1G Charging/Starting Issue

[Nowickii]

1992 GSX. Vehicle drove fine. Where we are at now is the battery sits at 12 volts. When you go to crank it, it instantly drops to 8 volts which isn't enough to start it. When jump starting the vehicle, it starts right up, and stays running fine with the jumper cables still attached. Now when they are disconnected, the battery voltage slowly drops from 12 volts to 8.5 volts (and less but it starts to run like crap).This happens over the course of a minute or two.

After this was all noticed I put the battery on a charger for awhile and put it back in the car. Started right up. After a day though, it wouldn't start. Almost acts as if there is a parasitic draw. (the battery sits at 12V but when attempted to start drops to 8V).

 

[Rsawd95dsm]

Could be a bad battery. Can always get a quick free test at a local auto store to quickly eliminate a possible problem. Then Start by pulling fuses like radio, cigarette lighter, and other small things (just a couple at a time like 3 or so) wait till the next day and see if it starts again. If it does then the draw would be in one of the things that have the fuse missing. If not put the fuses back in and try another couple of fuses to see if that helps.

 

[Nowickii]

Yeah it was tested and said it needed to be charged. Which temporarily corrected the issue. But even if there isn't parasitic draw, why will it not stay running and the battery voltage drop so quickly?

 

[Rsawd95dsm]

Very weak battery + bad alternator.

 

[hunkajunk]

I agree, probably a bad battery, I would get it tested or try another one.

 

[steve]

While the engine is running you should see 13.8v to 14.4v at the battery if the alternator is working and the alternator fuse isn't blown. Figure out why it's not charging first.

If the battery is discharging from fully charged to 8.5v in a couple of mins running the battery sounds trashed as well.

 

[Nowickii]

While the engine is running you should see 13.8v to 14.4v at the battery if the alternator is working and the alternator fuse isn't blown. Figure out why it's not charging first.

If the battery is discharging from fully charged to 8.5v in a couple of mins running the battery sounds trashed as well.

Thanks for the response. Yeah, the 80a alternator fuse seems to be intact still so I don't think that's it.

The first thing I'm going to attempt is to get a new (better) battery. If I experience the same problems, then I can at least rule one thing out. Then I will try the alternator with the same process. Just figure I'd do that second to avoid extra work. Not to mention how damn cold it is outside, haha.

Now, one more quick question - the kid who owned it before me didn't exactly baby it or do anything the right way. So, for whatever reason, when he "installed" a new alternator, he ran his own auxilary power wire from the output of the alt to the positive terminal of the battery. He also ran an auxilary ground wire to a bolt on the frame.

What reason would he have for doing this? I cannot for the life of me figure out if this is a necessary precaution that he took or if it can just be removed because it's an eyesore as well. My thought process is that if those wires were necessary, then Mitsubishi would've done it from the factory.

I can try and grab a picture of it tomorrow. Thanks!

Just a small update. I ordered an Optima Red Top and will be going to pick it up today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping this fixes the problem. I've had the car for three days and am already craving a drive in it. I'm sick of the Grand Prix and automatic especially, haha.

 

[Nowickii]

Alright, so I wanted to give an update as I'm still having problems.

Just to be sure it wasn't the battery, I bought an Optima Red Top as sort of an investment figuring it would not leave me stranded.

Anyways, I hooked up the Optima and it started right up. It continued to start right up after checking it in random intervals (usually letting it sit outside in the cold for 24 hours just to be sure) throughout the next few days. The car would stay running while I drove it also.

However, after driving it around a few nights ago, it started to die on me again and would slowly start losing voltage and eventually actually die. Then, it refused to start after it died. I'm figuring now that I have an Optima, I've eliminated the option of it being the battery. I'm not saying Optima is invincible or anything, but it is brand new so I'd like to think it is not the battery.

At this points, I'm fairly confident it's the alternator (even though the kid said it was new.) So, with all this being said, I'm looking for input on if you guys think it is in fact the alternator based on what I'm experiencing. Also, like I said, the kid wired his own ground and power (straight to the battery's positive terminal) wire from the alternator. I'm trying to figure out why the hell he did this and if it's something I need to keep as it looks super janky and entirely unnecessary.

 

[talon2gbuyer]

Sounds about right. If theres one thing ive learned about dsms, never trust the previous owner. They will lie their asses off to get you to commit to it.

 

[Nowickii]

Sounds about right. If theres one thing ive learned about dsms, never trust the previous owner. They will lie their asses off to get you to commit to it.

Lmao. Truer words have never been spoken, or at least I'm really beginning to believe that. The kid was pretty shady.

It's unfortunate that so many people find it satisfying. Oh well, for the price I got it, and what little is wrong with it, I'm still not complaining.

But thanks for the input Talon.

 

[pauleyman]

Dont know why you left yourself stranded. If you only had 12 volts with car running altrrnator isnt providing a charge. Take the battery out and charge it properly then test the alternator.

 

[dsmspickdad]

Replace the alternator and check the wiring.

 

[Nowickii]

Dont know why you left yourself stranded. If you only had 12 volts with car running altrrnator isnt providing a charge. Take the battery out and charge it properly then test the alternator.

I haven't left myself stranded, I'm doing all of this as a precaution before I start driving it daily so I don't leave myself stranded. It's just been sitting in my driveway until I am sure it is working and charging correctly.

But thank you for the suggestion pauley. I'll be doing so this week, hopefully.

Replace the alternator and check the wiring.

That's what I'm thinking too. I was looking into swapping in a Galant alternator. This seems to be my best option after reading about the fairly awful stock Eclipse one. So sometime this week (pending weather) I'll be going to the yard to look for a Galant or a 4 cylinder Saturn that I can rip the alternator out of.

Also, after finding the part number for the Galant alternator, it appears that this is what I need:

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=130682184353&index=0&nav=SEARCH&nid=43064347602

This may be what I do because it looks like only the GVR-4 alternator outputs 90 amps - not the other 93 Galants, however. And I'd imagine its not entirely easy to find a Galant VR-4 in a yard. Can someone verify this and let me know if this is what I need? It looks like the Saturn alternator would require work beyond my skill (unless over thinking it and misinterpreting Glen's thread on the matter.)

 

[pauleyman]

You can purchase gvr4 alternators new. Bosch makes a nice unit. Bolt in.

 

[Nowickii]

You can purchase gvr4 alternators new. Bosch makes a nice unit. Bolt in.

Any idea where the best place to find one is Pauley? I have looked high and low through Rockauto, eBay, other threads, but I can't seem to find the "exact" Galant VR-4 alternator that I need. If you or anyone could provide me with a direct link to the exact one, I'd really appreciate it. I'd hate to buy the wrong one, haha.

I will also be buying the power steering seal kit through Extreme PSI because I've come to te conclusion that my leaking power steering pump has destroyed my current alternator. These are the kinds of things I'm glad to learn as this seems to be a common problem on the 4g63's.

 

[pauleyman]

No idea anymore. I bought it at napa but it was years ago.

 

[Nowickii]

No idea anymore. I bought it at napa but it was years ago.

Damn. I'll have to do some more searching then as I'd like to get this thing road worthy and driving as soon as possible. It's killing me not to be able to drive it..

Thanks for your help Pauley.

And if anyone else has any idea where I can get one, please let me know! It would be greatly appreciated!

 

[pauleyman]

There are a host of better replacements out there. Denso, bosch, etc. You could take your existing alternator to an alternator shop for diagnosis and repair. They will typically use quality voltage regulators in the rebuild. This is what I did to support my 1g for 16 years.

 

[Nowickii]

There are a host of better replacements out there. Denso, bosch, etc. You could take your existing alternator to an alternator shop for diagnosis and repair. They will typically use quality voltage regulators in the rebuild. This is what I did to support my 1g for 16 years.

Have you kept the output at the factory 65(?) amps? Or have you upped it to 90 with this method?

I mean, chances are, I probably will just end up going with a Denso unit but still wanted to see what your experience was like with that.

It has to be the alternator from a 93 Galant VR-4 2.4L correct? I hope I'm not sounding like an idiot but like I said, I want to make sure I'm getting exactly the correct alternator.

 

[pauleyman]

Factory dsm alternator is 75 amp. No it is not a 93. GVR4 is only 91-92. 75 amp was always fine for me. I only did a 90 because I could. I didn't really need it but at the time it wasn't that expensive in relative terms. I think I paid about 175 but that was at least 10 years ago.

 

[Nowickii]

Factory dsm alternator is 75 amp. No it is not a 93. GVR4 is only 91-92. 75 amp was always fine for me. I only did a 90 because I could. I didn't really need it but at the time it wasn't that expensive in relative terms. I think I paid about 175 but that was at least 10 years ago.

Ah okay. Thanks for clearing that up Pauley. I will be looking into it tonight. Thank god Friday is payday.

 

[DrEcK07]

I realize this thread is pretty old but I didn't see anyone answer your question regarding the wires the previous owner installed (unless I missed it somehow). Anyway, it is called a "big 3 upgrade" and its mainly for people who have upgraded / high power audio systems, but it can help with the charging and electrical systems in any vehicle. I did it in my daily driver Camry, and it made quite a noticeable difference for my car which has around a 3500 watt sound system in it.

Here's a video explaining it much better then I can or just search "big 3 upgrade" on youtube.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.