Alternator putting out TOO MUCH amperage?

Hey ladies and gents. I had my battery go on me so I bought a new one and had them test my alternator while I was in the shop. They measured it putting out 188 amperages on my Ford Escort, and tell me it should be closer to around 75.

I've never heard of an alternator putting out too much power as a sign of failing. I was told that this will fry my new battery if left unchecked. Can anyone advise?

Something is wrong with the tester; either the person or the machine. Off-car alternator testers don't measure amperage, only voltage. On the car they can use inductance to see how much of its total capacity its putting out up to the max based on the car's demand.

Not sure what that 188 number is, but it makes no sense. 188 amps would fry any test machine unless it had 2/0 gauge wire (about the size of your thumb) and that little alternator would be so hot that even touching it would cause 3rd degree burns :) Heck, my 12si alternator gets screaming hot when its putting out 80amps trying to recharge the battery.

Try a different tester maybe.

Great. Thanks for the rapid reply. I'll take it to another shop and post here with results.

arent there higher amp alternators on the market that put out up to 144 amps?
not that you have one, but i've seen them at jc-whitney and summit type places.

I went to a shop the other day to get my car looked at, they told me I had to much Flux in my Capicitor, and I need to get it repaired quickly.
They want a $1000 to do the whole job what should I do?


Im glad there are forums like these that can help the less knowledgeable people stay away from the very small number of rip off merchants posing as mechanics.

arent there higher amp alternators on the market that put out up to 144 amps?
not that you have one, but i've seen them at jc-whitney and summit type places.

I've seen them as high as 230 amps, but they are about 12" in diameter and come on HD diesels :)

The problem is the heat capacity of the case, just like trying to put too much juice through a wire that is too small, trying to generate too much amperage with an alternator that's not ready for it would melt it.

If you're brave, go lay your hand on an alternator after you get it running from a jump start. Keep some ice handy :)

Yeah, I took it to another shop and he tested it and said it was a-ok, so I'm glad I double checked before buying a new alternator :)

Im glad there are forums like these that can help the less knowledgeable people stay away from the very small number of rip off merchants posing as mechanics.

You and me both. I try to be knowledgeable when making decisions but when you don't know who you can trust, it's tough.

You and me both. I try to be knowledgeable when making decisions but when you don't know who you can trust, it's tough.


Theres only so much knowledge anyone person can have, I think everyone has been, or will be ripped off by someone more knowledgeable at some stage in their life.
The only protection is to do lots of research, and get a second opinion, in your case it appears to have worked very well :)

I went to a shop the other day to get my car looked at, they told me I had to much Flux in my Capicitor, and I need to get it repaired quickly.
They want a $1000 to do the whole job what should I do?


Im glad there are forums like these that can help the less knowledgeable people stay away from the very small number of rip off merchants posing as mechanics.

Please get your capicitor hydro-tested, in addition to testing, it will expand the liner . The shop is mistaken about the flux or they are just trying to scare you into recycling it. Then they sell it to someone else. You have reduced capacity capicitor, it's a secret that not many people know about. :smokin: