Charging Problem

[phillroc]

Hello,

I have a 1998 Cavalier 2.4 Twin that I am working on for a sister in law in an attempt to save her some money. She has a new battery (less than 6 months old) that does hold a charge. When her car died, after the battery light had come on, I assumed right away that it was alternator. I pulled it, took it to the local auto parts store and they confirmed that it was faulty.

After reinstalling the new alternator the car continues to die on its own. I put a Volt Meter on the battery last time I tried and it read 14.4 volts briefly, then start fluctuating all over the map. Soon after, it died again.

I am looking for any guidance anyone can provide. This has been a frustrating process as the alternators in the 2.4 cavaliers are not easy to get out! (Or back in for that matter) If I need to test the voltage directly on the new alternator, where do I put the leads?

Thanks in advance to any answers

[phillroc]

Ok, I did a search around these forums and found that the ground was possibly bad...

So, I started it, let it run for awhile, now the voltage is around 15.2-15.6 range..grrrr and the battery light still comes on. Will the battery indicator come on if it's too high? Do I have a bad voltage regulator perhaps?

[phillroc]

Ok, nevermind, I took it for a longer drive and it started draining again...

[danielsatur]

1) Have your battery charged, and load tested.
2) Check for tight battery connections.
3) Check for battery cable corrosion.

A bad battery,loose connections, and battery corrosion could make an alternator look bad.