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Hey guys! My name is Joe, and I just bought my first Corvette at 18 yrs. A 1984 auto in Med. Blue Metallic. The odo reads 75k, but it hasn't changed since I picked up the car Monday, so I wonder about true miles. The paint is in pretty good shape, nothing to write home about. I have been dreaming about owning a Corvette for years, and worked many hours at a high school job with this car in mind. After having it for 2 days, sounds like it may need an alternator, which seems to be a somewhat common problem. The alt is definitely not original, and there is a sticker that says "remanufactured in Mexico" I am thinking about buying a new Delco 17si, or upgrading to a CS130 from the later years. Thoughts? So excited about my first Vette.
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new Corvette!! The 84 is a great year and they look great in Medium Blue Metallic!! I would love to see pictures of the car!!
Why do you feel as though it needs an alternator? Are the output volts from the alternator less than 14V at idle? If you are seeing that reading on the dash, confirm with a multimeter at the alternator just to be sure.
Welcome to the club Joe I always loved 84s or any C4 really.
So why do you think an altenator is needed?? Symptoms of a bad altenator would be flickering lights, trouble starting the car, dead battery etc etc..........I would test the battery and see if you are holding a charge in the battery. And as mentioned above, check the voltage at the altenator too.
I would get alternator checked before replacing if your doing yourself 20 minute job easy watch it on u-tube first, and if you upgrade the power output your wires might not handle and looking for trouble.
Pretty confident it’s the alternator, as I watched the voltage drop from 12~ down to 6.6 over the course of a few minutes, not even at idle. Additionally, when I jumped the car and then checked the alternator, I found that with the neg lead disconnected, there was a whopping 0 volts btn the alternator and ground. I plan to get it tested, but will probably order one soon, as I can’t wait to get on the road.
Welcome and congratulations on the car! I'm glad to see younger folks like yourself taking an interest in these cars. The C4 to this date is still my favorite generation. I've owned one of mine for 24 years (literally half my life, now). They run deep...
If the engine is not on and the key is in the on position, and you see the battery voltage dropping, I would first suspect a weak battery. I would test and replace the battery if you find that its not good.
As for testing the alternator output voltage, this is done at idle with all accessories off initially. You will use the positive lead on your multimeter on the stud on the back of the alternator. It will have a rubber boot covering it. The negative lead on you multimeter will be on the negative terminal at the battery. This will show you how many volts the alternator is putting out at idle. If its more than 14V, turn on the headlights, the blower motor, and rear defrost. If it drops below 13V, you have an issue with the alternator. I would like to see mid 13V, like 13.5 or 13.6 on the low end. Ideally, you want 14V or more at idle with accessories on. But these cars are older and the wiring is older, so mid to high 13's would be ok in my book.
If the engine is not on and the key is in the on position, and you see the battery voltage dropping, I would first suspect a weak battery. I would test and replace the battery if you find that its not good.
Battery tested clean on both an analog and digital portable tester. The voltage drop I experienced was while driving, not idling or off. Taking out the alt to get tested today, hopefully that’s the issue. Can’t wait to get it back on the road. Pic below
That paint looks really clean. It’s certainly aftermarket (painted belt line) so I wonder if the car is an original blue or maybe another color. Love the look of this machine though.
Mine isn’t quite so nice. Almost looks two-tone with how bad the previous paint job was. But she drives good and I’m sure once your alternator situation is figured out, yours will be problem-free for a good chunk of miles.
Congrats on your first Corvette and welcome aboard!
Hello: My first C4
I always loved 84s or any C4 really.
