NTChrist

Hi,
I've got an electrical problem. About a month ago, I started my car, and the voltmeter (in the dash) didn't move. I revved the car to try and get the alternator to kick in and start charging, but there was no change in the voltmeter. When I would try to rev it, the car would stumble (like it wasn't getting enough spark), but it would idle relatively nicely.
I pulled the alternator tonight, and in the process, I realized that my distributor cap was totally loose. Both hold down bolts were undone, and the cap was just sitting on the distibutor. The alternator is off, so just putting the cap on and trying starting it would take some more work.
Would having the dist cap loose make the voltmeter read low? I imagine it would make the car hard to rev, especially if it was off kilter. I'm not sure where the voltmeter takes its reading from.
Thanks for your help.

Danno

normally alt. will charge at idle with an indication on the voltmeter. a loose cap will not cause a loss of output from the alt. unless the idle was so low as to cause the alt to lose output, and that is pretty tough. the meter is connected to the common 12 volt line in the car. if you are in doubt check at the batt. terms with a hand held meter, with the engine running you see anywhere from 13-15 volts depending on battery state of charge and condition. another way is to start engine and turn on lights or rear def. and see if the meter drops way down. if you cannot get at least 13 volts when you give a little gas chances alt is gone. good luck

NTChrist

Thanks for the help.

I had the alternator tested, and that's the problem. It was charging, but the diodes were stuck closed.
Unfortunately, the boneheads that printed my receipt put the wrong part number on it, and the part store won't honour it. Bast@rds! I'm going to raise holy heII with the customer service 800 number I got. No way I'm getting cheated out of $150CDN because of some jackass.

Danno

glad to help. if you are enterprising you can purchase all the parts you need to do a rebuild yourself at www.alternatorparts.com. the replacement they won't exchange should have a code that the rebuilders use to verify warranty, etc. if they will not help i would AVOID them at all cost. Good luck!