How do you do this guys ? Tom I have that same multimeter you have , I thought I had the directions with it , but they sent me directions on a timing light Either my altenator or battery is about to take a dump on me , so I need to do some testing . Thanx as always guys !

 

I just had my alternator die on me.. test your battery with the car off... if its fully charged etc then it should read about 12 volts.. now turn the car off and test the battery again.. if the alternator is charging it then the voltage should go up about 1.2-1.4 volts.. or your meter should read about 13.4.. or something like that.. I forgot the exact number.. if you test the battery once.. then turn on the car and it test the same.. then i'd say your alternator is going.. if you test your battery and it is lower and you turn on your car and it does go up that 1.2-1.4 volts then it could be your battery.. i'm still new at this stuff too so if i'm wrong don't flame me too much...

 

testing..
the bolt that goes to your power system, the 10MM one, that hot when the alt is charging. Put the red probe there, the case or any other body(CAR) part is cold. Turn on car place probes, if you have 13.2-14.2V output it means its putting out the V's switch the tool to AMP reading, and see what they are. I think stock is like 80-90 Amps?.

Batt same way. cold(car off) should be no lower then 11.5 Hot(car running) it should read the same as the ALT output V.

 

Thanx guys ! ...What should I switch my multimeter to ? 2 , 20 , or 200 volts ? I assume I switch it to the Volts part on the **** when testing for volts , I know that prabably sounds like a real dumb question huh ? heh Just making sure Im doing this right guys sence I have never done it before ....My multimeter is digital , dont know if that makes any difference or not .

 

Uh well how many volts you looking for? MAX 10, 20 or 200?... Same with the AMP scale, or any scale really....

 

Ok , so its really self explanatory , I thought so , just wanted to make sure . Thanx again guys .

 

With the MPFI engine, it's MANDATORY that you get the RIGHT AMP alternator for your car.
IF AC'd=105 AMPS. NOTHING LESS.
IF NOT=65 amps.
After I swapped alternator, by car had big zip increase, again.
I enjoyed that pep.
I was wondering what happened to it....
Make sure you battery is also full of water, Tighten cable fittings.
Check connections for looseness.
Check condition of the belt, too.
When I panicked and thought my engine took a dump (overheating), I ended up replacing the alternator as it was the cause to my overheating problems, lack of power and battery discharge.

 

I tested my altenator with my multimeter with the car off and it tested where it should be . I turned the car on and tested it , it read 0.09 volts ...How was the car even running ? heh . I then brought it to the parts store for them to test it (just to make sure) and they said it was shot . It only took 15 min to change it . I spent much longer looking for my tools !

 

Yup , a few weeks ago I remember when I thought it was my fuelpump , I remember now driving the car one time at night when the lights were dimming .And the inside lights haven't seen to be lit to there fullest for a little while now . I think all that hesitaing and missing like that has been the altenator and I just didnt know it . I'll have to let you guys know how it runs in the next few weeks .It even feels a little bit more peppier though !

 

I also got to use my multimeter today for the first time . You remember we both got ours at the same time ! We also got a real nice deal on em ! It's an awesome little piece of equipment huh ?

 

What was that deal?
Like $10 from Harbor Freight?
I'll go to the store today!
I can use a new one.

 

No , check your e-mail . I sent you a little surprise !

 

just read your email man , had to type something here cus i deleted what I had before out !

 

BTW, in order to measure amperage correctly, a multimeter must be connected IN SERIES with the circuit being tested. Just touching the test leads to a point on the alt. which is 'hot' can cause damage to your multimeter, system being tested, or both, not to mention it doesn't give anything close to a correct measurement. Stick to mesuring volts.

 

Ragnarok's right; 'fact, I don't think any little digital meter with probes goes above 10 amps. Even my old, old, old (+15 years) Radio Shack analog meter (most expensive one they had back then) only goes up to 10 amps. They sell a funny looking little meter for $15, it measures alternator & starter amperage. It's a meter with an "E" shaped metal bracket on the back. You put one part of the "E" over the alternator or starter wire. (One part of the "E" is small (alternator), one is large (starter). It measures the magnetic field created by the wire... sort of like one of those digital "clamp meters". In fact, if you bring that amp meter near a big woofer or subwoofer, the magnet plays with the meter- kinda cool. That's the only way I'd measure high amperage like that; and it's great, because there's really no electrocution hazard.

Karl, I got my first meter (bright yellow) from harborfreight.com for $8. Then I picked up the meter Wayne's talking about. Glad the meter worked for ya dude! Are those things handy or what? Those ranges are just displays for the voltage... say you measure your battery with the 20 volt scale. Say it tells you 13.85. Flip the switch to 200, you'll see 13.8. It just moves the decimal point around... the lower the scale you can use (without overranging), the more accurate your measurement.

My girlfrie... er... fiance's (damn, gotta remember that! ) father just gave me a new in-box Fluke 73 III meter! He told me he got me a little something, and pointed to a bag- I didn't expect this at all!! http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/FLU-73-3.html I've wanted a Fluke for so long; this thing is cool! (And I couldn't argue the price! Haha) So now I've got three digital meters. Funny how fast I went from 1 digital to three! And no, I'm not selling, hehe.

 

Yeah it is handy Tom ! I like the size of the digital screen to . I have real good eyesight , I just like the nice size screen Sunpro gives ya !