Charging issue need help ASAP

[my white eddie]

Yes, it was the same 12.33 V both sides of that fuse (#6). And yes the reading was higher at the fuse than it was at the alt plug end. Why ? IDK
Of course a different grounding point was used for that test as the fuse is on the other side of the vehicle. (don't know if thats the issue or not)
I figure I will pop the alternator out again tonight and heavily scrutinize
the "A" wire for any knicks, cuts or frayed ends, and see where that gets me.

 

[koda2000]

Is there somewhere else (other than AutoZone) where you can take the alternator to have it tested? O'Reilly's, NAPA or Advance maybe? I don't know If you'd answered this eariler, but has your BATT light been on through all this?

 

[my white eddie]

Never a battery light, 1st time I just noticed it starting to run bad then
looked at the gauges and thought the alt. gauge looked low. When I hit the
brakes to pull in my driveway all kinds of lights and buzzers and chimes
happened, but know battery light. Then it died! And this whole mess
happened from there. If its any indication of this vehicle, the check
engine light was pulled! Found out it had 9 codes in it. All came back
to a bad cam synchronizer, but that was weeks ago, and its been fine
up till this.
Oh, and I allready decided I'm going to go to O'Reilys tonight.
Our Advanced is just a bunch of stoners anymore.

 

[budwich]

hmmmm .... just one other question since bulbs have "mysteriously disappeared", your battery light comes on during key on sequences... right?

oh... what ground "method" did you use when you were testing the wiring at / near the alternator?

 

[koda2000]

hmmmm .... just one other question since bulbs have "mysteriously disappeared", your battery light comes on during key on sequences... right?

if his BATT bulb is missing or burnt out, could it have an effect on charging? as i'd mentioned in a much earlier post, some GM vehicles require a working bulb as a resistor for the alternator to work.

 

[llamaking122]

if his BATT bulb is missing or burnt out, could it have an effect on charging? as i'd mentioned in a much earlier post, some GM vehicles require a working bulb as a resistor for the alternator to work.

Thats what im thinking

 

[my white eddie]

Just was out double checking. Batt light does not come on at all.
not with key on, not when started-nutin! I had bulbs left so I
just replaced it and still nothing. Weird! Ive been watching the
gauge and my meter, and never even thought about that.
But, I honestly don't recall it coming on since I bought it.
And as far as ground I used a bracket on the pass. fender for
the alt plug test. (sanded a spot on it first) and on the fuse
test I just used the neg. battery cable. (unhooked from the battery)

 

[koda2000]

FYI the way BATT lights work is that when the key is on, power is supplied to the bulb. The alternator (when not charging) provides the ground for the BATT bulb and turns it on. As soon as the alternator starts producing greater than battery voltage the ground is turned off and the BATT light goes off. I don't know if this light not working is significant, but it's strange.

 

[my white eddie]

Oh, its been nothing but strange with this thing. The crap is
my Contour died, so I bought this as a "reliable work vehicle"
from a local RN. Drained my savings to do it and now have sunk
a good couple pay checks in it just fixing "stuff". ARRRGGGG!!
SORRY VENT OVER!

 

[koda2000]

too bad no one offers a Ford version of the GM 1-wire alternator. Just one wire required from the alternator lug to the + battery and you're done.

 

[my white eddie]

I allready had the 1 wire thought. I have an old 100 amp 1 wire
from an old race car we had, but the explorer mounting kinda
killed that thought before it was finished. Well really, I just can't
think at all any more, this thing has fried me.

 

[my white eddie]

Going to pull the alt. , again and have my chauffeur take me to
O'Reilys for a second opinion. Will advise tomorrow if I sert it on fire
or not.

 

[llamaking122]

too bad youre not in columbus it try and help you lol

 

[budwich]

FYI the way BATT lights work is that when the key is on, power is supplied to the bulb. The alternator (when not charging) provides the ground for the BATT bulb and turns it on. As soon as the alternator starts producing greater than battery voltage the ground is turned off and the BATT light goes off. I don't know if this light not working is significant, but it's strange.

That is probably correct BUT the purpose of the light might have told him that indeed he had a charging issue... "duh I do"... but also now it might also tell him that he does as in the alternator isn't happy....

As for grounding during the test... me thinks you might have found your problem.

 

[koda2000]

That is probably correct BUT the purpose of the light might have told him that indeed he had a charging issue... "duh I do"... but also now it might also tell him that he does as in the alternator isn't happy...

yeah, that's why i'd asked about the BATT light many posts ago, but i don't recall ever getting an answer. if that alternator tests good at O'Reilly's (and i suspect it will) i think i'd just replace all the wiring associated with it. there's something very screwy going on there...

 

[budwich]

more so IF the bulb is there AND is good....

 

[Kevlar7R]

The alternator itself grounds through the bolts to the engine, correct? Maybe the engine has a bad ground, or the points where the alternator contact the engine are dirty?

 

[TheGTkid]

I like orielly's
I had the option of them or AZ and I said the guys at my local oreillys provide entertainment when I am there. They are just a group of guys enjoying work and making it fun to be there for your broken car
I told my favorite guy to work with there (Troy) that the guys at AZ are "A$^holes" and he said "We're all A$^holes but we're just the good AS^holes" haha

Kevlar made a good point, maybe you have a dirty connection to the engine (if it grounds through there)
It is a very draining issue (no pun intended)
I am curious to if you have a broken wire somewhere or a split connection where the wire is just hardly connected and appears to be fine (insulation is intact)
I hope things get better!

 

[my white eddie]

Whelp, O'Reilys and Advanced tested it and its bad. Went to
the "zone" and had a bad time, they will refund the part price , but my core is gone and they can't give me core money back. (WTF) I had a core when this all started. So, I'm borrowing a car at lunch and going to see the store
manager to get this straight. That being said, I was in a sour mood so
I just took a night off and stayed warm at home. I actually get off early
on Saturday, so I will have sun light to go over the wires again.
BTW:Budwich, what do you mean about grounding during the test
finding the problem? Please elaborate. I can't even see the forest
for all the trees anymore.

 

[Kevlar7R]

I am curious to if you have a broken wire somewhere or a split connection where the wire is just hardly connected and appears to be fine (insulation is intact)
I hope things get better!

I brought that up way back in the beginning. Some of the voltage drops he's seeing between the battery and the alternator also reinforce that. A resitive connection can pass voltage at low current, but fail at high current.

Maybe you ought to change your battery cables just as a matter of course. It's kinda a pain in the ass, but worth it if it fixes this problem.