Hello everyone. new member here and i just recently got a 89 camaro RS with a 2.8 liter v6 and a t5 manual transmission and am enjoing having it. Iv been doing some general maintenance and fixing the service engine soon light which was the maf sensor relay and that is now fixed. I have replaced the water pump, alternator battery and thermostat and before i replaced the alternator the battery was not getting a charge but after i did that it still wouldn't until i set a jump box on the car and let it charge. after the jump box was left on it to let the battery charge the battery gauge was sometimes showing as high as 17 volts when driving. now the battery is not charging and i have checked all the posts to see if there is voltage and on both sides of the terminals in the plug and on the alternator there is no sign of power. both the terminal on the alternator that goes straight to the battery and the junction block are getting voltage. when i was going home today i noticed the battery gauge was sometimes going up above 13 volts but would drop back down to around 12. i have tried multiple new alternators and batteries and the alternators voltage regulator have always failed in the car but not on a bench tester. im just not to sure what to check now. if someone could post a wiring diagram for the alternator for the 2.8 for a 89 rs it would be appreciated. im just not sure what to look at now. thanks

 

Where are you getting alternators from?

 

autozone and oriellys. Ive been doing some reading and apparently the brown wire should have 12 volts and will tell the alternator to charge but doesnt have any signs of power.

 

I have tried 2 different new batteries and 2 different new alternators. the whole reason why i got a new alternator was because the one that was in the car before i bought it wasnt charging.

 

It's a standard GM remote sense config. You will have main output on the largest wire to the stud on the alt. This goes directly to battery. Then you will have another wire that is the remote sense wire - this goes to the "main junction" and the regulator attempts to insure 14.5v at the location downstream where this is attached. The third wire is from battery positive, through either a resistor or, more commonly an incandescent indicator lamp, and is the field flash circuit. If the bulb is bad or there is another circuit malfunction then the alt won't charge.

Check the indicator lamp in the gauge cluster.

AutoZone and Orieliys, etc generally sell garbage with respect to alts and starters, etc. Go on Summit and get a Powermaster. They make a good product.

GD

 

That wire (TAN/WHT) should have power at key-on, engine-off. Or with engine-on. If not the alternator won't charge. It also sounds like the new alternator is bad as the voltage is all over the place.

In the wiring diagram connector C207 is over by the ECM. The splice S111 is in the rear of the engine compartment by the HVAC box.

RBob.

 

So checked the f/p fan c/h fuse for the fifth time and it was the problem all along. It wasnt blown but wasnt making a secure connection. tried a new fuse and it worked.