zwhiz

gen light came on after some wheeling the other day. when i shut the jeep off it wouldn't start again...so i jumped it and it would run when i would keep the rpms up. put my multimeter on the alternator and it was only putting out 10v. so i took it off and got it tested at autozone. they tested it 3 times and it passed everytime... any suggestions? i still need to check through my grounds and stuff, i just hope its not the regulator because isn't that in the computer?

Bustedback

Replace the alternator. The Autozone bench test never seems to be accurate, just replace it.

ckysodkorn_xj

or the battery could have a dead cell or a combination.

tjwalker

I agree with Bustedback that the alternator itself is the primary suspect. You've already verified low output with a multimeter. This is not likely to be a regulator issue which often shows the symptom of too much (unregulated) voltage.

But of course, always a good idea to freshen grounds, etc. just to be sure.

I've seen alternator bench testers at parts stores not be accurate a number of times. I am lucky to have a local guy that rebuilds automotive electronics, and his test equipment puts a true load on the alternator and gives you a true test of its performance.

zwhiz

Thanks guys. Ya I was going to take my alt to a different auto place to have them test it or just get another alt. And the battery is less than 6 months old.

zwhiz

got the alt retested and it was fine.... cleaned up all the connections, put it back in and now it works great. must have been a bad connection somewhere

Bustedback

It will start acting up again, trust me.