naverillsn001

For the last two weeks my '95 XJ Sport 6 cyl has developed a charge wonk: Sometimes it's charging fine, sometimes barely above the low-voltage red line, sometimes barely below.

"Alternator" you say, and I'd tend to agree, but it's so unpredictable: Sometimes it charges fine cold, but drops whe hot; other times it's the reverse. Sometimes revving the ngine kicks it back up (where it stays for awhile), sometimes not. Sometimes it's charging fine at startup and after 10 minutes drops, sometimes the reverse. Switching accessories on and off has the expected effect, but it can drop too low even with all accessories switched off. It's probably coincidental, but the problem started right after I sprung a leak in my lower radiator hose. I've wondered if coolant on the belts or sprayed into the alternator caused the trouble; seems to me it would have cleared up after two weeks, or died by now, if that were the case.

It's throwing only one code: 41, which has something to do with the electric field around the alternator and which no one online seems to know much about. It hasn't failed to start yet, but I think the battery is getting just enough power to not die. I'm confident it's not just a bad gauge as the lights dim and the fan blows less when the gauge drops.

I've replace what appeared to be pretty worn battery terminals, and took the battery out to see if there was a battery temp. sensor some folks say can cause this sort of thing. I didn't find anything electrical in or around the battery tray. I've poked around for loose wires, loose belt, etc.

I have read countless threads here and elsewhere where people with similar symptoms had their alternators replaced only to discover that the problem was elsewhere -- the computer, a short, etc... I'm hoping I can find a way to diagnose and fix this without having to pay for an alternator I don't need, to say nothing of having to make multiple trips to a mystified mechanic.

Suggestions?

glowmunkee

i'm having the exact same issue. any chance you figured out what was wrong with yours?

XJmanXJ

i had the same thing i pulled it like 5 times to have it tested and it passed all the time i finally got fed up with it and just got a new alt problem fixed

bullheimer

To me sounds like loose wire or fussy internal regulator. you can get by cheapest by getting a one-wire kit for the alt. or maybe an alternator shop can just replace it for cheap. that seems to me that it would call out an electric field problem.there are a million elec. wiring threads in the Electric wiring forum at www.hotrodders.com if you go to the DocVette sticky there, there are nine million pages but you might be able to search thru them w/o joining the board. if not, lots to read. good luck, as i don't know what a new alt costs, i can't say which way is the cheapest to go but i feel like the prob is in your alt.