hmm....what are the chances that o'rileys is wrong and my alt. is bad??
quite good...i had one that repeatedly tested fine on the bench (i.e., put out 14.4 volts) but did not work on the car (i.e., did not put out anything...which meant the electrical system was running at 12.x volts--off of the battery--instead of 14.4 volts with the alternator recharging the battery).
actually, after the first time i took it off and tested it and then put it back on, it worked OK for about a month. then it stopped working again, but still tested OK when i took it off of the car. i spent many frustrating hours trying to find some other problem that did not exist.
rather than drive the car off of a cliff <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" />, i figured i would just try replacing the alternator even though it was still testing OK. and that solved the problem. (even at this point, the old alternator tested OK on the bench.)
he told me that it was good and putting out 12.something volts, almost 13....he didn't mention amps, could that have any relevance?
chiltons said its supposed to be 13.9-15.1 volts and 60 amps, is that right? why does the volt range vary, upon what conditions? and if it is putting out 13 when it needs at least 14 it sounds like that could be the problem
yes, i would think that is the problem.
your alt. should put out at least 14 volts. most of the ones i have had any dealings with (not that many) put out around 14.4.
i don't think your alternator is putting out enough volts to properly recharge the battery. it may not even be able to support the electical demands of the engine while running, which means your battery is being discharged instead of recharged while driving--even though your alternator may not be completely dead.
and, like darin said, it could be shorting internally and draining the battery that way.
replace alt. despite what 'handy dude' said?
i think so...or rebuild it yourself...which is much cheaper but, obviously, a bit more work.
