Alternaor Check
Alternaor Check
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 6,473
Likes: 4
From: Lafayette, IN
Simplest way is to put a voltmeter on your battery with the engine running (turn ALL accessories off). The voltmeter should read over 14 volts. Anything much less than that, and I'd get that alternator rebuilt.
Jason
P.S. It wouldn't hurt to start by cleaning/tightening all electrical connections around the battery, alternator, solenoid and starter.
Jason
P.S. It wouldn't hurt to start by cleaning/tightening all electrical connections around the battery, alternator, solenoid and starter.
Freshman User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
From: Princeton IL
blixx003
Before condemning the alternator make sure the voltage regulator isn't the culprit by eliminating it from the circuit to see if it's good. If you have an external voltage regulator unplug the voltage regulator connector, and insert a piece of 14-gauge solid jumper wire from the connector terminal marked "A" (Battery) to "F" (Field). Run engine over 1500 RPM with "no load", and if you get 14 volts by-passing the regulator, but not after re-connecting the plug then your voltage regular is bad.
I'm not familiar with the internal regulators, since I never owned anything that new.
Before condemning the alternator make sure the voltage regulator isn't the culprit by eliminating it from the circuit to see if it's good. If you have an external voltage regulator unplug the voltage regulator connector, and insert a piece of 14-gauge solid jumper wire from the connector terminal marked "A" (Battery) to "F" (Field). Run engine over 1500 RPM with "no load", and if you get 14 volts by-passing the regulator, but not after re-connecting the plug then your voltage regular is bad.
I'm not familiar with the internal regulators, since I never owned anything that new.
