At 01:43 AM 5/20/99 -0400, John T. Blair wrote:
>
>At 11:32 PM 5/19/99 -0400, Gregory W. Smith wrote:
>>Here's the latest:
>>
>>If the car is off, I get 12-13v on the voltmeter. The big brown alternator
>>wire is ALWAYS hot (it shares the same post on the starter relay with the
>>battery + cable) This tells me battery voltage is 12-13v... OK
>>
>>If I turn the car on, but don't start it, voltage drops below 8 (scale is 8
>>to 16v)
Does disconnecting the square (main) plug to the alternator during the key
on - engine off test change the voltage measurement? If so it's gotta be
the alternator. If not I'll agree with John...you have a short (or maybe a
broken wire) and I would suspect the harness going from the alternator to
the car (that has the most vibration). BTW are the valences still on your
car? The left one supports that wire harness...
>>If I hook up the voltmeter directly to the battery (+ and -) I get the
>>expected ~12v
>>So I'm showing the alternator-supplied current (I think)
Nope, if you had alternator current you should get at least 13.5 V there.
>>Again, the alternator was tested (at Pep Boys) and puts out 15v for
>>charging. They said that it's good.
Yeah, but why won't it put out 15V when installed in the car? I would
check the voltage right at the backside of the alternator plug. (BTW look
carefully at the plug sockets & ascertain that all are snug)
Here's a thought: the stock Lucas alternator had a wire retaining clip on
it to hold that plug tight. When I had mine rebuilt, they left it off (I
did retrieve it from them later).
>>When I pulled off one of the LT - coil wires, the car also cut off. But my
>>"flickering" gauge persisted. -8 to about 10v 4-5 times a second. It would
>>stop if I disconnected the Molex(?) 9 pin plug to the steering column.
Coil voltage goes thru there.
Keep trying,
Atwell Haines
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