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Charging problem

Drive it as is?

  • Yes--if you break down your wife won't mind driving out with the kids at 11pm.

    Votes: 1 25.0%
  • No--Drive your 1970 145 nomad that has fresh paint and has not been washed or waxed yet.

    Votes: 3 75.0%

  • Total voters
    4
  • Poll closed .

apologetik

New member
Joined
Nov 23, 2003
Location
Central Hell (Merced), CA
This should have been in off topic. Mods feel free to move.

So, I noticed that the voltage gauge (VDO) on the car was running low on my way home from work last night so I decided to check out everything today with a meter.

The battery and the alternator are both measuring close (within spec) to the same output--12.6volts.

My question is would you drive the car to work and back (140 miles, half day/ half night), before you changed out the alternator?

With my lights, stereo, and flashers on the voltage drops to 11.8-12.3 volts, measured at the gauge this time.

By the way this is an 80amp Denso alternator that I bought used off of the list and just installed two months ago when the old alternator died.

Joel
85 244Tic.
 
Last edited:
Make sure you check all the grounds+connections carefully before you go and change out the alternator. The little ground wire on my alt comes loose every once in a while...

No I don't think you can make it 140 miles. Your car probably draws at least 30-40 amps with the lights on. Your battery is what like 80AH? After an hour of driving on the battery alone I think things will start to get flaky. Very dicey. Can you charge the battery at work?


James
 
Make sure you check all the grounds+connections carefully before you go and change out the alternator. The little ground wire on my alt comes loose every once in a while..


James

+1. I had this exact same thing happen to me once. Battery never went dead, because it got some charge, but was always low (at around 12.3 volts). Turned out when I pulled the alternator that the ground wire had come loose. Tightened it up, all was well.

As far as driving it 140 miles, here is one of those times that a battery booster pack is invaluable. If anything happens, use it to start the car, then use the male-male cigarette lighter "charger" to keep the car running until you can make it home.
 
i had the same problem and the wiring was the problem i had to run new wires from the altenator both pos+ and neg-
 
Measure with your meter, negative lead to alt. case and positive lead to the large output post. It should be 14+ volts with a Denso, with lights on and fan on high.

Is the meter accurate?
 
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