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alternater problems

slovo240

New member
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Location
NC USA
so my car is killing alternators i replaced my oem one with a junkyard one then it dide so i went and grabbed a remanufactured one it died so i returned it got another and it died .. so i said screw volvo alternators and put a chevy one in there and it died .. now before you say im over lodeing it i dont have a crazy sterio system or any thing like that i have killed them by useing normal things like lights .. if i let the car sit and idle it is fine it only happens when i drive it .. what could be causing this where is the alt relay
 
how are you confirming that the alternator is indeed dead?

taking it to a shop and having them load test it??
 
Sounds like multimeter time. What do you mean by killing alternators? How can ya tell it's dead and how do you know it's your alternator that's the problem?
 
Voltage test first:

Measure the voltage at the alternator output post and case with heavy electrical loads on (lights, fan, etc.) after five minutes at idle, note.

Measure the voltage right at the battery posts not the connections at the same time, note.

The difference between the two should be less than .3 volts. If the voltage difference is greater than check the charging circuit wiring and connections, you might need to upgrade wire size if that is the problem. Getting the voltage close to zero is the goal here.

The older alternators will have a output voltage around 13.8 volts, the newer alternators greater than 14 volts. The newer lower maintenance batteries of the last twenty years require the higher 14+ volts to insure there long life.

The above test will tell you more in ten minutes than anything else you can do. It is better to test first then attack the problem to prevent wasted time and parts. Once you touch anything with wiring you do not know if you fixed the problem or made it worse.

This test will tell you if the alternator is producing the correct output voltage or if the wiring is at fault for poor connections in the charging circuit. This is very quick to do and should always be the first test when having electrical charging issues with voltage problems on any system. Much more likely for wiring problems are the terminations as the very short runs of wire used can carry very large amounts of current with minimal voltage drop.

If the voltage is low in the entire charging system check these:

alternator/regulator
alternator light/gauge and wiring
belt slipping
shorted battery

To test for current drain with the key off a test light or current meter inserted in series with the battery at the battery connection. Just remember some devices use current all the time, a clock for example. Pull one fuse at a time to find the circuit leaking.
 
i am having the alternator tested at a shop .. they say it is putting out 10amps where is the regulator .. is it in the alternator .. im not great with charging systems i dont understand them .. is it possible to create a stand alone charging system?
 
uhh the alternator charges the battery. the regulator is inside the alternator and isnt hard to replace since it can be taken out without having to take apart the entire alternator. its also fairly cheap. i dont know what you mean by stand alone charging system since the charging system for a car is alternator/battery. I would make sure that the regulator+brushes are good in the alternator then make sure the ground and power wires are solid.
 
ok but i have replaced the alternator 4 times 2wice with new ones . what could be killing them
 
See page 5: http://www.k-jet.org/files/greenbooks/TP30729-1_charging_system.pdf
When the ignition switch is on power flows through the battery light to the alternator. This excites the field of the alternator, the alternator then starts charging the battery.
Inspect the large red wiring from the alternator to the starter and from the starter to the battery. If the wire is bare it could be shorting out, which would overload the alternator causing premature failure.
 
and nowhere in the process of killing 5 alternators you thought "there must be a problem somewhere" ?
 
and nowhere in the process of killing 5 alternators you thought "there must be a problem somewhere" ?

well i tend to be a jackass .. and a a quote for you " true insainity is trying the exact same thing over and over expecting a differnt result each time"
 
andsbeta was right .. i re wired the whole alternator harness and were golden .. so that is 5 alternators and 8 feet of batery cable and it is fixed .. and no i can post positive crap about my car .. well until i break it again
 
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