some charging problem i searched and did about everything

[JoshDragon]

ok last week my car started acting up. stalling like the car wasnt charging. i purchased a new alternator and installed it when i took my old one back to the store i had it tested and it passed. i charged the battery up and it seemed fine untill the charge died so i hooked up a volt meter and it woul charge at idle. at 13.8volts as soon as there was gas it would drop down to lik 12.2 or lower but charge at idle - 1500 rpms. so i though hmm maybe it was my battery witch was only 8 months old took it back and exchanged it for a new one threw it in the car and it seemed fine untill the charge died out. i changed the 80 amp fuse to a 100 amp and that didnt fix it.. i dont have my heat sheild on my manifold im going to put that on today... what else could it be im am stumped.... thanks in advance

 

[marcmsj]

Check the voltage coming out of the alternator, both at idle and 3000rpm, then report back.

 

[Pauseflash]

Alright, Start simple. Put that old fuse back in. Never upgrade to a larger fuse in hopes of a quick fix. It's a one way track, to frying wiring and or your ecu. Fuses are there for a reason, with ample amount of resistance there. Some electrical engineer put it there, with the intentions of you not blowing up your entire electronic system when something is wrong.


Do you have a sound system installed? If you do, Do you have at least a 1 Farad capacitor in place? A stock alternator isn't designed to take pulls of upwards of 30 amps every time base hits. Electricity follows the path of least resistance always, no way around it. When an amp, or anything "Demands" electricity it actually sends you into a, whats in theory, "negative resistance" and the power will always go that way. If the demand is large enough, it will pull all the power away from your battery and into the system. A cap fixes this by storing the electricity when it is not needed, and discharging it when the demand reaches a certain point.


If thats not the case, Go to an alternator repair shop, and or a performance stereo shop, No Best Buys or Auto-Zone's here. Ask them if they'll do a full test on your alternator, this includes a lot more then a voltage check. If anyone ever tells you there is a "trick" to testing it in your car, they have no idea what they are talking about, and go somewhere else. If it still passes, chances are, you need a higher output alternator because of the draw of the car. A good shop, will sell you a higher output one, or rebuild yours, with more winds, and a heavier Mag to boost the Amps coming out of it.


Also, Check your grounds on your car. They are more important then most people realize, as It's a DC system. Ground is 50% of the battle, and has a tendency to go to hell in our rust prone cars. Upgrade the ground wires as well, I know even wal-mart sells ground kits in the stereo department, which gives you a multi contact plate, and a larger gauge wire to run.


Now, IF all this fails, let me know. It could be a multitude of other things, but these are the most likely culprits and should be done regardless if you plan on running loggers, bigger fuel pumps, and basically upgrading your car.

 

[JoshDragon]

were all are the grounds located at on the car.. i dont have a stero system i find them annoying. i did notice one time when i had the battery charger on the positive was really hot to the touch. wouldnt that indicate a bad ground? i really havent had time to mess with it to much.. thanks again

 

[Pauseflash]

It's been a question lately, where everything is located, and I'll be doing some work on my car today and taking pictures of all the 1g wiring and it's locations. Can't do 2g cause I do not have access to one. The reason it gets hot is just the amount of current flowing through a wire. Could be a sign of a bad ground, because it's not getting full flow, but doesn't automatically mean that it's bad.

I'll try to post a bit more tonight about all the grounds, and see if i can find any problem area's that you would want to check.

 

[JoshDragon]

i checked all the grounds and cleaned up the wiring connections. im waiting on sumone to come over and give me a jump. i also got a heat sheild for my manifold so now i guess i will see if i fixed it.

 

[JoshDragon]

still not fixed. what else should i check out? im getting pretty upset with my car now. could it be a possibility that my alarm system is messing with it? i have noticed it just comes on randomly with the car running or not....

 

[JoshDragon]

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I just came in From working on it again and I am still stumped.

 

[JoshDragon]

Sorry for posting again, But i also forgot to add that the only light that comes on on the gauge is the abs light. Maybe my problem is there? Also i bought a new crank pulley for an 95-99 are they diffrant size by chance? Thanks

 

[luvmygst]

Is the belt tight and not slipping? Check the ground wire to the chassis and to the motor. Did both alternators do the same thing?

 

[JoshDragon]

Well i solved my problem! It was a wire coming of the alternator sum how got riped in half. Twisted it back togeather and used a wire wrap on it should be aok now! Thanks To everyone that responded!