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  #1  
Old 04-16-2007, 07:04 PM
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Naim Naim is offline
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Alternator question

I have been having problems with my car dying (battery going dead while driving). The idiot lights all come on (I know this is famous for the SVX)...

Well Doug Mohr gave me a alternator to used/test.. Car worked great for about 2 days then the same thing...

I know his charges as it's a upgraded one and with the lights on, heater on high, and defroster on, the dash lights are still bright not like the stock one where everything would be dim...

Anyways back in the old days I remember testing a alternator by starting the car, then while the car was running you would disconnect the negative cable to the battery. If the car continued to run, you knew the alternator was fine.

Does this still hold true with all the electronics of today's cars (mainly the SVX)????

P.S. I took my old alternator in to Autozone to test it, they said it was fine. I figured it might be a intermittant problem that is why I was running Doug's. Since the same thing happened with his, I am doubting that the alternator is at issue, but I have no clue what else is.
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  #2  
Old 04-16-2007, 07:08 PM
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Hocrest Hocrest is offline
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Check your crank pulley. It is a three piece design; metal core, rubber ring, metal outer ring. The rubber can slip allowing the outer metal band to not spin. Use a paint pen or white out to make a line across all three layers, then after running it and having problems with charging, check to see if the layers are still aligned.
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Old 04-16-2007, 07:09 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Naim
I have been having problems with my car dying (battery going dead while driving). The idiot lights all come on (I know this is famous for the SVX)...

Well Doug Mohr gave me a alternator to used/test.. Car worked great for about 2 days then the same thing...

I know his charges as it's a upgraded one and with the lights on, heater on high, and defroster on, the dash lights are still bright not like the stock one where everything would be dim...

Anyways back in the old days I remember testing a alternator by starting the car, then while the car was running you would disconnect the negative cable to the battery. If the car continued to run, you knew the alternator was fine.

Does this still hold true with all the electronics of today's cars (mainly the SVX)????

P.S. I took my old alternator in to Autozone to test it, they said it was fine. I figured it might be a intermittant problem that is why I was running Doug's. Since the same thing happened with his, I am doubting that the alternator is at issue, but I have no clue what else is.
DONT DO IT!!!! That will cause a voltage spike that will possibly kill the alternator or even the electronics. Check ALL of your electrical connections, the crank pulley for seperation, and try getting one of those 35 dollar volt gauges that plugs into your cigarette lighter so you can see what is happening if nothing else is found. They sell them at www.jcwhitney.com and www.summitracing.com. Good luck.
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Old 04-16-2007, 07:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hocrest
Check your crank pulley. It is a three piece design; metal core, rubber ring, metal outer ring. The rubber can slip allowing the outer metal band to not spin. Use a paint pen or white out to make a line across all three layers, then after running it and having problems with charging, check to see if the layers are still aligned.
I take it that everything would then rotate at a slower speed, right?
Would this cause the power steering pump to whine because it is not rotating as fast as it should???
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Old 04-16-2007, 07:38 PM
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Usually a whining PS pump is caused by air getting sucked in by a leaking O Ring, but it could be related
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Old 04-16-2007, 11:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Budfreak
DONT DO IT!!!! That will cause a voltage spike that will possibly kill the alternator or even the electronics. Check ALL of your electrical connections, the crank pulley for seperation, and try getting one of those 35 dollar volt gauges that plugs into your cigarette lighter so you can see what is happening if nothing else is found. They sell them at www.jcwhitney.com and www.summitracing.com. Good luck.
This is absolutely true. Just don't do it at all. Your problem sounds more like corrosion to me. Also, steer clear of remanufactured alternators, unless they are factory
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Old 04-17-2007, 12:46 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Naim
I have been having problems with my car dying (battery going dead while driving). The idiot lights all come on (I know this is famous for the SVX)...

Well Doug Mohr gave me a alternator to used/test.. Car worked great for about 2 days then the same thing.
.
The symptoms you describe indicate an alternator fault.

The dash indicator lights test circuit, incorporates blocking diodes to eliminate a sneak circuit which would otherwise exist. In an event involving faults within the alternator rectifier network, alternating current is induced on line. The result is pulses of reverse voltage, which pass the blocking diodes in the test circuit and energise the indicator lights.
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