alternator problem
Discussion
My car is still having troubles charging. I have a new alternator,& I have a new tight belt. My car charges at 14 volts, but when I drive around for a long time, the voltage slowely dropped. What in the world could my problem be?! Is there a problem with the power cords heating up? Where are the engine grounds?
My car is still having troubles charging. I have a new alternator,& I have a new tight belt. My car charges at 14 volts, but when I drive around for a long time, the voltage slowely dropped. What in the world could my problem be?! Is there a problem with the power cords heating up? Where are the engine grounds?
Dr. I,
My mantra for electrical gemlins in an Esprit are Ground, Ground, Ground. A bad Ground connection is the source of a majority of electrical problems, especially on a plastic car.
Carefully clean all the cables and connectors, both ends of the cable, a dab of dielectric grease can inhibit future corrosion. The engine grounding strap runs from the left hand engine mount to the chassis sub-frame. I have installed an additional ground strap just to be certain I'm getting a proper earth ground. Happy Motoring!
Jim'85TESo, I found the ground that goes from the battery into the passengers side wheel well, and it bolts down to a round tube there (frame?). I sanded down all of the contacts and lightly on the threads that hold everything together. Is this the correct ground for the engine? Is there one that goes directly to the engine? Also, there are 2 red power lines that go along this ground I have been working with. They go over to a big cluster of contacts under the rear of the intake manifold. What are they? Today I will add an extra ground to the car....and to the alternator. I am not so sure that is the grounded the best....even if the main lines are. One last question....are there any fuses, relays, or links that are associated with the alternator system or that may drain a ton of power after the car gets hot? Thanks for all your help! I think the problem will be solved after I hear from you again. Ian
This problem is better than an Agatha Christie mystery. I can only say that when the car is running, you should always see at least 13.5 volts across the battery terminals. I have also found that ingnition coils can fail after being heated up and need to cool down before they function again. The bonnet must be down for this phenomenon to appear.
If the battery gets low, then you should see all the warning lights go on when you try to restart it. Have you changed the battery?
I have found that when the logical solution doesn't work, that you have two simultaneous problems, much like the Black Death( a viral and bacterial strain).
Maybe you should go over the symptoms with us again.
Please tell all of us when you have it solved.
If the battery gets low, then you should see all the warning lights go on when you try to restart it. Have you changed the battery?
I have found that when the logical solution doesn't work, that you have two simultaneous problems, much like the Black Death( a viral and bacterial strain).
Maybe you should go over the symptoms with us again.
Please tell all of us when you have it solved.
Hey Doc,
I must agree. While racing VW Bugs, I ran into a very simular issue. When at idle and usually the first run the car ran fine, but after a bit, I would loose voltage and ultimately loose power and acceleration. Turned out to be the coil. Next drive, feel the coil and see if its hotter than it should be. You'll know if its too hot! Rob.
I must agree. While racing VW Bugs, I ran into a very simular issue. When at idle and usually the first run the car ran fine, but after a bit, I would loose voltage and ultimately loose power and acceleration. Turned out to be the coil. Next drive, feel the coil and see if its hotter than it should be. You'll know if its too hot! Rob.
dr.ian said: I finally fixed it!! I cleaned the contacts on the ground, and that did not help a whole bunch...but I later added an extra ground and added a nice cable to the alternator to give a better ground. Works perfect now! Thanks for your help!
Ian,
Glad you found the problem and that everything is working fine!
Now, can we all say together:
"Grooooouuuuunnnnnddddd" , if you say this enough times, self-actualization may be achieved.
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