alternator problems!

[rob1621]

Alright so i think my alternator is taking a sh*t. My brake, battery, anit lock lights are one. But my cars voltage still reads around 12.5 to 13V but i was driving today and the lights came on when i was in gear but in neutral they go away. I pulled over because of this weird smell and open my hood to find that a bit of smoke was coming out of the area where the alternator is. The belts didnt feel too hot but the alternator was hot. I just want to know why this is happening. This is going to be my 3rd alternator in the past few months.

 

[Black91TSiAWD]

Have you been buying advance auto/auto zone remanned alternators? From what ive been hearing lately they arent long for this world.


One thing Id check is if the power steering pump is leaking onto the alternator, that will cause smoking/heating up.

 

[justinhill98gst]

Yeah if its a auto zone alt there junk, Im already on my 3rd one. every one fell apart but thank god for the warrenty

 

[rob1621]

yeah its auotzone... i think im just going to get a new one and put it on and hopefully it will be fixed.

 

[Defiant]

Alright so i think my alternator is taking a sh*t. My brake, battery, anit lock lights are one.

That means it's sitting on the hoop.

But my cars voltage still reads around 12.5 to 13V

That means it's in the process of wiping, and reaching for the flush lever.
Alternator rebuilds are usually done locally, because they're heavy to ship. It's catch-as-catch can as to whether whatever rebuilder is doing the work will be putting out good alternators or just clean junk. Sounds like you're in a junk zone.

 

[rob1621]

actually now my my voltage is 15.9 constantly as i have it in gear, but in neutral it goes down.

 

[Detective Coating]

Alternator problems are a pretty notorious thing for DSM's. Doesn't make much sense that your volts are reading quite a bit different the times that you checked it. I would either have it rebuilt or get a stock OEM replacement from the dealership. You could also look into the saturn alternator swap that looks relatively easy to do.

 

[jusroln]

I got a rebuilt alternator from O'reilly last month and it was dead after 5 minutes. When buying a rebuilt alternator I would ask them to throw it on the machine to be tested before you even leave the store. It will save you time and stress.

 

[alika86]

Yah sounds like your alternator is dying. I don't know where the smoke is coming from, but maybe it's the alternator bearings that went... that happened to me in two of my old cars.

Another suggestion, check your ground. It's that little black plug going to the nipple on the power steering pump. This might be the source of your erratic voltage readings.

All the signs of a dead alternator just showed up on my dash two days ago. After taking my alternator to checkers to get it checked out, they said it was fine. I checkled everything that might cause the problem and found that the alternator's ground wire was very frayed. I cut off that plug and replaced it with an insulated alligator clip. I clipped it on the nipple, installed the alternator, tightened the belt and....voila! All good.

Hope that helps a little. Good luck

 

[Defiant]

actually now my my voltage is 15.9 constantly as i have it in gear, but in neutral it goes down.

Good, now it's not regulating.
We can keep talking about it, and see what fails next, I suppose.