Low Alt power, plz help

[tkoforpresident]

Hey guys, my car drops in power from 13v all the way to about 8 or 9 when in idle. This happens mostly when i have my headlights on. The battery is brand new, only a month or so. Could this be my alternator going bad? Is there any method to trouble shoot low altage to find out what part is going bad? I can only imagine its the battery, the alternator, or the connection, but plz help if you can.

[Sean76]

Re: Low Alt power, plz help

Autozone, Advance Auto both will test your alt. I believe it is free of charge also.

[Tom Rs]

Re: Low Alt power, plz help

sounds like the alternator unless maybe u have a loose wire going from the batt to the alt

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Low Alt power, plz help

is this something to get concerned over?

if it ends up bein the alternator should i buy a replacement or one with higher output? either way i'll get the nice chrome one =)

[SpeedingFirebird]

Re: Low Alt power, plz help

is this something to get concerned over?

if it ends up bein the alternator should i buy a replacement or one with higher output? either way i'll get the nice chrome one =)

yes for several reasons. undercharging is not good for the battery. On a short drive, the battery may not charge up enough to start the car the next time. And eventually, if it is the alt, it will die.

You could since you run underdrive pulleys. When I replaced mine, I stayed stock output. I wish I had the money for chrome.

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Low Alt power, plz help

yes for several reasons. undercharging is not good for the battery. On a short drive, the battery may not charge up enough to start the car the next time. And eventually, if it is the alt, it will die.

You could since you run underdrive pulleys. When I replaced mine, I stayed stock output. I wish I had the money for chrome.

i don't have the alternator underdrive pulley, however if i purchased a high output alternator i would not be scared to purchase one. I will go to advance and have them test my alternator and let u guys know if that is the problem. Can i install the alternator myself? if i got a alternator pulley would i have to get a new serp belt? (i have a slightly shorter one because i have a crank underdrive pulley and i swapped it)

thnx in advance

[SpeedingFirebird]

Re: Low Alt power, plz help

i don't have the alternator underdrive pulley, however if i purchased a high output alternator i would not be scared to purchase one. I will go to advance and have them test my alternator and let u guys know if that is the problem. Can i install the alternator myself? if i got a alternator pulley would i have to get a new serp belt? (i have a slightly shorter one because i have a crank underdrive pulley and i swapped it)

thnx in advance

oh yeah, alts are easy to change. I am not sure if your belt would fit or not. I would guess not since you are changing the diameter of another pulley.

I don't run a lot of electronics, so I never went to a HO alt. My alt did die, but it was 12 years old with 98K miles on it. I doubt it could have been from the underdrive, but it is possible.

[tkoforpresident]

Re: Low Alt power, plz help

i have no idea whether my alt is original or not