Since I have had my carI have been going through alternators like no tomorrow. All together I am on my 7th one. I know that they are rebuilt and for the most part it is them that go out since most will last about six months. My volt gauge in the car shows that normal chrging is at about 12.5. I put an 87 alternator in there and that charges at 70 amps instead of 40 so that helps with my stereo. This alternator is new and does the same thing the other ones do when they are going out. It wont charge at the normal 13 amps. Well if it does it will take a long time to work up to that. It will charge at 12 and then after a half hour of driving it will go to 13. But when the engine is cold(driving at night time) it wont go up to 13. It will stay at 11. And its not charging the battery very well. The lights will be dim. And I know its not the battery. Its a new yellow top optima. Any help on what this could be.Thanks

Brad

 

you might need a new battery, witrh the car running you should be charging around 14 volts on the voltameter in your dash. Anything less, then you have got bad grounds, battery, alternator, or all of the above. You might even try new battery cables.

 

See the thing is the batery is bran new. I guess I could always try that, but I tested the batery and its putting out 12.5 when the car is off. I just replaced the possitve batery cable but left the stock ground wire in. I put another ground cable from the block to the frame, and still nothing. I guess I could try a new battery, it has a warrente for a year.

 

You have one problem causing others...

I went through two batteries and two alternators in the span of a year and a half in my old Honda...

Cause: Battery Cables; Cost: $20 for a pair

What happened was, The alternator was overworked trying to charge a constantly not fully charged battery. The battery never got fully charged because the cables weren't delivering enough power to it...

Overworked alternator kills it. Never fully charged battery kills it.

I'd extend that ground from the engine block near the alternator bracket DIRECT to the negative battery pole... I'd also check all your connections between your alternator and the battery... Possibly add a wire between the main alternator output and the positive battery pole.

Another possibility is that you have a short somewhere that is discharging your battery. Therefore, you're constantly charging the battery and overworking the alternator.

 

Well I have been thinking it might be the batery, but it is less than a year old and when I put a meter on it, it reads 12.3 on average. Do you really think that it could be the battery, if so I can get another and see if it does the same thing. If not I can just return my old batery. Also on the batery cable. I replaced the possitive one but not the negitive. Ill do that in the next few days. Then If the problem is still there, Ill see about getting another battery, maybe just a normal one. Mean while all the connections are there and I added another ground wire that runs from the engine block and runs to the frame. the problem is still there??