I HAVE A 3.1L CAMARO WITH AC/HEATER. WHEN I GO TO TURN THE HEAT ON THE CAR GOES FROM 14 TO 12 VOLTS. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM AND HOW CAN I SOLVE IT

 

90-RS,

PLEASE STOP YELLING! WE CAN ALL HEAR YOU JUST FINE, THANK YOU... (CAPS indicate emphasis, or loud tone, eg, yell.)

Your voltage drop is likely caused by a poor connection. There will be some drop regardless of what you do, but it should be negligible. Only large loads should create a voltage drop like that. Things like AC. rear defroster, and high-speed blower will cause a volt or so.

The first thing to do is verify the dash gauge with a separate hand-held voltmeter. If the gauge is correct, turn on the heat, lights, etc. and use the meter to determine what the actual alternator output voltage is. If the voltage at the alternator output stud is the same as the dash gauge, the alternator may be getting weak. If the alternator reads 14VDC or better and the voltage at the fuse panel is lower, you have a poor connection somewhere.

Waiting for more info...

------------------
Later,
Vader
------------------
"No matter how hard you try you can't stop us now"
Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0