picked up my new 'retta today........alternator issue?

[themadness]

when i am going down the road the guages seem "weak" if that makes sense but everything operates. when i slow down or stop the battery gauge drops and the turn signals slow to almost a stop. could that be an alternator issue?

it seems like the guy replaced the battery from the one that was in it when i looked at it the first time. when i picked it up today there was a super generic battery that looked like it came from family dollar.

so is it a battery or alternator issue?

[13's or bust]

Grab a voltmeter and see what volts the alternator is putting out. if its less than 12 could be the alternator, could be the generic battery is taking a dump too. You never know though see what volts are on the battery when the car is off, than running. Try it. im assuming you have a full cluster? Where doed the gauge seem to stay at when the car is running at idle?

[Barry]

Grab a volt meter and compare voltage from the battery with the engine off and engine on. Off should be ~12 and on should be 13.5~14.0

13's or bust beat me

[themadness]

it has a full cluster and the gauge stays in the middle. when i cut on the a/c it drains. when i use the turn signals it drains and the signal almost stops. the lights in the cluster dont seem to be as bright as they should either. maybe its just me though i havent driven a pre-2000 year model car since....well......2000.

[Vampcrist]

I know some can have problems with the starter shorting as well. Had my wires to close once after having to remove it for something made it like 25 miles or so before it died on me. Just a thought most the time I'm wrong so listen to them first lol

[SuzukiGhostRider]

Sounds like classic bad alternator symptoms to me. Your battery has nothing to do with it when the car is running. Sounds like you're running off of the battery and the guy knew it which is why he threw a new cheap battery in it.

[13's or bust]

Sorry barry, i was already on here so i figured id help him out since noone posted anything lol. At least it wasnt after spending all your money on motor swapping coming to find out that my 241k saturn had to keep it running cuz of the alternator took a shii lol.

But once you put the ac on its a draw on the motor which will cause the voltage to drop, the turn signals shouldnt be that much of a draw i wouldnt think. but i could be wrong.

[DTMAce]

Mine does this exact same thing. Been that way since the first alternator, so always thought it was just the way the car is. I have gotten so used to it though, I just throw it into neutral at stops, etc.....

But 4 alternators and it still does it, so pretty sure its not the alt. But clueless as to what would actually cause this, no idea. Figure it out, let me know. lol

Its better when its cold, and the hotter the engine or engine bay is, the worse it is. Last year in Chicago it was really bad, the needle was barely hovering above the charge point, just below the center gauge. Up here it is usually just above the center mark, but when its cold it will be way up.

Wondering now if its something to do with something else, outside of the alt itself?

[13's or bust]

What size gauge is the wire going back to the alternator? i think stock is supposed to be 8 gauge, i had 10 gauge on my alternator so i went with 4gauge as its replacement. My needle stays above the half mark no matter what weather. Plus at night i run hids needle still doesnt move.

[themadness]

What size gauge is the wire going back to the alternator? i think stock is supposed to be 8 gauge, i had 10 gauge on my alternator so i went with 4gauge as its replacement. My needle stays above the half mark no matter what weather. Plus at night i run hids needle still doesnt move.

explain?

wouldnt know what i was looking at if it bit me on the ass

[DTMAce]

He is talking about the big red wire connected to the alternator. Your's is probably the same as mine, stock.

There is an upgrade called the big 3 that is supposed to help, but I have yet to do it.

[spacecadetz26]

Make sure all your connections are good. At the battery, the alternator, starter and the block grounds. I used to run through alternators once a month it seemed on my z26. the power wire ring connector on the alternator was weak so i soldered a heavier duty connector on it and it got better after that.

[13's or bust]

Yea, i replaced mine with 4g because that dinky 10g that was on there wasnt cutting it lol. I soon hope to do all my chassis ground in 4g too. Its on here how to big 3 i think it is.

[ErichZ26]

But once you put the ac on its a draw on the motor which will cause the voltage to drop, the turn signals shouldnt be that much of a draw i wouldnt think. but i could be wrong.

If 1. turn signal is on 2. a/c is on 3. brake lights are on 4. stereo blaring...that is a bit of power being used. If you leave an intersection at WOT the a/c clutch will turn off, no brake lights...etc.

I would do as steph suggests and check all points of +12v and -12v power contact in engine bay. Check for loose connections specifically on grounds and that alternator power wire. Use a voltage meter and move the throttle in the car while parked. Depending on the alternator and car it should be around 13.4volts running. If this was bad enough it would also throw ecu codes and not run well either.

Also check secure battery mounting. If someone cut the OEM side posts off for a top post.

[SuzukiGhostRider]

No, a bad alternator will NOT throw "codes". Not that I've ever seen. Best you'll get is a dummy light. Secondly, he's (unless I'm sorely mistaken here) not saying he thinks it reads "a little low, or just below half", he's saying it BARELY registers on the bottom of the gauge when the blinkers are on,etc. That would most certainly, barring a loose connection, mean a bad alternator. Once your car is started, the battery doesn't mean JACK crap. It just gets charged. If the alternator is dead and you're running off of the battery, then voltage will get weaker and weaker as the battery is drained without being charged. The battery is simply a BACKUP to the alternator when the vehicle is running. If the alt dies, the battery takes over until IT dies. Which is usually shortly thereafter.

The blinkers will put a SLIGHT drain on the volts but just enough to maybe make it twitch. As far as brake lights, blinker,stereo, headlights, etc,etc, being on. Bullshit. Shouldn't matter. Car's alternator is MADE to sustain that load successfully without issues. The alternator is DESIGNED to the car.

Will a big three upgrade help? Certainly. An upgraded alt? Sure, never hurts. Should your stocker do fine? YUP.