#1 |
How do you tell if it is the alternator or voltage regulator is bad?
Symptoms - Car won't start because the battery is not being charged. Jump started the car, it ran. Shut the car off, it wouldn't restart. Battery read about 12.2 volts on my $4 digital multimeter. Jump started the car again, removed the jumper cables, and voltage between the thick wire on the alternator and the alternator case was about 11.9 volts. I left the jumper cables connected for several minutes, and the battery got charged enough to start the car on its own after the cables were disconnected.
Previous owner says that he recently bought the alternator from Pep Boys with a lifetime warranty. It doesn't look new, though. The voltage regulator looks like its been on the car since before the car (or even the plant in Lorain) was even built.
Are there any tests I can run to determine whether it is the alternator or the voltage regulator without running to the autoparts store with both?
Thanks.
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Mike Walsted - NATO member
1986 5-speed TurboCoupe and 1985 5-speed XR7
Symptoms - Car won't start because the battery is not being charged. Jump started the car, it ran. Shut the car off, it wouldn't restart. Battery read about 12.2 volts on my $4 digital multimeter. Jump started the car again, removed the jumper cables, and voltage between the thick wire on the alternator and the alternator case was about 11.9 volts. I left the jumper cables connected for several minutes, and the battery got charged enough to start the car on its own after the cables were disconnected.
Previous owner says that he recently bought the alternator from Pep Boys with a lifetime warranty. It doesn't look new, though. The voltage regulator looks like its been on the car since before the car (or even the plant in Lorain) was even built.
Are there any tests I can run to determine whether it is the alternator or the voltage regulator without running to the autoparts store with both?
Thanks.
------------------
Mike Walsted - NATO member
1986 5-speed TurboCoupe and 1985 5-speed XR7
Mike Walsted - Sold my 1986 5-speed TurboCoupe