need help bad...non-f-body

[Pastor Larry Roques]

I recently changed out the alternator on my 94 Villager and for the past two weeks have enjoyed a perfectly operating car. Sunday, however, I began to notice a slight flicker in the lights inside and out on the car. Well eventually all the lights came on on the dash...I'm talking battery,ABS, Brake, airbag....everything...just like when the alternator went out. So I took it into auto zone where I got the now two week old alternator. They put it on the diagnostic machine and said...alternator good...battery...good. I left Autozone and went on some errands where all the lights come on and the battery dies. I get a new battery....drive home....new battery dead. I look at old battery terminals...notice a crack...I replace the battery terminals...finish at one this morning. Everything seems AOK. Take the car to my office at the church this morning...all the lights come on....car nearly kills.....I hobble into my parking lot.....and there she sits. Any Ideas on what the problem is. I realize that this is for F-body stuff but my Firebird is great its this minivan thats giving me maxi-headaches....any help humbly and greatly appreciated.

[ka50]

alternator is taking a crap or you have a short somewhere...

best bet would be to tell the autozone guys to swap the alternator

[saved1]

Larry, since you just put a new alternator in, and now a new battery plus terminals, the question is why did the old alternator die in the first place? My guess is a major short in the system. Since you have a background in electronics, I know you know what you have to do, get out your meter, and start the frustrating procedure of tracing out the source [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Pastor Larry Roques]

Saved one...you got frustrating right! [img]graemlins/barf.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/barf.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/barf.gif[/img] The wiring diagram in my Haynes manual looks like the roadmap of Philidelphia! The old alternator had approx. 152,000 miles on it. It was the original part that came on the car so its death was not premature, nor was it particularly suspect. ka50 has the idea I might start with as a local repair shop I talked with today said that the test they run on the alternator at parts stores doesn't always show an intermittant problem and the unit was not presenting symptoms when I brought it in.
What stumps me is why the two week "peace in the valley" thing and then, wham!, back to the old symptoms I was having pre-new alternator. It seems as though a wiring problem would show some signs continually, i.e. erratic dummy lights, flickering,jerking tachometer. This is acting as though I never changed the alternator. A condition that was resolved when I did change it.
I'm still gonna go get my "ohm-o-matic" as you suggested and see what I can find Saved1. Thanks for the quick help. Regardless...Jesus is still on the throne! I'll press on...Any others out there got any Ideas? Blessings! [img]graemlins/wavey.gif[/img]

[3.4 [deployed]]

Take the merc in & have them test the charging system. When the alt alone is brought in, the amps output cannot be tested. Also, what is the condition of the belt and the original battery cables?

[PiercedJD]

get a multimeter with an amp load function, and place it between the positive battery cable and the positive terminal on the battery. if it reads a signifigant load with the key turned off, they you are experiencing parasitic loss that could cause your problem. ( with signifigant load being equal to or greater than 1 amp. typically you would see something like .3 amps or thereabouts which is the draw required to maintain vehicle systems such as radio preset memory and ECM/ECU memory, driveability/timing etc settings, trouble codes and the likes.)

if you find that you are experiencing signifigant parasitic loss, then the simplest and least time consuming way to find the cause is to go to the fuse block and start disconnecting fuses. once the load drops down to where it should be you have found the source of the parasitic loss, and can troubleshoot that system further.

it could however just be a problem with your alternator. A static bench test on an alternator usually doesn't tell **** because it doesn't reflect real world conditions where the alternator ( which is an electronic device) is subjected to engine compartment temperatures of *at least* 100 degrees or higher. (stick your television in the oven at 100 degrees and see what happens. And yes I know it's not the best anaology, but you get the picture. )

[Pastor Larry Roques]

Belt and battery cable are in fairly good condition. The unit was checked while on the car and thier test conflicts with what I came up with tonight. I noticed a significant load variance and an almost static reading on the positive pole of the battery with ground going to chassis. My ohm meter was bouncing around to within 1-1.7 volts leading me to believe that the alternator is operating, but the regulator which is onboard on this particular alternator unit is fritzing.

3.4[deployed], as you are posting from Iraq, I would take it that you are one of our awesome armed services personnel....if so...Thank you from just a plain old preacher in Southeast Louisiana USA...come home soon, and safe.
God Bless you! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[3.4orNothing]

whats up pastor, my dad is a pastor too,and he had a volvo and when no mechanic could fix it he prays and often get it solved out, so pray and ask God for mercy, He will answer

it is the altenator

[saved1]

Amen to that, It works for me. My problem is that I try and figure it out on my own, and when I come to the end of my rope,then I ask God, and HE has been faithfull to reveal the solution:). Just another way to give HIm praise!

[Pastor Larry Roques]

A-M-E-N....feel like havin' church right here!!!
[img]graemlins/banana.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/banana.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/banana.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/banana.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/banana.gif[/img]

[saved1]

Have you got the problem figured out yet?

[3.4orNothing]

Jesus lives, and He loves all f-body owner too,so give your lives to Him,and see His mercy

[saved1]

I agreee 3.4orNothing, God is using this site to spread the Good News!

[Pastor Larry Roques]

Wow...revival on the F-body boards...whoda thunk it???

UPDATE...UPDATE...UPDATE:burnout: [img]graemlins/burnout.gif[/img]

Took the alternator off the car and took it back to autozone. They put it on a bench tester and it came back 12.8 amps which they said was within normal range.....HOWEVER!!!...the sheet on the alternator had a "factory test results printout" that came with it showing that the bench test at the time the alternator was rebuilt was 14.6 amps.
a difference of nearly two amps. So they agreed to replace it....reluctantly. They pulled thier only replacement from stock and while the guy is doing the swap I notice the new one has a cracked case. The Autozone guy upon furthur inspection notices a bent ground post. (check these things guys...I'm tellin' ya!) So they found one at a store 21 miles north of where I live. We drive there to pick it up as they had no more hub deliveries yesterday. I get to the Covington store and they start giving me the "bench test the old one....again runaround". Something about company policy. The guy gives me a real hard time but...reluctantly gives me the replacement.
I think this one had a bent mount because it was a drag to install...but we finally get it in...hook it up...fire up the car...and all symptoms....GONE....PRAISE THE LIVING GOD!!!
No more flickering...no more dash lights...no more dead battery. I drove it from the church, which is where it "LAST" died, to my home about 5 miles away and it did great. Remember that it only took about the same distance to completely drain the battery and start freakin' out before the swapout. So, barring any complications, I pray this case closed...In Jesus Name. [img]graemlins/bowdown.gif[/img]

[camaro2495]

check the wire that goes from the alternator to the battery, i had the same problem in my camaro, all lights on, speedo went all the way up, tach all the way up, temp, volts, oil pres. everything all the way up, then back down in a split second, and then it died, it was the alternator to batt. cable