alternator problems

[95safarialt]

I had the alternator changed by a garage in 4/04. Didn't have the time to do the job myself. Ran fine unitl 5/05. Alternator appeared to be dead again so I went back to the garage and got a new unit (reman), and replaced it myself. A few nights ago, that one died as well. Belt is new (less than 1 month old). Tonight after several hours of charging, I started it to drive to a friends house (has a garage to get out of the weather), and the alternator is showing a charge of 14amps?? Is there a voltage regulator outside of the alternator, or some common corrosion point on the body that might lead to this "intermitant" problem? Ran it for several miles with the lights and everything on ...no problem??

[old_master]

The gage on the dash is "Volts" and 14 volts is the desired charging voltage. The regulator is internal, (in the alternator). At 14 volts, the regulator is doing its job. However, it is possible for an alternator to charge at proper voltage and have very low or no output as far as amperage is concerned. Amperage is what charges the battery; the regulator keeps the voltage at 14 while the amperage output of the alternator varies until the battery is fully charged. I would recommend having the charging "system" (including the battery and alternator output), checked by another technician.

[95safarialt]

Originally Posted by old_master

The gage on the dash is "Volts" and 14 volts is the desired charging voltage. The regulator is internal, (in the alternator). At 14 volts, the regulator is doing its job. However, it is possible for an alternator to charge at proper voltage and have very low or no output as far as amperage is concerned. Amperage is what charges the battery; the regulator keeps the voltage at 14 while the amperage output of the alternator varies until the battery is fully charged. I would recommend having the charging "system" (including the battery and alternator output), checked by another technician.

Thank you for the responce. Since my original post, I have dismantled the frame ground post, cleaned and greased the contacts and re assembled it. I further pulled the started and tightened the connections. Some part of this seems to have resolved the problem for now. I have been driving the vehicle for over a month without issue. I am hoping the problem was a poor ground or contact through the starter. If not..I'll be back looking for more input. Thanx again.