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Repair Topics / Charging
System-1 / Charging
System-2
Charging System Questions and
Answers This
category contains featured questions as
examples. They relate to most vehicles.
Question:
1998 Chevy Impala mileage: 55,000. Hi...my
girlfriend's old Impala eats batteries! We had
one burst last month, thought it frozen. Got a
replacement, now this one is belching sulfurous
gasses and is warm to the touch after the car
has run for a little while. Not cold enough to
freeze - possible charging system problem?
Sometimes the interior lights/radio lights go
dim, then bright again, also. The
alternator is putting out about 14.7 volts, the
battery is charged to about 13.5 volts, seems
high. I thought maybe the voltage
regulator could be bad, but don't know where it
is on that year vehicle! Otherwise a great
low-mileage nana car...any advice you guys could
give on where to start looking for the problem
would be appreciated!
Answer:
Check the ground wires to make sure they are
in place and making good contact, especially the
battery cable ground connection to the motor.
If this checks out okay, you probably have a
faulty alternator.
Question: 1999 Ford
Probe4-cyl mileage: 108,000. I have a question
regarding my car's charging system. It has a
history of charging system problems. The system
completely failed about 3 years ago, I ended up
replacing the battery, alternator and power
distributor. Everything was fine until about a
year ago when the system quit again, I had it
checked and it was the alternator again. I
replaced it myself and it was fine again until
now. However, now it has some occasional
problems with overcharging.
I have not had any problems with light bulbs
or fuses burning out. However, a couple times a
week the voltmeter will read slightly above
normal. There were a few squeaks in the belt,
after which I tightened it and although the
noise is mostly gone, the same problem with
overcharging still exists. I have also noticed
that the car seems to lose some power when it is
doing this, but the acceleration will pick up
again once the voltmeter is reading a normal
charge. Do you have any ideas on what might be
causing this?
Answer: Your intermittent
charging problem may be caused by poor ground
connections somewhere in the system. Replace the
belt for the alternator. Belts squeak due to
slippage and must be replaced.
Question:
1998 Chevy Camaro mileage: 105,000.
My question is about the charging system. My
alternator has just given out. I took the
alternator off to have it tested and was told
the diode trio was bad. I bought a new
alternator, but nothing has changed. I
returned it to have it tested and it was fine.
I have checked all fuseable links going to the
alternator and starter. The car is still
not charging. P.S I also had the battery
checked and it was fine. I don't know what
else to do without spending a lot of money at a
repair shop.Answer:
Check the small power wire that hooks to the
back of the alternator to see that it is getting
12-volts when you turn the key on.
Question:
2004 Honda Civic Sedan mileage: 75,000. My
engine wasn't starting so I took it to a
friend's auto shop to have it worked on. He
found that the alternator was bad and the engine
flooded. I got the alternator fixed but
the battery still won't charge. The
mechanic mentioned something about the IG wire
or the L wire wasn't properly connected to the
exciter on the alternator so the alternator
wasn't being "told" to work. What does
this mean exactly? My father and I are
going to attempt to fix this but we need some
help. Thanks for your assistance.Answer: The wire the mechanic
is talking about is a small wire that provides
12-volts to the alternator when the key is on.
The 12-volts signals the alternator to start
working. Your car was originally equipped
with this wire, so it is probably there
somewhere located close to the wiring loom next
to the alternator.
Question:
2002 Hyundai Elantra mileage: 52,000.
Excuse me!! I am from Costa Rica, and I don't
know how to write my question in English, then,
I will write it in Spanish. I hope, you can
answer me soon! El auto enciende la luz de
bater�a en el tablero, y le cambi� el alternador.
Despu�s de 1 semana, la volvi� a encender, y
ahora est� siempre encendida. Que puedo
hacer?Ser� necesario cambiar el regulador de
corriente del alternador nuevamente?Answer: We have a rudimentary
understanding of Spanish so here is our best
shot, first in English then in Spanish:
From what you tell us, it sounds like you may be
having trouble with your charging system.
Have your battery load tested and check the
alternator output for voltage and amperage.
The voltage regulator is part of the alternator.
Both should be replaced at the same time as a
unit. De lo que usted nos dice, suena como
usted puede tener apuro con su sistema de carga.
Tenga su carga de la bater�a probada y controle
el alternador hecho salir para saber si hay
voltaje y amperaje. El regulador de
voltaje es parte del alternador. Ambos se
deben substituir al mismo tiempo que una unidad.
Question:
1999 Mercury Tracer mileage: 125,000. I
was on the highway today, with my window
defroster (front and rear) on, my stereo, which
employs a 300-watt amp, and my headlights and we
were stuck in a traffic jam. After about
an hour and a half of idle sitting, my car died
and the battery appeared to be dead. I
just had the alternator changed last year and
when that was dying my battery light popped on,
but that didn't happen this time. When I
got the car back home, I just jumped it and it
started fine. What could be the problem?
Answer:
You may or may not be having a problem with your
car. From what you have described, you may
have just drained your battery down. Think
of your battery as a bank account with a limited
amount of money in it. As you drive your
car at highway speeds, you are putting money
into the bank (charging the battery).
As
your car sits and idles with you window
defroster, stereo and headlights on, you are
withdrawing money from the bank.
Eventually you will run out of money and the car
will die. The battery may be weak in your
car or it may be not have sufficient capacity.
Question:
1999 Buick Le Sabre mileage: 82,000. The
alternator light on my 1999 Buick glows dimly
when the car is running. The battery must be
charging, because I drive the car day & night
and have not had a dead battery yet. I
hate to replace the alternator if it is not
faulty. Any suggestions?Answer: The alternator is
probably getting weak. The alternator
light will glow dimly when the diodes in the
alternator start to fail.
Question:
1998 Ford Windstar mileage: 135,000. My Windstar runs on just battery power. I
have changed the alternator and checked all of
the wires. It will run for about 5 miles
on a fully charged battery before the battery is
completely drained. Do you have any
suggestions? Answer:
Your definitely having some problems with the
charging circuit. Check the alternator
output for voltage and amperage. Also,
check the main power wire from the alternator to
the battery. Check your electrical system
for electrical drains.
Question:
2001 Ford E150 van mileage: 70,000. Just
recently, I rebuilt my alternator, tried new
batteries, checked my regulator, and replaced an
old solenoid. The trouble is that when
driven using accessories the battery looses
power and will not run the engine. If the
positive cable is removed while the engine is
running, the engine will die. I am led to
believe that somewhere in the wiring there is a
short or a misplaced wire. If you can
either give me advice or help me in any way, I
would be very grateful.
Answer:
Check alternator output for voltage and
amperage. Check the main power wires
from the alternator to the battery.
I all checks ok, replace the alternator.
Question:
1998 Ford Escort mileage: 120,000. The
battery light suddenly came on and a DVM reading
on the battery showed 13.5V not running and
slowly drops to 12.3V when the engine is
running. I believe the alternator is not
charging. However, before I buy a rebuilt
alternator could it be something else?
Answer:
Before you buy
another alternator, check present alternator for
voltage and amperage output. In addition,
load test the battery.
Question: 1999
Dodge
Spirit mileage: 70,000.
Hi, my alternator over charges- periodically it
puts out about 18 V and I can hear the battery
sizzling. 1. I have swapped out the alternator-
makes no difference (so the alternator is not
the problem). 2. I have swapped out the battery-
makes no difference. 3. Last Dec. I replace the
computer so I would like to think this is not
the problem. 4. I have checked the wiring
harness. Any ideas?
Answer: Your problem
may be simple like a loose or poor ground wire.
If ok install a new alternator.
Repair Topics / Charging
System-1 / Charging
System-2
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