Optional Link: (e.g. http://www.saabnet.com/)
Link Title: (Optional)
Optional Photo/Image Link: (e.g. http://www.saabnet.com/img.jpg)
Photo/Image to Upload: (Please be patient while file uploads)



StateOfNine.com
SaabClub.com
Jak Stoll Performance
M Car Covers
Ad Available

The content on this site may not be republished without permission. Copyright © 1988-2024 - The Saab Network - saabnet.com.
For usage guidelines, see the Mission & Privacy Notice.
[Contact | Site Map | Saabnet.com on Facebook | Saabnet.com on Twitter | Shop Amazon via TSN | Site Donations]

Random Saabnet.com Member Gallery Photos (Click Image)
This is a moderated bulletin board - Posting is a privilege, not a right. Unsolicited commercial postings are not allowed (no spam). Please, no For Sale or Wanted postings, SERIOUSLY. Classifieds are to be listed in The Saab Network Classifieds pages. This is a problem solving forum for over 250,000 Saab owners, so expect to see problems discussed here even though our cars are generally very reliable. This is not an anything goes type of forum. Saabnet.com has been a moderated forum since 1988. For usage guidelines, see the Saabnet.com Mission and Purpose Page. Please remember that you are not anonymous. Site Contact | Site Donations | Other Sites by SP - Poverty2Prosperity.org | Run Club Menlo Park | ScreenBot


Site Members do not see red text instructions, bottom of the page anchor ads, or box ads.
Click here to see all the Site Membership Benefits!