RJMcEachern

i am having an issue with my charging system
what i have done so far:
1. I have had the alternator rebuilt by a trusted licensed auto electronic shop
2. new interstate battery
3. i have replaced the connector at the battery terminal on the alternator
4. verified that all fuses in the fuse panel are functioning
5. i get 12.56v on the battery itself outside of the car
6. 12.54v at the battery terminal connection on the alternator
7. 12v on the hot wire in the alternator connector
8. 12 volts in the alternator connector with the key on

seems every test passes with one exception, i do not get a battery light on the dash, this is an 87 GTA with 5.7L, i dont have the owners manual to check but the battery insignia above the gas insignia on the dash never lights

My question is
1. where on the dash should this light be with the key in the on position?
2. where is the fuse for the charging system? is it separate from the main fuse panel under the dash?

EDIT: had newly rebuilt alternator tested at advance auto, 3 times, it failed all 3 times, so back to the electric shop it goes, still havent found the electric fan fuse, but if i jump a+b on the aldl both fans kick on

RJMcEachern

abray1

The output side of the alternator is bad or weak. Electricity is like water in that it might say 12 or 13 volts but it could be a stream like a human hair. You will need a stream the size of a pencil to at least break even.

RJMcEachern

thanks for the reply abray1, taking the alternator back today after work, i still need to check the other components but unsure where they are so i will begin taking the wiring loom out and tracing wires

RJMcEachern

EDIT: I found the component locations at autozone.com, so this has given me at least other areas to check before i tear the loom out.

NINÅ

RJMcEachern

hey thanks for the reply, i checked fuses under the dash and the other gauges work fine, just the battery light never comes on, the owner of the electronic shop re-ran the alternator tests and showed me where on the wiring schematic to check next, there is a fusible link at the solenoid that needs to be checked, i did put the alternator on a friends car (87 TA 5.7L) and it worked fine, so it is definitely something in the wiring, I am hoping to get home early enough from work to be able to check it tonight, I think this fusible link is the same one that many are referring to in other posts that I have found from doing searches and has successfully resolved thier problem

EDIT: I did have the dash out and checked the clear bulbs, not the orange bulbs though, if this doesnt resolve it then I can check those also.

RJMcEachern

wish me luck...lol

RJMcEachern

so just a quick update...
I got the wires off the starter without removing the starter last night, I performed a continuity test on all 3 of the wires with a fusible link on them and they all 3 tested bad, I plan on removing the old factory fusible links (16AMP) and replacing with some 16AMP fusible links from NAPA, we'll see how it goes after that, I checked the bulbs on the dash (clear ones only, not the orange ones) and they all looked good to me, so after this if it isnt fixed i guess it's chase the brown/tan tire in the loom.

RJMcEachern

RJMcEachern

fusible links replaced, all 3 tested at 0.1 - 0.2 ohms, so alot better than the continual climb to OL, still doesn't work, onto the coolant fan relay on the firewall, the wires look terrible, some of the plastic sheathing has come off a couple of them, tried tripping the relay with power but doesn't click (no audible sound) will try to get a pic tonight if possible, going to buy a fan relay after work and check again, i tried using the fuel pump relay and it still didnt work so somewhere in the loom is my problem, if anyone has any insight they can offer that would be awesome, electronics are not my strong suit

RJMcEachern

RJMcEachern

i found a schematic on the autozone web site that shows the coolant fan temp relay is not on the firewall but on the front end of the radiator support, passenger side. I bought a relay today to test with, but I also am curious if the MAF power relay and MAF burn off relay may be bad on the car it might be the issue with the rough idle when in gear, i was able to trip the fuel pump relay successfully and you can hear an audible click, but not the other two relays next to it.

any replies or assistance is greatly appreciated

RJMcEachern

RJMcEachern

bumping this back up, I still have not been able to get this resolved. I did take the alternator to a different auto electric shop and it tested fine. the tech told me to run a wire from the battery to the hot post on the alternator and see if that works, thinking that maybe there was an issue with the charging wire.

any ideas would be greatly appreciated, this is a stumper for me and I really do not want to take it to the auto shop repair just for some silly wire (assuming thats my problem)

Thanks
RJMcEachern