Charging problems...PART 10...

[gmrulz4u]

If you haven't read any of my posts over the last few months regarding my 89 Supreme's charging myths, I suggest you do. It will also save me from having to explain everything again...

 

The problem with me being able to SOLVE my damn problems is the fact that I never have time! When you work 9-5, how the hell are you supposed to get car issues taken care of? I've purposely called in sick many times just to do car "stuff"...

 

But anyway, I took it to my trustee mechanic on Monday and he noticed that my tensioner was really worn out, only giving like half as much torque pounds as it's supposed to. So I got a new one installed. As well as a new belt, the old one had been slipping(you could tell). So after hooking everything up and starting the car, it SEEMED to be fine, or atleast a lot better. So I leave and do quite a bit of running around(4 xmas). While doing so I realize that it's pretty much ALMOST just as bad as it was before!!! Not AS bad...but still! At idle in drive, I get like 11 volts! So I go back to my mechanic, 6 hours later. He does some more testing etc...he now believes it definitely the alternator, probably the regulator, or a bad diode.

 

Just to give a little background. In February of this year. I bought a new 160amp alt(reman. of course), a new Optima battery(best you can buy), and had the power and ground wires changed to a thicker gauge. I swear I've had this problem since DAY ONE! And when I told the people I bought the alt. from , they're just like, "oh that's normal"! What a bunch of shit!! It pisses me off because if I had been as smart 10 months ago as I am today, this would all be solved! Like a fu-ckin car is supposed to run off a battery while driving in stop-and-go traffic(which for me and millions is normal)!

 

But anyways...to move on...

 

I think I'm starting to really pin-point what's going on. Tonight after work(car sitting for 9 hours at 20 degree F, -10 celcius), the battery was at 11.8 volts, after starting the car, it went up to 14.9 volts. I sat in idle for about 5 minutes(waiting for someone), as I'm driving home, everything was good for about the first 5 minutes, then, minute after minute, the voltage would get worse and worse. After driving for about 10 minutes, the voltage at a stop light was just over 11 volts. So it's apparent: THE ALTERNATOR IS ALMOST USELESS ONCE IT GETS HOT, right!!?? My mechanic did say that my alternator seemed TOO hot...I touched it, and you couldn't keep your finger on it for a second, unless you wanted to get burnt.

 

My voltage readings do some pretty funky shit! The other day, I'm idling in park, the voltage was at 11.8, few minutes later it's at 12.5, then 3 minutes later 13.5! It went up all by itself, for no apparent reason!? Same thing in the opposite...tonight, idling in park for about 5 mins, voltage is 13, then 12, then 11.5, with nothing changing in terms of load!!?? It's like the voltage regulator has a mind of it's own or something??

 

Also, I don't know how much a cars voltage is supposed to fluctuate while idling, but using my digital multi-meter, I see mine RAPIDLY jumping all over the place, one second it's 12, next split second it's 13.5? Is this normal?

 

I think I'm gonna call in sick on Thursday and get this FUC-KING thing solved!!! And throwing the alternator at the stupid people I bought it from...lying to me 10 months ago...

 

So that's my story...any comments or suggestions??

 

THANKS:)

 

By the way, I use two different digital voltmeters, and a digital multimeter to test all my voltages...just so someone doesn't say something like "are you just judging this by your dash gauge?"...

[paulo57509]

I read someplace (I wish I could remember where) that high output alternators don't "put out" at low engine speeds. Please don't take this a gospel. I'll try to locate the source of this (possibly mis-) information.