Flowmastered87GL Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 For the second time in a year my alternator has died. Coming home from Andrews place it started to freak out Explanation: It happened on the freeway, the dash idiot lights started kinda glowing and the voltmeter dropped (in 5th gear) I downshifted to 4th and the volts went back up... so I limped it home watching the voltmeter and turning off unnecessary stuff like the radio and heat/vent fan. I had to sit at red lights at 3000 RPM to keep the volts up... if there had been any hondas out they probably woulda thought I was trying to race or something Good news... FREE replacements for life from Autozone It just bothers me that they fail that easy. Then again mine is exposed to extreme use, I bet all the high revving isnt easy one on it I guess I am pimpin in the BRAT tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 hmm thats no good Mike. Was there ny sign of it on the way to Andrew's from Jason's house? It didn't seem like it but maybe I was still kinda waiting for the rest of my beer to wear off. heheh, oh well. I guess free replacement is better than having to pay for a new one.........................maybe you should pull the XT6 alternator at the yard tomorrow when you go back to look for Andrew's phone:brow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted August 20, 2003 Author Share Posted August 20, 2003 naaa.... if I had money I may think about it... but I'd rather get a rebuilt XT6 alternator instead... free XT6's alternators for life There were slight signs after salem... I was trying to figure out why the light sources were varying alot... at first I thought it was other cars going over bumps... but it was really my volts shaking around and the lights getting dim and bright.... I am just glad I made it home and didnt run low volts all the way back and drain my battery to nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 At least in my brat with a carb engine, with no alternator. The wire on the back of mine melted for some weird reason and I drove over 100 miles on just the battery. I had to use no accessories at all. The first indication it gave was that the radio quit working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 If your battery is fairly old I would think about replacing it also with the new alternator. A bad battery can over work an alternator. I would at least have the battery condition checked and if it was less than top shape I would replace it. Make sure all the connections are clean and tight and also check the fuselinks connection to make sure it is not loose. Doing these things will help insure a long lasting charging system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 also remember to check the voltage drop in the charging system because if corrosion creeps up the battery cables and starts to eat them away, it will require the alternator to work harder and longer that it should resulting in burning up the alternator.:madder: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 I agree with Caboobaroo about the voltage drop check. This is a fast way to check the connection between the alternator and the battery. To check the drop, measure the voltage between the alternators output terminal and the positive battery post (not the cable clamp). Have the headlights and the heater fan on high to give a good load to the system. The engine should be running around 2,000 rpm. You should not have more than around .1 volt of drop between the two points. You can also check the ground cable the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 How much oil does your engine have in the engine compartment? Nothing does in an alternator like a thick covering of oil. Also, I've found the after market rebuilds are chancey at best. I have guy in Ballard who does a thorough rebuild. He's pricey and there's no lifetime warranty, but I keep going back to him whenever an alternator fails in one of my cars (doesn't mean repeat visits with the same alternator!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy_man_subie Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 the best thing is to get a 280Z alt and put that in all it taks is a little filling on the alt bracket and you got a 100 Amp alt (works with the L brace on the slider side of the alt most likely not with any a/c) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 Ed, I know that Flows engine compartment is clean as a whistle. Mine on the other hand was covered from top to bottom with grease and oil (due to a bad crank seal). So I don't think that grease is an issue in his case. He did tell me today that the bearings in his last alternator went out and thats why he had to replace it. I thinkits just because AutoZone can't rebuild alternators good enough to last............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted August 21, 2003 Author Share Posted August 21, 2003 Ed, my engine is clean... only has like 2 drips on it (from each PCV hose). Its been more or less the cleanest its been since new since WCSS5. I am really thinking the battery idea is on to something... my battery is about 5 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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