Alternator 41amps@ idle, normal?

[Tom Sawyer]

Well no one has responded in "problem diagnosis" so maybe someone can help in here.....

Optima yellow top...hasn't been doing to well on the voltage of late. It got drained down overnight by my DVD player that I left on and the battery wouldn't even make the car click when I turned the key in the morning. I trickled it up to full and let it float for a few hours and drove it to the place to get it checked. Battery came out ok on the test and the alternator was making 41 amps at idle. Is that low or normal? It wouldn't seem like the alternator would be making full power at idle so I was a little suspect of him saying my alternator was bad and I'd need a new one. Let me know what you guys think.

Tom

 

[GSX4LIFE]

If they gave you a test results AT IDLE, then they are BS-ing you. A battery and alternator are tested by an Arbs tester. A certain load is placed on either the starting system(battery) or the charging system(aletrnator) It runs the test for a certain period of time. When doing the charging system test, the technician must bring the car to about 2000rpm,and hold for a 10 sec period. Then the same is tested at an rpm of 800-1000(idle). After this is comlpeted, a summary is given on the display screen. It will give the MAX voltage, MAX amperage produced, and id the diode patern is good. It does not matter what happens at idle. If the test is done correctly, the tester will tell whether or notthe components are bad. A tell all of a bad alternator, BTW, is if your headlights flicker. If they do, better get ready for the car to die on you

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Sounds like a bad test then. I'll go to a different place Monday and make sure it's done right. Thanks man.

Tom

 

[red91tsiawd]

yeah, mine went out about 2 weeks ago while the g/f was in the car and it was COLD out. thank god i had my bibs in the car so she could stay warm (i'm so nice ) . the headlights went out, then the afc, then the acv-r, then the quages and finally my whole dash went blank and the car shut off which was BAD (no power steering). so my advise is get it checked somewhere else SOON so u don't run into my problem