weird electrical problem

[stone_mound_camaro]

I would post this in problem diagnosis, but i'm not. nobody goes in there and the last time i posted..there wasnt an answer.

But anyway my alt just died the other day and i just put the new one on. The system is showing the same signs it did before the change...guages jumping, low voltage. so i took the new alt back to the store where they tested it. they siad it passed. i'm reluctant to put the new alt back on. the battery is also 3 days old. what could be the problem? why is my system acting like the alt is bad?

I guss i should also name some signs... like when i accelerate the voltage goes down, not up. the voltage also fluctuates from good to rred...then if i flip on a headlight or something it will jump back up again

[96CamaroSS]

Originally Posted by stone_mound_camaro

I would post this in problem diagnosis, but i'm not. nobody goes in there and the last time i posted..there wasnt an answer.

But anyway my alt just died the other day and i just put the new one on. The system is showing the same signs it did before the change...guages jumping, low voltage. so i took the new alt back to the store where they tested it. they siad it passed. i'm reluctant to put the new alt back on. the battery is also 3 days old. what could be the problem? why is my system acting like the alt is bad?

I guss i should also name some signs... like when i accelerate the voltage goes down, not up. the voltage also fluctuates from good to rred...then if i flip on a headlight or something it will jump back up again

What year is the camaro? Sounds to me like the voltage regulator is bad. If it is an older car the voltage regulator is seperate from the Alt... Does the voltage change if you rev the car while in park?

[stone_mound_camaro]

its a 94...I dont recall the voltage changing while revving. How much is that part and where is it and how hard is it to change

[96CamaroSS]

Originally Posted by stone_mound_camaro

its a 94...I dont recall the voltage changing while revving. How much is that part and where is it and how hard is it to change

94 has the voltage regulator built into the alt.

[FormulaLT1]

I would try swapping battery's if you have another one around and see if it happens again. I am thinking its not the internal voltage regulator (which is inside the alternator) if both of them did this,..

Edit- Also do you have any heavy draw aftermarket equipment, like a ignition system or Amps or a high output aftermarket stereo?

[stone_mound_camaro]

Originally Posted by FormulaLT1

I would try swapping battery's if you have another one around and see if it happens again. I am thinking its not the internal voltage regulator (which is inside the alternator) if both of them did this,..

Edit- Also do you have any heavy draw aftermarket equipment, like a ignition system or Amps or a high output aftermarket stereo?

I do, but when i notice problems...like when my first battey died and my alt as well..i turn all that stuff off for a while. I dont have another battery to play around with. any other tips?

[FormulaLT1]

Originally Posted by stone_mound_camaro

I do, but when i notice problems...like when my first battey died and my alt as well..i turn all that stuff off for a while. I dont have another battery to play around with. any other tips?

Could also be a short causing the problem if none of the other things pan out but you should look at your alternator amp rating and then look at the amp draw of your aftermarket equipment. I know with my small amp, ignition system and electric water pump I plan on adding. I was forced into upgrading to a larger alternator cause at idle my voltage would go into red. Although its strange your said your goes down as your accelerate cause the faster your engine is revving the fast the altenator is spinning and the more amps/power it should be creating.

[99firebird]

I had my alternator go bad on my 99 Firebird last year. I bought a $125 rebuilt from NAPA. When I put it in,SAME PROBLEM. I looked in the shop manual and figured out the voltage regulator is internal. I had them put it on the test machine, too. It tested good. I told them if my cables are good, this is the only thing that could be bad. It took them 4 days to get another one in to town. Another alternator and it worked. Tell the parts supplier you have a bad one and get another trading across the board. Make sure your cables are free of corrosion. Corrosion can travel inside the insulation and not show from the outside. I made a very small incision in the insulation to check for any sign of corrosion. Make sure all connections are tight and especially any grounding straps between the motor and frame are good.

[ikeyballz]

ok dude i just posted a post about this...

are you sure your battery connection is good? my sisters Z28 had the same symptoms..turns out the battery clips for the car was corroded

its kind of retarded cuz i always check that...

but if its the side attaching battery, that stupid latex cover hides the corrosion.. try check that.. im almost 100% sure its that. =) good luck dude.

btw, baking soda solves all corrosion ;D

[wrightz28]

Nobody replied to your other post huh? Alrighty then. Anyway, let's keep it simple here. The heart of a charging system is the alternator. And the alternator is belt driven device. Thus proper tension is essential. Make sure your serp. and tensioner are up to snuff.

If that checks out, get your hands on a multimeter, you're going to need it.

[stone_mound_camaro]

sorry wright... as soon as i posted it i looked and saw your reply. Your always there to help out man. and i take your word as gold.

I checked everything and i think the belt was slipping maybe, but when i went to my friends house, i driving, and all my dash lights that are electrical system dependent came on and then when back off. Then sometimes when i try and start the car, the guages and everything will be dead, as if the battery were unplugged or something

Anyway, my alt puts out 105 amps, my fuse near the battery for my equipment is 100 amp, and my amplifier's fuse is 60 amps, so i dont think its drawing more than the battery can put out. But i do know i need to get bigger wires from my altl to battery. I just dont know how tochange those.

[wrightz28]

I was just bust'n your balls, don't worry about it.

Anyway, it has to be something basic, especially NOW you say it has a occasional no start due to no power. Has to be a bum cable or connection somewhere. For the S-n-G's of it I would remove the amp connection to make sure that's not it. Just elimnate the possilbility all together.

[wrightz28]

Oh, and Hammer twirling around in your sig makes it a pain to try and disect and concentrate on your posts.

[stone_mound_camaro]

Originally Posted by wrightz28

Oh, and Hammer twirling around in your sig makes it a pain to try and disect and concentrate on your posts.

I would change it back to the old lady getting kicked in the face, but AF seems to think its much too big.

But anyway.. I believe the problem is solved for now. I was over someones house and the car shut off while i was trying to start it. It was night time and i opended up the hood. sure enough one of the positive connections...(not the one on the battey but the one above it thats in a little bed box kinda touches the frame) was sparking like crazy. I tightened it and i made it all the way hoome without the car shutting off on the highway again . I guess i needed night time to see it sparkin like that.

[wrightz28]

There you go

What I tell mysself all the time K.i.s.s.

Keep
It
Simple
Stupid