98jeepsrt6

Do they spin the pulley or just hook it up to a couple cables??

Ive never tested an alt with them cuz ive always heard ****ty things about these stores.. I test it in the car.. Car on if it shows 13-14 volts of charge thans its good.. anything else its bad.

If i know more basic car mechanics than the guy at the counter than there useless..

freegdr

any other auto parts places around let them test it

dham99

theres others, could try that. but yes, they put it on a belt, ground it, and hook it up in a 'life like' scenario. then it runs and tells you at what percentage of the ampage its putting out, mine puts out 100% (like a drunk chick!) at 105amps.

but good suggestion free, maybe i can have a diff store test it, just for the hell of it. i just hate taking it off so many times..its tiring although easy lol

dham99

That bulb is just an interior bulb for something like a cigarette ash try or something, it did nothing. But at least now it works lol.

I was messing with the battery cables to do some testing and the NEG battery cable end BROKE. Went to VatoZone and got myself a new one, as well as some gator-clamps for the Multimeter.

I talked to the manager at AutoZone and he said he's experienced in electrical, and was going to open his own shop. Said if i charge her up, bring her by on Friday, with my multimeter, he'll help me do some testing.

Figure it cant hurt!

I jumped her tonight, let it run for a few and removed the cables, still no charge. But she's got brand new clean battery cable ends, and i sanded down everything connected to the cables. battery is trickle charging now.

so..where did i leave off to troubleshoot...lol

ET JEEP

That sure is a bummer that the light was not the right one. Your dash panel does not appear to be the same as the schematic. You might check the wiring going to the voltmeter and see if that is where the alternator wire connects. You may be back to tracing that wire.

Maybe the electrical tech can help find the problem.

If you want to do some testing, what I would try is connect your test lead to the alternator wire pin and then test for continuity at each wire in the instrument cluster that you can access. This is just a shot in the dark but you may luck out. Make sure you disconnect the battery for this test.

98jeepsrt6

Bad alternator??
I wanna know how they test alternators at AZ or any other store... They apply all the same connections to the alternator as if where in a "real life scenario" ??

dham99

yes, ive seen it hooked up. There is a belt, and the same pigtail and "bat+" connection. apparently its a 'real life' load test.

You guys wont believe this.

I get home today, hook up the battery, and start her.
Its down at 10-11 amps as usual, i start hitting the highway and notice the voltage shows true voltage, around 13. It fluctuates as i rev it as long as its above a certain RPM.

i get to the AZ, and the guy comes out. We test it, its 12.8ish, then i rev it and it goes up. If i use my fog lights it kills it at least 1.5 volts!

So for NO damn reason, now it charges if Im driving higher speeds and RPMs. But at idle or low speed, it drops to around 10-11 as normal.

it appears, the guy said, that my jeep is sensitive for some reason and it's not being told to charge until a certain RPM range. He said some Alts can do that, possibly if the pulley is smaller or something.

I REFUSE to believe this is it and the end of the Alt problems, but i drove it for an hour, few highways, and it starts up, goes to the lower voltage, and as soon as i hit 50+ it goes up into the 13 range. It even fluctuates now as i rev it from idle. So...i did nothing different except now i have brand new battery cables, the only variable besides that bulb that i replaced.

Wtf guys...

freegdr

get a nother alt

dham99

yeah i dont get it...but if this one tests good, im gonna have to find a way to fry it, so i can just get a brand new one

98jeepsrt6

Have you tried my bypass idea.. If we "think" its still the blk/orange that is shorting or not grounding then why not try a bypass see what happens..

dham99

i will go back and try to find your bypass suggestion. I drove it around today, and it does go into the 11range when im doing around 40 or less, and then highway speeds it goes back up to 13+ (never really goes over 13 on the gauge, but I think my gauge reads about 1volt off).

the only thing im worried about messing with wiring, is now that its working, and i jack with it, will i be able to get it to work again?

ive got some other things to look at now, like a strange grinding/rubbing noise at low speeds after braking..and today for the first time ever, i went to start it at the gas station after it had been off for only a minute or two, and it made that sound when you try to start an already running car. but it did that just turning it over right away. let it sit for 10seconds, and it started normal. so my starter may be going soon too...yay.

im still not convinced its working normally..but at least its charging. so im not done troubleshooting...*sigh

*oh, and the belt is def not loose. i tighten it good...so unless being 'too tight' can cause it to somehow malfunction, the pulley on the Alt is running just fine

dham99

problem NOT resolved...just as i was expecting.

freak that it worked..but i drove it saturday around, it was charging but still really low most of the time.

i take it out after work today, it doesnt seem to charge, i get to AZ and its around 11v. i leave after talkin to one of the guys, and its about to die for 3miles while im behind a bunch of slow retards, and i have to blow through every stop sign...barely got into the driveway..it dies...

Im taking the 'good alternator' back, and i paid for the new one to upgrade to the brand new non-remanufactured alternator. since the one im bringing back is working, they wont say i cant upgrade ($5 difference).

so...if it is the alternator, a brand new one is going in tomorrow or wed night, whenever it gets in to AZ...

98jeepsrt6

Ok, good luck!! im keeping my fingers crossed.

dham99

haha..i give up seriously.
i went into the garage to take out the alt, and figured, wth, ill try some testing for fun. It barely starts up, but as i rev it and its about to die, all of a sudden the voltage jumps to 13+. a few times i could get it to go up, then it would go back down.

there is a loose wire somewhere. Thats all it can be at this point! unless its the loose bolt on the back of the alternator (where the thick red "bat+" cable goes).

I moved that wire around a bit with it running, it never fluctuated, but id randomly rev the engine using the throttle linkage, and it would all of a sudden start charging and the voltage on the multimeter would jump to 11+. but its down to about 9.8 when its not showing any charge.

I called and the new Alt isnt in yet. So I guess I can just wait until tomorrow, swap out the Alt thats refurbed (in the jeep now) and drop the brand spanking new one in. if it starts working normal, it was the nut i referenced above (for the Bat+ cable). If it does the same thing ill have a better warranty, same ampage Alt, and continue where i left off and try the bypass you talked about jeepstr. So..fingers crossed its the alt and just a loose nut.

98jeepsrt6

[QUOTE=98jeepsrt6;708661]..As for the first alternator the was "BAD" i think was shorted out.. QUOTE]


You could have burnt something inside.. who knows now really.. just seems like a guess after guess