'Shifter

iTrader: (2)

Let me run this by you.....

I was driving all over town yesterday (102 degrees out), with the
a/c and wimpy stereo going, as well as my dual Spal fans, properly
relayed with a Bosch 40a relay for each motor, and noticed my
car running hot, 220. It hasn't run over 180 since I did my fan
set-up, even sitting in Tucson traffic with the a/c on. Then I spied
my volt gauge sitting at about 9v! This is on a brand-new alternator
and Optima battery. I figured the alternator just wasn't gettin' it, so
I planned to pull it this morning and take it to work to have the
builder test it. I start 'er up and viola! 13.7v! While this makes me
happy, the fact that I now have an intermittent problem pisses me
off. Does anyone have a clue?

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

A few possibilities come to mind:

- Poor connections on the vehicle

- Not properly loaded on the test machine

- Hot vs. cold operation

13.7 isn't that great. I would want more like 14 - 14.5.

RB83L69

Does your dash have a "Choke" light?

If so, does it come on when you turn the key to "On" with the engine not running?

If it doesn't, put a new bulb in that spot, and see if that helps.

Sounds stupid; but that's the way it is. That bulb is actually the "Alt" light, but the factory labelled it "Choke" because the circuit that powers the choke will feed it no power, and choke will stay shut and cause an emissions problem (we gotta remember what's really important to the customer here.... emissions? charging? emissions? charging? ...... emissions of course ) if the alt doesn't work. The alt lights the bulb of course, and that's how the alt "knows" the engine is running and that it's time to charge, and if the bulb isn't there, the alt won't turn on.

'Shifter

iTrader: (2)

Connections are all good, no choke (tpi), Wasn't bench tested
because it started working on it's own the next morning-I'm going
by the factory gauge, which may not be 100% accurate, but as
long as it stays toward the middle, everything works. When my
gauge to a hard dip, my fans quit. I'm thinking I have an intermittent
short, since it's only happened once......

Angelis83LT

could be grounding somewhere or shorting... My choke light does come on btw... and the alt is fine. my choke light actually is for the choke and not the alt. (sinple test was to pull the power lead off the choke and light goes out.. Choke is junk.) But like the guy above said.. 14.5 to 14.7 is where the alt ussually charges. I have 2 digital readouts. one on my dash and one on my capacitor..

RB83L69

I didn't say anything about having a choke; only a "Choke" light.

Does it work? What lights come on on your dash when you turn the key on with the engine not running.

Angelis83LT

for me? s seatbelt light.. choke light does not come on anymore because i disconnected it from the crap choke. brake light (until i put the e-brake down) Sevice engine light.. and there is another one.. i forget what it is.. yea 5 lights blink for a second and then go off. when i have a working choke. other than that the rest does not really apply anyhow. since the harness in the engine compartment is pretty much a ball of tied up wires. (no Computer controlled anything on the car anymore for the running of the engine), which almost makes you wonder why the SES light does not stay on.. Oh yea. the other light is the Low fuel light. Oh well I do not worry about it until one of them comes on and stays on.. which won't mean alot anyhow lol

Angelis83LT

also as far as an alt turning on and off with a sensor like bit .. I never new they could turn off except of course when the engine is not turning since it produces power whenever it turns. unless of course something is wrong with it.

thirdgen88

In the past year or so, I'd say that we've (I work at Advance Auto Parts) had about 75% or more of the Optima batteries (red top) we've sold come back defective. They are complete junk nowadays. A few years ago they were great, never saw one come back. Now, if one gets sold, you can pretty much bet that it will be back within a week. Just something to think about.

'Shifter

iTrader: (2)

No dash lights on anywhere......

I sell Optimas too, and while I agree that the quality has slipped a
little, most of the comebacks I have are from misdiagnosis or trying
to take advantage of the three-year free replacement. We charge
and test every one before we'll warranty them-and a good 75%
of those are not defective, mine included.

It did the low voltage trick again last night on the way home from
work, but was fine this morning......grrrrrrr. (BTW: the headlights
weren't being used).

My alternator builder is building me a 140 amper today, I'll see
how this'n does.

Danno

13.7 is light for charging. Most likely you lost a phase in the gen. Probably the diode pack or in MANY cases the solder joints from the stator to the diode package burn or melt from an improper rebuild. The regulators are designed to throttle back at approx 250 degF. Check the batt but I'll bet the gen took a crap. At full field test the gen should throw close to 15 volts.

'Shifter

iTrader: (2)

Thanks Danno-I'll have the builder look at that. It was not a rebuilt
alternator, but brand spanking new, and it's only 2 months old, but
anything can happen.