Alternator

[chasebishop88]

Ok so my car this morning showed a check charge system cide and I was was wonduring if I needed to have the battery tested or if i need a new alternator keep in mind my serpentine belt is pretty thin (need to get it replaced) just need to know what I should do first

[AUROD X]

Well, you should replace the belt 1st, it could be that the belt is slipping on the alternator pulley.
Then go get the battery checked, before all that double check all connections from battery and Alternator. See that Alternator is not "loose". Had a friend last week with a charging issue and check engine light on and 1st thing I saw was the Alternator was being hold down by one bolt, therefore Alternator was shaking bad. I tighten it up and problem solved.

[Toronado3800]

Jul 13, 2019 9:42:09 GMT -6 chasebishop88 said:

Ok so my car this morning showed a check charge system cide and I was was wonduring if I needed to have the battery tested or if i need a new alternator keep in mind my serpentine belt is pretty thin (need to get it replaced) just need to know what I should do first

There are several ways of tackling this.

Sounds like yoir alternator belt is an accident waiting to happen. May as well change it.

If your battery is old it doesn't hurt to have it charged and tested. Make sure its terminals are clean and tight.

I'm thinking between our alternators not being easy to get to and your thin belt giving a very possible false "alternator problem" result on a test that I'd do the belt and battery test first myself. And do it before you end up stranded.

[chasebishop88]

Ok guys got the belt replaced still having issues any last ideas and the thing is I dont really know which one the alternator is on this car being sideways it's hard to tell

[tigger]

If you've checked all the connections and had the battery load tested, the alternator is pretty much all you have left...

It's not hard to find, getting it out is a completely different story, lol!



GL

[RCA1186]

Here is the alternator write-up. I can confirm you DO NOT need to remove the radiator to do the job. However it is up to you whether the extra work doing so is worth it for the extra space. Without it in the alternator removal would be far easier, but then you're dealing with changing the coolant, disconnecting trans cooler lines, etc. All easy stuff to do, just extra stuff that isn't necessarily needed when you CAN get it out without doing it.

If I (you) needed a coolant change, I would definitely take the radiator out to do the job. Otherwise I'd let it be. It just takes some work getting it in the right position to be able to squeeze it out by the airbox.

[chasebishop88]

Thanks guys I really appreciate all the advice

[chasebishop88]

Hey guys I changed my altenator and the check charge system is gone but in staying at 12 volts and it will go down when using blinkers and then come right back to twelve is that a good number I think that's low right ? Maybe a new battery ?

[RCA1186]

You had the battery tested? Definitely low. Should be around +/- 14V when running, maybe +/- 13V with a lot of load on the alternator.

[tigger]

Check it with a multimeter at the battery terminals. Ideally, you want to see ~12.6V with the engine off, and like Rob said, ~14V with he engine running.

[AUROD X]

It seems to me like a low budget Alternator. Had that issue before.🤔

[Toronado3800]

I'll ad, some of these ARE 20 year old cars. I should have changed the sild but old harnesses in my 68 Mustang and our cars are as close in age to that Mustang as what GM is building today.

In the Ford resistance is a thing.

What is acceptable resistance between the alternator and battery positive in our Auroras?

[chasebishop88]

Ok so I got a new battery and charged it up and its reading 13.2 with the car off and 12.9 with the car on no radio or anything and this is with a new not remanufactured altenator could there be a short somewhere or something like that (really dont wanna do the altenator job again 😵)

[Toronado3800]

Jul 28, 2019 12:38:29 GMT -6 chasebishop88 said:

Ok so I got a new battery and charged it up and its reading 13.2 with the car off and 12.9 with the car on no radio or anything and this is with a new not remanufactured altenator could there be a short somewhere or something like that (really dont wanna do the altenator job again 😵)

Guys, don't we have a resister or sorts on the positive cable near the battery to keep it from over charging? Is there an easy way to bypass that to "check it"?

Also, can a parts store check that alternator output? I agree I'd hate to take it out to habe it tested.

[tigger]

Jul 28, 2019 20:49:58 GMT -6 Toronado3800 said:

Guys, don't we have a resister or sorts on the positive cable near the battery to keep it from over charging? Is there an easy way to bypass that to "check it"?

Good point. There is a thermistor (temperature dependent resistor) at the positive battery terminal on the first gens. I think as temp goes up, resistance goes up, and the PCM decreases the duty cycle of the alternator to prevent overcharging. So, theoretically, if the termistor has damage or failure and is reading very high to infinite resistance, the PCM may not be commanding the alternator on at all.

I assume you could wire in a static resistor if someone were willing to Ohm theirs for reference (at X degrees F).


Could be bad alt out of the box(unlikely, but possible), trigger wire, or even PCM issue... PITA, sorry bud.

[chasebishop88]

Ok so I dont really have a course of action I dont really know what any of this stuff looks like I took a picture and I think that white connector is the thermostat but I dont know

What would you guys start by doing 
My family said I could drive it around at 12.8 and it would be fine as long as its over twelve but I dont feel like that's right so what should I do 

[tigger]

First, move that red wire between the battery cable end and battery terminal (on top). What's that for? The ring in the cable end needs to lie flat against the terminal.

Next, open that white 2 pin connector and check for corrosion. If you find any, cut the connector out and solder in new wire.

If none of that changes anything, pull the alternator and have it tested...

[chasebishop88]

So funny story guys (keep in mind I am 17 and self taught most of my mechanic skills) well let's just say lesson learned always go back through and triple check your work my mistake of not plugging the connector into the altenator caused me huge pain in the butt but now it's all working great now

[Toronado3800]

Aug 5, 2019 1:59:32 GMT -6 chasebishop88 said:

So funny story guys (keep in mind I am 17 and self taught most of my mechanic skills) well let's just say lesson learned always go back through and triple check your work my mistake of not plugging the connector into the altenator caused me huge pain in the butt but now it's all working great now

It happens to most of us. Thank goodness it was an easy fix.

[tigger]

Aug 5, 2019 1:59:32 GMT -6 chasebishop88 said:

...my mistake of not plugging the connector into the altenator caused me huge pain in the butt...

Hey, you're big enough to admit your mistake. Not everyone would have done that, haha!

Glad you got it squared away!