only 11.8 volts at idle.. checked d+ wire which is sketchy.. seems to be getting voltage KOEO .. when grounded to alt. any ideas?

 

ok did a few more tests since it finally stopped raining. fuse 13 is ok. disconnected D+ wire at alternator and grounded to a good engine ground. with KOEO all lights on dash
light up. checked voltage on D+ wire = 12v. reconnected D+ wire to alternator KOEO no BATT light on dash. so, based on that suppose D+ wire is ok? I grounded alternator to engine
with a jumper and got same result KOEO no light on dash...
what would be the next step ? remove alternator and get it tested ?

 

Replace the bad alternator. You tested the D+ circuit, all lights are working when grounded. You tested the ground on the alternator (the alternator is mounted in rubber and has a ground strap) You tested the charging rate - it's not charging if you are getting 11.8 volts. (and the belts OR the crank shaft vibration damper are not slipping badly)

 

thanks reply. i pulled the alternator and had it tested at advance which it failed. removed voltage regulator and one of the brushes just fell out of it... ie wire was broken.
going to replace the regulator before the entire alternator and see what happens....

 

ughh, new voltage regulator didn't work.. same symptoms no lights on dash. now it gets worse engine will crank but not start...
..on to more troubleshooting... can't even hear main fuel pump prime with key in position 2. pulled a spark plug looked normal.

 

ok so the engine started today (good news) but still only getting 11.8 v at idle so gonna pull the alternator re-check the installation of the new voltage regulator
and take it back to get bench tested again...

 

it lives! took the alternator to an old guy nearby who soldered a busted wire inside the case that connects the D+ terminal to the voltage regulator.. so now charging.
no AAA this time... lol..

 

amazing you found a shop who'd actually work on the unit!! Great find. My personal pet peeve is cars where the voltage regulator is not separately replaceable from the Alternator. Just had to drop $500 for VW alternator due to an issue with the voltage regulator... Somewhere a shop is going to rebuild my unit and resell as "remanufactured".

 

There is really little to an alternator that can go wrong so rebuilding them is easy. The brushes (regulator) wear out and and are the problem 99% of the time. The rest are a couple of bearings that wear out after 500k miles and some basic circuitry...

 

yep, my issue was a relay in the regulator that disliked really cold weather so on the coldest days, it would stop charging from time to time. Turn the car off/on and it would start charging again.

 

yeah i was surprised. went to an old guy (like me lol) ... my son had a MKIII golf and we went through 3 alternators from autozone before before we got one that would work... in the winter.. outside.. lol..great fun

 

hey mt do you remember a guy down on route 7 wilton... used to work on Peugeots, and MB, and Jags...

 

I know the shop - but never used it. When I had my 84 Audi Quattro, I used a shop across from the Branchville train station (old stone building with euro cars out front :- )

 

that's the building where my friend had his shop! right beyond the stoplight after the train station going north. #63 US7 ..now seems to be called keane autoworks...
i would travel up there after he left a place in new canaan. ...small world..! (sorry shud have said in ridgefield not wilton....:-)