95gt alternator problem

[acomaelkhunter]

i have a 95GT. the battery went dead the other night, just prior the alternator indicator was showing that the alternator was not charging. recharged the battery, vehicle ran till the battery died. replaced the alternator, but still have the same problem. any advice?

 

[CC'S95GT]

I have seen where a bad battery ended up killing the alt too. Do you have access to a volt meter? What is the Alt putting out with the engine running? (sould be @14.5vdc). Ck the wiring on the back of the alt to make sure it isn't shouting out on the back on the alt case. Look for any corrosion on the wire going from the alt to the battery especially where the insulation begins.

 

[acomaelkhunter]

Bought the battery last fall. less then a year old. i didnt check the alternator output with a volt meter. but when i take the positive battery cable off the post, car dies.

 

[CC'S95GT]

You can't do that to computer controled cars without running the risk of f'g something up by removing the ground the computer needs. Leave the cables connected when the car is running.
take the battery in and have it load tested to.

 

[acomaelkhunter]

i didnt know that. i'll check with volt meter.

 

[acomaelkhunter]

volt meter reads, 13.7 volts. could under drive pulleys be the problem? wires appear brittle near the alternator.

 

[evilcw311]

checking the voltage on a battery doesnt mean anything. you are only checking the surface charge. when a battery tester is used it puts a load on the battery similar to that of the car starting and such.
as stated by CC you need to take the car and have it tested while its in the car. if that turns out not to be the issue then you need to check all the fusable links under the hood. 1 or 2 of them......i cant remember.........have an affect on your charging system.

also if you are finding any wires that are brittle then you need to replace the wires. brittle means either rotted or flexed to much......either way this causes much resistance and shorting which greatly affects current and if said wire snaps can cause fire!!

 

[ttocs]

can we get some pics of these wires? Also check your grounds. There should be a real short one from teh batt to the body by the battery and another from the engine to the frame on the drivers side bottom of the motor. A bad ground can cause all of these problems. If your alt is charging correctly removing a cable will not cause any problems but since yours died, but your still reading 13+v(at the alt I assume) I would check yer grounds.

 

[GENOS96]

Im redoing all the wires under the hood with 0/0 gauge welding cable, I know its over kill but it was free at work and its really good stuff. Redo battery negative to ground and battery positive to alternator and you should be good.

 

[acomaelkhunter]

i will posts pics this eve...i had to cut the black wrap and open the heat shields to inspect and separate. the short ground to the body is good. i had replaced the engine ground awhile back. the torque on the motor shreaded the motor mounts and broke the engine ground (braided wire). it was redi 13 +v at the alternator. battery negative ground, i will check that ..it looked fine. positive wire to alternator looks good too (two fusible links at the end of this wire will need to be checked)

 

[acomaelkhunter]

here's a pic of the wires
ResizedImage_1339026699826.jpg

 

[RichV]

Don't discount the alternator being junk. When I bought my 94 the kid replaced the alternator, he told me there was a charging issue, new this and that. Took the alternator to NAPA, it failed. Got a new/reman one and it's been fine since.

Make sure the connections are good, specialy that one little lone wire. When that one is off, it don't charge at all. And just for the record, I've tested ALL my computer controlled vehicles by taking off the positive teminal while running, if it dies, you have a charging issue. I do have a nice charger now that has a alternator test mode, that works too.

 

[RichV]

here's a pic of the wires
ResizedImage_1339026699826.jpg

You can't link to your hard drive. You need to upload the pic.

 

[acomaelkhunter]

 

[acomaelkhunter]

well apparently i dont know how to upload a pic on this website. unlike the profile pic.

 

[ttocs]

you need to load it to a website, then post the http link to it. You can't send a link to your :c drive, or else probably would not want too....

 

[acomaelkhunter]

 

[ttocs]

nope just a red X. load it up on photobucket or cardomain. Then click on the pic, do a right click - properties and then copy the http: address for the pic and paste it into the spot after clicking on the tree in the picture frame above the reply section.

 

[acomaelkhunter]

i'm just going to order new wires and plugs. any suggested dealers?

 

[acomaelkhunter]