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Re: 11.5 volts...not good Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Fri, 30 Sep 2005 05:30:45
In Reply to: 11.5 volts...not good, Aom, Thu, 29 Sep 2005 22:06:41 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
A few questions-
With the first alternator, when you were seeing 11.5 on the EDU and at the battery, was the Battery light ON? With your new alternator/VR, I assume you're still seeing a low voltage - is the Battery light ON? If you turn the key to ON but don't start the car, do you get a Battery light?
If you aren't getting a battery light, the problem is the battery light circuit. That circuit does more than light a light; it supplies the 'start up' current for the alternator. No current, and the alternator won't put out current. The most likely cause is the thin yellow or green wire running to the back of the alternator. First, it must be there and not corroded off. Second, it must be connected to the proper part of the alternator. Thirdly, the bulb must be good.
If the Battery light isn't coming on and the wire looks OK, disconnect it from the alternator. With the key set to ON, touch the wire to chassis ground. If the light doesn't come on, the bulb is dead, has a bad connection in the dash, or there is some other wiring problem between that wire and the bulb. Find and fix it, because otherwise the alternator won't work.
If the battery light is always on (when the key is ON), try disconnecting the wire from the alternator and see if the light goes out. If it stays on, then there is a short, and that wire is rubbing on chassis ground somewhere. Find and replace that.
If the battery light is ON when the key is ON or the engine running, but goes out when you disconnect it from the alternator, then the battery light circuit is just fine and I've wasted a bunch of typing.
About the only things left to check would be to make sure that the alternator is grounded to the engine, and that the engine is grounded to the chassis. With the engine running, measure the voltage between the alternator body and engine, and between the engine and chassis, and between the chassis and battery negative post. In all cases, the voltage should be less than 50 millivolts (0.05 volts). Any more, and you've got a bad connection.
How does the serpentine belt look? Is it in good shape, tracking true, and appears to be tensioned correctly? If the belt is slipping on the alternator pulley, the alternator won't put out current and you'll get a burning smell. If your new alternator came with a pulley, it may not have been the right one, and the belt may not be tracking properly in it. I usually swap pulleys from the old alternator just to be safe. And many rebuilt alternators don't come with a pulley. But make sure you've got good tension, and that the belt isn't slipping.
posted by 192.249....
, Fri, 30 Sep 2005 05:30:45 <-- Viewing This Message
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