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That alternator sounds a bit fishy..
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Posted by Aaron Gilbert [Email] (more from Aaron Gilbert) on Fri, 12 Jul 2002 02:24:47 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: More electrical woes...., Ben, Fri, 12 Jul 2002 01:12:53
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Yes, the alternator cannot output it's full current rating when the engine is at idle, but what you describe sounds much than that. Even at idle, with the accessories you describe on, the voltage should not drop below about 12.5V, with 12.8-13.0V being more common. With no load whatsoever, ie all lights and fans off, it should be closer to 14.0V. This is temperature dependant however (will read higher as the temperature goes lower), and also dependant upon the state of battery charge. Your battery is a load whenever the engine is running, but it's a far greater load when it's dead!

There shouldn't be nearly such a wide range between full load and no load on the alternator. About 1.0V is typically the widest range I see.

The bottom line is, any time the alternator output drops below nominal battery voltage of 12.6V, the electrical system is sourcing current from the battery to keep things running. This cannot be sustained for long, and if the battery was already dead not long ago... oh, and yes, the battery could indeed have been damaged by driving around with an alternator that wasn't up to snuff for a month.

I'd have both your battery and alternator tested. I'm a bit surprised your charge light doesn't come on when the voltage is reading below 12V.

Good luck!


Aaron Gilbert
1987 9000T 278k miles

posted by 207.202.17...

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