Chraging problem? Alternator going/gone?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 801
Likes: 0
From: South Amboy NJ
Chraging problem? Alternator going/gone?
Well i was driving on the highway last night and the battery light blinked a few times. I was watching the volts and they were around 13.9. Every once in a while it would drop to anywhere from 12.9-13.6 and the light would blink. I'm supposed to go on a 300 mile trip this weekend (150 each way) and was wondering if i should be worried, and if the car is road worthy.
Right now i am extremly pissed, battery test shows the battery is good (new one in May). When i start the car, the tester shows the charginf system is good (middle of the green). I thought the belt may be slipping? this is a 93 corvette, and it has the self adjusting tensioner. I have also replaced the belt back in april.
Opinions, help, idea,
Dave :mad
Right now i am extremly pissed, battery test shows the battery is good (new one in May). When i start the car, the tester shows the charginf system is good (middle of the green). I thought the belt may be slipping? this is a 93 corvette, and it has the self adjusting tensioner. I have also replaced the belt back in april.
Opinions, help, idea,
Dave :mad
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Re: Chraging problem? Alternator going/gone? (polishdevil)
The intermittent blinking shows that the alternator is intermittently not charging the battery and this can be caused by a lot of things. A poor battery connection can cause this and I recommend you remove your battery cables (neg first) and clean the cable lugs and the battery posts and replace the cables (neg last). Next I would unplug the connector on the alternator and spray the contacts with contact cleaner and I would look at the quality and tightness of the alternator output terminal. With the engine running and someone watching the dash for the battery symbol light, tug on the alternator output red wire and if the battery light flickers, you may have a defective connection in the fusible link on that wire or the connection to the jump start terminal where that wire terminates is loose or has a poor connection. Lastly, you may have an intermittent inside the alternator, brushes wearing out or bad connection to the voltage regulator circuit board.
