battery light lit up on dash and volt gauge showing <12v while car is on...alternator?
02-09-2009, 08:27 AM
#14
watch your voltmeter next time you think about it, especially in the dead of summer.
first couple of minutes, it should be well past the 3rd tick mark. after it gets warm, somewhere right around the 3rd tick mark. if you get heatsoaked or sit for a while, it'll dip below the 3rd tick mark.
02-09-2009, 08:44 AM
#16
Yeah, probably alternator if the battery is new. I've had reasonably good luck with reman...
alternators from Advanced Auto Parts. It took me a few hours to replace it the first time mainly because I had to shave the aluminum bracket on the new alternator a bit to get it to fit. That one only lasted a little over a year, but the lifetime warranty got me a new one at no cost and that one's been great so far. The install time for the second one was much less since I knew what to expect.
If you DIY, watch the brands - Valeo on older models, Bosch on newer - and pay attention to the pulley. Sometimes a reman alternator will come without a pulley and you'll need to swap it from the old one, requiring some slightly special tools. Best bet is to pull yours and take it to the store to make sure you get the right one and have them do the pulley swap if needed. Of course, you might have to wait a couple days for them to get one in stock.
Good luck!
If you DIY, watch the brands - Valeo on older models, Bosch on newer - and pay attention to the pulley. Sometimes a reman alternator will come without a pulley and you'll need to swap it from the old one, requiring some slightly special tools. Best bet is to pull yours and take it to the store to make sure you get the right one and have them do the pulley swap if needed. Of course, you might have to wait a couple days for them to get one in stock.
Good luck!
02-10-2009, 05:09 PM
#17
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partially correct,
when car is off, voltage is around 12.7v, but when car is on with a healthy alternator, voltage should be around 14v or slightly higher.
after testing mine, the off voltage was 12.3. with car running it dropped to 11.8v. i'm pretty sure that my alternator is bad.
after testing mine, the off voltage was 12.3. with car running it dropped to 11.8v. i'm pretty sure that my alternator is bad.