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Old Aug 30, 2023 | 11:51 PM
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Default Charging system fault

I made a post a while back, but i’m still having problems. I had a charging system fault and put in a new starter. That fixed it for a second before the charging system went out again. I went in and got my battery tested and it came back as bad so I bought a new one. I also had the alternator tested at the same time and it came back as bad so I sent my alternator in to be warrantied as i had just replaced it 4 months earlier and it was bad. I put my new alternator in and it still is having problems starting so i take it to get tested and the battery is fried. I get a new battery and they test my alternator again and the brand new installed one comes back as bad. So in the past 6 months I have been through 1 starter, 2 alternators and 2 batteries. Is this just a series of bad luck that I have or is there something more serious that is the issue? This is what my alternator test is coming back as.
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Old Sep 2, 2023 | 10:02 AM
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have you read the sticky thread on the c5 alternator in the upper part of this section? It will answer many questions
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Old Sep 2, 2023 | 11:01 AM
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I still don't know why you replaced the starter for a charging system problem, unless you ment to say alternator? Many c5 owners prefer to have their original alternator rebuilt instead of buying a replacement because they may not get the correct one for a c5 corvette.
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Old Sep 3, 2023 | 06:33 AM
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Please report the DTC code for the fault and what kind of voltage do you measure on your battery while the engine is idling
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Old Sep 7, 2023 | 03:09 AM
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Originally Posted by oelarse
Please report the DTC code for the fault and what kind of voltage do you measure on your battery while the engine is idling
the voltage jumps around. It goes from 9 to like 12 and back down. It just jumps around the first half of the voltage meter.
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Old Sep 7, 2023 | 03:10 AM
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Originally Posted by mmartinez
I still don't know why you replaced the starter for a charging system problem, unless you ment to say alternator? Many c5 owners prefer to have their original alternator rebuilt instead of buying a replacement because they may not get the correct one for a c5 corvette.
yeah I meant Alternator. How much does an Alternator rebuild cost? I’ve always heard that rebuilt ones are a poor choice.
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Old Sep 7, 2023 | 08:26 AM
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Originally Posted by TZNBrayden
How much does an Alternator rebuild cost? I’ve always heard that rebuilt ones are a poor choice.
The important thing with a rebuild is to have the original alternator. If you’ve already gone through the alternator sticky I’m being redundant, but the O.E. unit is a Valeo with communication output specific to the C5. There are Valeo replacement alternators, but they are not the generic units commonly available — thus the suggestion to have the original rebuilt.
Autozone lists a Valeo for my ‘99, and only $500. Oof.
Napa says they have a new Valeo for $356, their part NRO 1N9125 for a’99. Have not tried it, but it would probably be my first shot.
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Old Sep 8, 2023 | 06:24 PM
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Originally Posted by redzg
The important thing with a rebuild is to have the original alternator. If you’ve already gone through the alternator sticky I’m being redundant, but the O.E. unit is a Valeo with communication output specific to the C5. There are Valeo replacement alternators, but they are not the generic units commonly available — thus the suggestion to have the original rebuilt.
Autozone lists a Valeo for my ‘99, and only $500. Oof.
Napa says they have a new Valeo for $356, their part NRO 1N9125 for a’99. Have not tried it, but it would probably be my first shot.
I have a 2001, do you think there was a big difference in the alternators or should they work the same? I believe I have the original one. I also have an AC/Delco and a REMY alternator. Is it better to chance one getting rebuilt or should I just go buy that Valeo one?
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Old Sep 9, 2023 | 03:55 PM
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Originally Posted by mmartinez
I still don't know why you replaced the starter for a charging system problem, unless you ment to say alternator? Many c5 owners prefer to have their original alternator rebuilt instead of buying a replacement because they may not get the correct one for a c5 corvette.
hey, I just took my alternators to get a rebuild and apparently they are testing just fine. Now I am completely lost on what to do, do you have any idea as to what I should do from here?
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Old Sep 9, 2023 | 07:05 PM
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You have to use a DVM to measure across battery terminals to verify charging voltage is present should be around 13.5-14.7v approximately. You might have a fuseable link that has opened up, they are located on the cable that connects the alternator output to the battery, that connection point is on the starter, so make sure the cable connections on the starter solenoid are clean and tight.
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Old Sep 9, 2023 | 07:46 PM
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I think my next step would be to make absolutely certain, with no chance for error, that the stater wires are all connected just like they should be.
There aren’t enough connections at the alternator to get anything out of order, and something is sounding off.
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Old Sep 10, 2023 | 08:06 PM
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Your problems seem to be all too familiar to me, Threw the summer I have posted about my electrical problems with my 2001 Coupe. I would suggest reading my posts to see if it sounds familiar to you. My problem turned out to be dirty contacts in the ignition switch. You can find videos on Youtube on how to remove it and check the contacts. Some have been successful in repairing the ignition switch. I was not seccessful so I installed a new one. My car is now repaired and reliable once again. Message me if I can be of any help to you.

Last edited by paoutlaw; Sep 10, 2023 at 08:17 PM. Reason: mis[elled words
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Old Sep 11, 2023 | 12:41 AM
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Originally Posted by paoutlaw
Your problems seem to be all too familiar to me, Threw the summer I have posted about my electrical problems with my 2001 Coupe. I would suggest reading my posts to see if it sounds familiar to you. My problem turned out to be dirty contacts in the ignition switch. You can find videos on Youtube on how to remove it and check the contacts. Some have been successful in repairing the ignition switch. I was not seccessful so I installed a new one. My car is now repaired and reliable once again. Message me if I can be of any help to you.
yeah man how can i get in contact with you?
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Old Sep 11, 2023 | 10:12 AM
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The one thing that dirty ignition switch contacts can cause is a lower voltage reading on the dash. You should place multimeter leads on the alternator output and ground with the car running, and then read across the battery terminals. The two voltages should be almost identical and should be in the 13 to 15 volts range. This test will verify that your cars charging system is working properly.
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Old Sep 11, 2023 | 10:21 AM
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Originally Posted by mmartinez
The one thing that dirty ignition switch contacts can cause is a lower voltage reading on the dash. You should place multimeter leads on the alternator output and ground with the car running, and then read across the battery terminals. The two voltages should be almost identical and should be in the 13 to 15 volts range. This test will verify that your cars charging system is working properly.
what are the signs of dirty ignition contacts? I did some research into faulty grounds and my one ground on the driver side by the coolant hoses and headlight was totally corroded as the radiator had exploded right there. I haven’t been able to finish cleaning it or test anything with it, I just took it apart and looked at it. I heard that people had problems with the ignition but what is the signs of those being dirty? I watched a video and in the video it showed that the car would crank like it doesn’t have gas. On my car before it would die i could get it started if i flipped my key back and forth in the ignition like 6 or 7 times. Is that a sign? Could it be a mix of things?
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Old Sep 11, 2023 | 11:13 AM
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https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ch-repair.html
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Old Sep 11, 2023 | 11:19 AM
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My car would shut off randomly or not start at all. When the car ran, it ran perfectly. As you read in my posts a good shop could not find the problem due to it starting every time for them. I had codes for Throttle Actuator Control Module and Fuel Pump at different time. Both can be caused by low voltage. It takes a few hours to get the the ignition switch but it doesn't cost anything to look at it once a part. The contacts will appear black if it's bad or going bad. Again youtube videos are a good sourse on how to do all this if you don't have manuals or access to manuals
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Old Sep 11, 2023 | 11:22 AM
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The post by Feeder shows and explains it all very well. Give it a try at least or you may end up with no hair like I did.
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Old Sep 11, 2023 | 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted by paoutlaw
My car would shut off randomly or not start at all. When the car ran, it ran perfectly. As you read in my posts a good shop could not find the problem due to it starting every time for them. I had codes for Throttle Actuator Control Module and Fuel Pump at different time. Both can be caused by low voltage. It takes a few hours to get the the ignition switch but it doesn't cost anything to look at it once a part. The contacts will appear black if it's bad or going bad. Again youtube videos are a good sourse on how to do all this if you don't have manuals or access to manuals
i will have to look into that. I’m just scared because I feel like it good be a lot of things. When I put a new starter in the starter wires were so corroded that i had to splice new ones on with the connectors. My grounds are all dirty. Do you know if that ground that’s behind the front headlight could be doing anything with my charging? Obviously it needs to be done anyways but I am curious. I think it could be the ignition because it wouldn’t start off a push start or anything. I’ve never had a car that wouldn’t start off a bump. Could my belt tension be a cause however for my alternator not charging my battery?
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Old Sep 11, 2023 | 12:00 PM
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Thank you for this, I will read into it.
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