Spazz698 Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 I just changed my alternator now my car's idle isnt stable. It'll go anywhere from below 500-700rpms in gear, about 500-1k rpms in neutral. First time I drove it after I changed the alternator it almost died on me when it dropped too low at a stop. I may be wrong on this but it seems like it drops when the fan(s) turn on. Any way to fix this/figure out what's going on with it? I know my battery wasnt getting a complete charge before I put the new alt in (it held about 9v instead of 12, and when charging about 2k it got about 11-12v, anything below it was slowly draining the battery) so could the problem have to do with the work i just did? I remember reading that I cant adjust the throttle...Im not screwed am I? Btw this had to be the easist and fastest alt change I ever did, half an hr compared to my last one on a ford aerostar...6 hours with some assistance getting to the long bolt, I hate that thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezer Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 Take the alternator and battery into a parts store and have them test both to see if your baterry is toast or if the alternator is faulty, then go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted March 19, 2005 Share Posted March 19, 2005 Definitely sounds like you got a faulty rebuild. If you don't have one, buy a cheap multi-meter and test the voltage at the battery terminals both just after starting the car and after driving for a bit. It should be ~14.5 V when just started (actively charging), and around 13 - 14 after a while. I got a rebuild on my old car, but had the opposite problem - it was overcharging at about 16 - 17 V. It killed my wiper motor and blower motor before wrecking my battery. Nice. At leats the guys at the shoip that installed it replaced it for free (especially considering I had no receipt). So go back to the shop and get them to check it out. Any decent place will change it to a new one for you. If the alternator is charging fine, the battery is probably not holding a proper charge, and needs replacement. Take the alternator and battery into a parts store and have them test both to see if your baterry is toast or if the alternator is faulty, then go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spazz698 Posted March 21, 2005 Author Share Posted March 21, 2005 Well before I replaced the alt I did have both checked and it came out to be the alt going, not quite toast but far enough to where it was affecting thing. Nothing came up as far as the battery since it was holding a charge at 12v(when car was off) after the car was revved for a while repending on how drained it was beforehand. Now its only doing the unsteady idle occasionally, when the engines warm and been on for a while (like hr+) or when its the first start of the day when its cold outside. Im hoping its the alt, I'll change the thing out in the parking lot if I need to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spazz698 Posted March 23, 2005 Author Share Posted March 23, 2005 I just had the alt and the battery checked, both work fine. My last idea is a short somewhere...anyone wanna let me borrow their ohm meter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.