Yesterday evening, I was driving home from a day-trip to the shore and
pulled over to lower the top. When I tried to restart the car, all I
could get was a half-hearted growl. The motor wouldn't even turn.
I got a jump from a roadside assistance truck and drove about 15 miles
before the engine died and I had to pull to the side of the road. The
rest of the trip was made on the rear of a flatbed courtesy of AAA.
Prior to losing all power, I noticed the headlights getting dim and the
radio volume declining. The ammeter was way over to the right in the
discharge zone.
The staff at Sears tested my battery this morning and told me it was shot
(it was 3.5 years old). I purchased a DieHard Gold and installed it.
The car starts, and the ammeter is smack in the middle while driving.
I'm pretty sure the problem was the battery but used Dan Masters' manual
to run a quick test on the alternator. The battery is putting out 12.8
volts (normal). With the car running at 1500+rpm and the headlamps on,
the voltage at the positive battery terminal is 14.14 volts. When I
switch on the other elect stuff, it fluctuates between about 12.85 and
13.15.
Next, I tested the voltage at the brown/ white alternator wire. I got
14.38 volts with the headlamps on and the car at 1500+ rpm. Switching on
the other elects gave me a range of 12.95- 13.10.
I tested the battery with the car off and got 12.8 volts at the positive
terminal and at the brown/red wire at the regulator.
Finally, I grounded the brown/ yellow wire to the alternator with the key
in the on position and got a good strong glow from the ign light.
One other piece of information, I have a new wiring harness in the front
and rear.
So now my question. Is my alternator healthy? Is the 14.38 at the back
of the unit enough or is it borderline. Could this be the reason for my
battery going belly-up?
Finally, according to Dan's neat book, "all of the current used by your
car is supplied solely by the alternator". Does this mean that a healthy
alternator should have prevented my car from stalling? Or does the
faulty battery cause a break in the system?
Thanks.
Peter Macholdt
'68 TR250
________________________________________________________________________
Peter Macholdt
(609) 466-6458
117 West Prospect Street
Hopewell, New Jersey 08525
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