Things to check before replacing alt.

So last night while stuck in traffic I noticed my lights (dash and heads) were dimming when my car idles...then I would give a little gas and inch forward then it lights back up...since traffic was stop and go I would put my car in park and slightly rev my engine to keep everything lit until I could inch forward...sooo finally made it home...this morning I wake up to go check on my car I notice the batery post were corroded and one was even deteriorated a bit. Went to start the car and it didnt start the first two times, third time it did...drove to autozone, battery checked out good, starter checked out good, alternator failed. But I was wondering if there was anything else I could check before swapping alternator out...I replaced terminals already

Oh and my heads were flickering on and off as well while in idle

you could just change out the coals in the alt we do it all the time over here since getting a new alt is verry expensive manly because its so heavy to ship.

Ya I was talking about things other than the alternator tho

Have you checked the ground wires that go from the engine to the body irc there are three

Na I haven't..I'll do that thanks

If your salt tested bad then I would think that would be the issue.

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Ya Ive just been reading where people replaced there alternators and it ended up not being the problem

There is a charging test which was probably done by autozone. If your battery reading is fine, and starting is fine, then nothing is left but the alternator. I don't know if it's available in your area, but there are mechanics who can rebuild/rewind your alternator. It will be good as new and it's usually half the price.

Took it to a mechanic, he told me my alternator was fine, said my idle speed was too slow which is why my alternator wasn't functioning properly when stopped...so he sped it up a bit (for free)...hope that helps...saved me lots of money.

^SMH, Curious to know how he sped it up?



#Lol "Mechanics"

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by oakrdrs187

^SMH, Curious to know how he sped it up?

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smaller pulley size maybe?

anyway...on the 3 wires youre checking for are (location on v6, idk about 4cyl)
1) engine ground - back of block attached to manifold/chassis
2) power from alt to battery - runs behind the front exhaust manifolds...bitch to get to the whole thing unless you go top and bottom
3) battery to chassis - right next to the battery...bolts down behind the fuse box

check resistance in those 3 wires with DVOM and make sure its less than like .1ohm otherwise they could be corroded. you also need to do a volatage drop test WITH THE CIRUICT LOADED to get a full check of it. resistance will get you close but not a 100% guarantee!



if you do need a new alternator I have my old one sitting in the garage. took it out at around 90,000 miles, maybe a little less. PM me if interested. it is from the 6g72

Quote:

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Originally Posted by oakrdrs187

^SMH, Curious to know how he sped it up?



#Lol "Mechanics"

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Was curious about that as well...looked it up and found this
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14...fe0b431bda.jpg
...seems pretty simple as I'm sure it was since he did it for free. So far so good haven't had any issues and did quite a bit of driving yesterday...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by demond0d5

smaller pulley size maybe?

anyway...on the 3 wires youre checking for are (location on v6, idk about 4cyl)
1) engine ground - back of block attached to manifold/chassis
2) power from alt to battery - runs behind the front exhaust manifolds...bitch to get to the whole thing unless you go top and bottom
3) battery to chassis - right next to the battery...bolts down behind the fuse box

check resistance in those 3 wires with DVOM and make sure its less than like .1ohm otherwise they could be corroded. you also need to do a volatage drop test WITH THE CIRUICT LOADED to get a full check of it. resistance will get you close but not a 100% guarantee!



if you do need a new alternator I have my old one sitting in the garage. took it out at around 90,000 miles, maybe a little less. PM me if interested. it is from the 6g72

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Thanks for the help but I have a 4 cylinder

concept behind the wires is still the same though...just search google for "big 3 upgrade" and you will find out what those 3 are for and why they are important...


so basically the guy just adjusted your throttle cable to make it were you are "reving" all the time then? I don't know much about engine stuff but that doesn't sound like a very good fix...just my opinion though
would be better to get a new alternator pulley that is slightly smaller...keeps the throttle and all that at the same level but will increase the alternator speed

Well I was idling around 4-500...now I'm around 750...I think that's ok....right

Oh yeah that's fine! 750 is maybe even a little low depending on the car...

Guess I should have started by asking that XD


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Theres a screw on the TB he probably adjusted, that should never be touched. The PCM will compensate and you'll be at square one again. If he pulled the throttle cable, wont be long until the PCM can't compensate anymore and you'll get a CEL for high idle. 750 isn't too high so you might be ok.

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I haven't messed with the throttle stuff yet but I know on te brake and clutch you can adjust it at the pedal too...could that be another possibility? Not even sure if that's on a gas pedal though, just curious


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