alternater - replaced everything

[jayk2k3]

i dont understand!!! car will not charge, has a new battery, tired 3 new 97amp alternaters. everything is hooked up. i tested the intput wire, it has 12.10 and output is the same, i am testing from the alternater itself. Inside the car say it charging at 11.6. what esle could the problem be?

[jstrdn90RS]

I am new to the forum and am in the process of rebuilding a 90 RS and in doing so I had some electrical problems and traced the problem area down.I dont know what year your car is ,but I think if anybody owns this year car and is having electrical problems follow the main red wire off the alternator, it routes to a connector stud near the passenger side of the radiator.It connects a number of other wires together(fuseable links etc.).Make sure the nut is tight.I found mine loose and my charge gauge was doing weird stuff.Its a black plastic cheap looking thing.Even though mine looked tight it wasnt..

[CamaroRS92]

Check to see that the "field" is energized when the ignition switch is on.
If this circuit is not energized it will not charge.
could be a blown fuse in the panel or a fuseable link. also bad instrument voltage gauge in dash can cause this to happen too

3 wires on alternator
one tells voltage regulator the actual voltage in the battery
another is the "field" wired from the ignition circuit
the large red is the out put

When charging properly voltage should read between 13.5 to 14.5 volts