Re: 88 2.5 Charging System

Will the parts recycler check the alternator out for you?

The amperage should not be varying wildly BUT the Autozone digital device
could be giving you false indications too.

Have you carefully cleaned all battery cable terminals, grounds, etc? That
can start you out on a firm foundation.

<HLS@nospam.nix> wrote in message
news:N_9de.69$Vz4.59@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com...
> Will the parts recycler check the alternator out for you?
>

Will have to call them and ask... hard to get there from work on a weekday,
though.

> The amperage should not be varying wildly BUT the Autozone digital device
> could be giving you false indications too.
>

I wondered if it were the equipment or the operator as the operator didn't
seem to make too much sense in anything he said. I'm not a mechanic, but
I've been working on my own jalopies for over 34 years since I was 15 and he
just seemed to be talking in circles.

> Have you carefully cleaned all battery cable terminals, grounds, etc?
That
> can start you out on a firm foundation.
>
>

Yup. Even went so far as to put a set of adapters on to change the side
terminals to posts on it after using my twister brush on the posts. Actually
like it better that way and will go with them when done.




Thanks for the replies... .. .

"Ralph D." <not@anytime.com> wrote in message
news:I-KdnQCBq7Qw3ujfRVn-2A@giganews.com...

> Yup. Even went so far as to put a set of adapters on to change the side
> terminals to posts on it after using my twister brush on the posts.
Actually
> like it better that way and will go with them when done.
>
I seem to remember that the ECM on some of those earlier cars were very
sensitive to voltage levels, and I suspect you may have experienced this.

<HLS@nospam.nix> wrote in message
news:qosde.218$1o3.136@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com. ..
>
> "Ralph D." <not@anytime.com> wrote in message
> news:I-KdnQCBq7Qw3ujfRVn-2A@giganews.com...
>
> > Yup. Even went so far as to put a set of adapters on to change the side
> > terminals to posts on it after using my twister brush on the posts.
> Actually
> > like it better that way and will go with them when done.
> >
> I seem to remember that the ECM on some of those earlier cars were very
> sensitive to voltage levels, and I suspect you may have experienced this.
>
>

So... here's an interesting thing I thought about along these lines:

Used to be that we just disconnected a battery terminal after a jump to see
if the issue was the battery or regulator/charging. Of course they now say
not to do that as it messes with the computer, so... If the car is running
off of the battery and the battery dies, how is that any different from
disconnecting it? I think that may be the whacky issues surrounding the way
it ran (and didn't) at first.

I called the parts yard and he said they only check them off the vehicle if
I wanted to bring it over... but he suggested the Auto Zone guy didn't have
a good connection when he clipped to the side terminals (which I thought
while he was doing the test) so I think I'm gonna give it a few days before
I go through removing it and dealing with being a car short on the roster
for the duration of time where I can rush over there after work and such.



Thanks

> I called the parts yard and he said they only check them off the vehicle
if
> I wanted to bring it over... but he suggested the Auto Zone guy didn't
have
> a good connection when he clipped to the side terminals (which I thought
> while he was doing the test) so I think I'm gonna give it a few days
before
> I go through removing it and dealing with being a car short on the roster
> for the duration of time where I can rush over there after work and such.


I suspect the Autozone data too.
Battery tests have to be done carefully and by a skilled person to be of any
use. Too many times, 'testers' will tell you that the battery is okay, just
needs a full recharge, when in fact the battery is toast.

Just because you measure 12.6 volts or so doesn't mean anything about the
ability of that battery to provide the current you need to crank an engine.

I had a rear engined car once that gave me all kinds of hell. The battery
would go down, the ECM would stop working, the alternator would frag
itself....rather periodically. Finally found that the dealership had put
the
brackets together incorrectly after a warranty recall procedure and the belt
would loosen gradually. As the belt began to slip, apparently the
alternator got confused and tried to keep up but couldn't. When the battery
got low enough, the thing just died. I couldnt see the problem with the
brackets with the engine in place, but finally -when the Iron Duke cracked
the block - I pulled the engine and things began to make sense.

An aftermarket ammeter, and even a voltmeter, can be helpful. At least you
will get a hint in real time what is happening.

Ralph D. wrote:

> <HLS@nospam.nix> wrote in message
> news:qosde.218$1o3.136@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com. ..
>
>>"Ralph D." <not@anytime.com> wrote in message
>>news:I-KdnQCBq7Qw3ujfRVn-2A@giganews.com...
>>
>>
>>>Yup. Even went so far as to put a set of adapters on to change the side
>>>terminals to posts on it after using my twister brush on the posts.
>>
>>Actually
>>
>>>like it better that way and will go with them when done.
>>>
>>
>>I seem to remember that the ECM on some of those earlier cars were very
>>sensitive to voltage levels, and I suspect you may have experienced this.
>>
>>
>
>
> So... here's an interesting thing I thought about along these lines:
>
> Used to be that we just disconnected a battery terminal after a jump to see
> if the issue was the battery or regulator/charging. Of course they now say
> not to do that as it messes with the computer, so... If the car is running
> off of the battery and the battery dies, how is that any different from
> disconnecting it?

If its running and the battery "dies," the battery is still there acting
as a big somewhat inert resistor/weak battery in the circuit. It can
still damp out any rapid variaitons in voltage and stabilize the system.
When you pull a terminal connection off with the engine running, you're
basically running the alternator into an open circuit apart from the
small loads that may or may not be running (ignition system, etc.) The
alternator and voltage regulator need more damping in the system in
order to produce a stable voltage, and without the battery there to
serve as the damper the voltage may swing very high and low. It was
actually bad to do that test even 20+ years before computers, because it
can easily blow the diodes in alternators. It was reasonably safe to do
when cars had generators and vacuum-tube radios, though.