slminneman

Just as an interesting point, there was almost no AC floating about in any circuit (I saw .1V, tops), and the voltages all seemed pretty normal, yet all of the warning lights were glowing brightly. I know you all were saying there was no question but that the alternator needed to be replaced, and I agreed that the symptoms pointed that direction, but I had to be doing something while I waited for the new alternator to show up. The rebuilt alternator arrived, and I put it in (that is a *very* easy task, compared to my other cars (a small flock of Mazda 323GTX)) -- 15 minutes, start to finish. A tiny bit of lost skin from that radiator fan guard, but not bad. The verdict: all better. No more warning lights or wild voltage swings. Thanks, everybody, for the advice.

I checked the fusible links...they looked proper and healthy. I pulled a few fuses while the thing was running, thinking that if I had a minor short somewhere, I might be able to narrow it down this way. The warning lights go out when I pull the 15A fuse labeled "charge" -- does anybody have a wiring diagram that would indicate exactly what the circuit that this fuse connects to actually does? The overvoltage issue is rpm-related...I'll check the voltage in a few places with a VOM with something keeping the revs up. Thanks for the suggestions. The alternator is an easy enough swap, but I thought I'd ask about this latest lead in the mystery. Cheers, Scott

I have an '89 GL-10 Turbo wagon. It's running fine, but has some electrical issues that I can't figure out. Right now, several of the dashboard idiot lights glow whenever it's running. They're a tad brighter near idle, more faint when at speed, but always on to some degree. The power locks only work occasionally, but that pre-dates this problem. I also had to bypass the ignition switch starter position and install a pushbutton starter, but that was 20K miles ago. Just saying that the car has never had the healthiest electrical system (owned it from new, so it's not from anything that was *done* to it). The voltage gauge shows odd readings...high (15-6V) sometimes, occasionally a little low (usually where there are high electrical loads, so this might not be *that* unusual). When the voltage is high, I can drag it back down by turning on the rear defroster grid. Later in the same trip, I can usually switch that accessory off and all's well again. This particular behavior seems slightly temperature-dependent -- the high-voltage problem seems more frequent on hot days. The battery is recent. The alternator isn't particularly new or old. I've checked for bad grounds in obvious locations around the battery, but they look good and solid. What should test next? What should I be looking for? Any ideas? Like I said, it runs Ok, but it makes me very nervous. I also don't like to play voltage regulator (by switching on/off the rear defroster) when the voltage kicks up for no reason. Thanks! Scott