Hey guys I have been battle this issue for a while and now I am stuck. I haven't been able to drive my car all summer because of this issue. Now i am going to be leaving for the Air Force soon and am going to sell the car before i leave for training because i don't want it to sit for training and tech school.

The problem:
My car won't maintain proper voltage. It will keep about 14-15 volts in park.
Put it in drive and it will drop to about 13 any accessories go on and more drops.
I have put 3 alternators in the car and three batteries. Starter is also new. Is there an external regulator to look for? Also i couldn't locate the block ground so i installed a strap just to be safe from the block the the fender with no improvement.

I just can't ask what i want for the car if its doing this and I refuse to give my baby away for less then what its worth. any advice would be awesome thanks in advance.

 

Bad ground. On mine, iit ended up being a ground from neg teminal to body. It had broke. But I am almost positive your prob is a bad ground. Mine did EXACT same thing

 

my battery to fender grnd i intact and the once from the batt. to the lower bolt for the Alt brack is clean and i put in a new block to body grnd

 

There is also a strap by the distributer that tends to break or come off. And make sure accesories when needed are grounded. But I assume you have a bad ground somewhere. Mine would be all good in park, then as soon as I hey drive it would drop, and if I turned on lights or radio it all got worse. Then I found a bad ground and with 1400 watts of stereo, it all works fine. And I tried everything. Re wired alt, had both alt and battery tested.

 

the wire on the stud on the back of the alt is the battery wire correct? what is the Plastic clip with the three wires for?

 

I know one of them is your sence wire, which allows alt to distribut power to accesories, anoth is exite. I wired all mine to my starter

 

i put a new ground in at the rear driver side of the block still no improvement looking for some ideas

 

I don't know then. I messed with mine till I saw I had a broken ground, and has worked since. And symtoms were exact same as yours

 

ok so question when i was there today i kinda touched my knuckle to the alternator by accident when loosening a bolt and it burned my knuckle i have a blister from it, it was that hot. Now the car had only been on about 30 secs headers were cold intake was cold everything was cold but that alt is the ground on the lower bolt not supposed to be there? could that be my issue? form the battery i have my like 4ga looking cable goes to that lower bolt and like a 16ga comes out of that to the fender. I just don't think that the alternator should have gotten that hot that quickly

 

Bump any opinions or advice?

 

Sorry man. I meant to get back to you yesterday. No. Your alt should not get that hot. Is your battery ground on head side of alt, or out towards front of car. Also. I run 8 gauge from battery to body. I also have a bunch of grounds from my drivers side( don't know what they all are) attaced to rear of ontake manifold. Have you had alt and battery tested. Also. I have one 8 or so gage wire form nut of alt going to stater. Then another fay one from plug going to starter. My only positive coming from battery goes to starter, besides my amp wire

 

the ground on the alt is toward the front of the car not on the block side should i switch it around?

 

Wouldn't hurt