dodgethis Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Hey I pulled in to the garage and when the door went down I could notice how the headlight were pulsatting. It was real noticeable inside the car as well with the back lighting dimming on and off slightly behind the speedometer. I havent had any issues with my battery, and the alternator sounds fine ( No weird noises coming from it). What is the usual first signs that start to show when your alternator or battery start to give out on you? The '98 lumina currently has 79,500 miles on it. What about a mulitmeter? can I hook it up to the terminals from the alternator and verify that its shows a stable value? I don't have a system in the car, everything is pretty much stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Take the alternator off and have it tested. flickering is usually a sign of a diode or rectifier failure, IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloick Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 voltage regulator. the only fix is replacement, i had a camaro that did this for 10 years behore it was replaced, just because i had extra money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 First sign of a failing alternator on my W's has always been the voltage drops below 12V. With the car running, voltage should always be above 12V and preferably in the 13's. 10's and 11's is a bad sign. Yes, you can check that with a multimeter. VREG and rectifier diodes are both in the alternator. You can replace them, but most people just replace the whole alternator. AC Delco ones last a LOT longer than cheap remans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgethis Posted August 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 GnatGoSplat When you use the mulitmeter do you the leads on the battery to check the voltage, or are you doing from the alternator itelf? just checking.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP4U2NV Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Also, remember a low CCA or weak battery can cause this to. The car runs off the battery The alternator recharges the battery Sort of a pot to store juice in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 Take the alternator off and have it tested. x2.....you should be able to have that alt off in less then 10 minutes.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgethis Posted August 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 x2.....you should be able to have that alt off in less then 10 minutes.... I agree but i thought I could cheat my way through and get a mulitmeter to throw me some values measured. I mean usually get to a dummy light (Volt light) in my case light up if i was having issues with it. It hasn't got that bad just yet, but I am seeing small signs of "something" that could lead to it. I need to change my belt since i am approaching 80,000 on her. I probably will do that when I take the alt off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 GnatGoSplat When you use the mulitmeter do you the leads on the battery to check the voltage, or are you doing from the alternator itelf? just checking.. Either one should work since the battery is directly connected to the alternator. I don't actually need to use one myself, since my car has a digital voltmeter in the Driver Info System. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubsfan24 Posted August 1, 2009 Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 x2.....you should be able to have that alt off in less then 10 minutes.... Ya took me about 10 min to get mine off until I dropped the nut holding the positive cable onto the alt behind the engine and either it hit the gravel driveway or got caught up on something behind the engine. Then it turns out my alt was still good just my battery had a bad cell in it. Its sad when it takes longer to get the battery out then it does to get an alt out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgethis Posted August 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2009 I know one thing Cubs you got to be careful where that bolt fell. I remember when I was changing spark plugs I had to take off the EGR solenoid off and the coil pack off. I couldnt fit my fat hands in the back, plus I didn't roll the engine forward. I remember looking in the back where you could see a slit where something small enough could fall inside where the lifters are. I played hell trying to get a bolt that was wedged between that slit and was afraid it would fall and cause issue to the lifters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubsfan24 Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I know one thing Cubs you got to be careful where that bolt fell. I remember when I was changing spark plugs I had to take off the EGR solenoid off and the coil pack off. I couldnt fit my fat hands in the back, plus I didn't roll the engine forward. I remember looking in the back where you could see a slit where something small enough could fall inside where the lifters are. I played hell trying to get a bolt that was wedged between that slit and was afraid it would fall and cause issue to the lifters. I am fairly sure the nut fell into the rear exhaust manifold cover thingy. Either that it fell into the gravel driveway which would be almost impossible to find. Had to go to hardware store with alternator in hand to get a new nut. People were looking at me like what is he doing, this isn't an auto parts store. This was a year ago so I think it didn't fall into anything too important. On a side note I did buy a spare remanufactured alternator off of amazon for $15. Now I can guarantee mine will not go bad now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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