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Lights dim at idle

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Topic review
   

Expand view Topic review: Lights dim at idle

by lotas » Fri May 05, 2006 11:24 pm

Airforceyooper wrote:Has it been working now?
I think so. I took out all my switches including my voltmeter and such, but I could tell when it was running 11v because the insturment panels would just be terribly dim, it was blatantly obvious, and I haven't noticed that lately. Anyways I think this problem will be completely resolved when I drop the Kicker KX 1200.1 and just have the JL 300/4, as my alt will have a lot of headroom.

by Robert Wollenberg » Fri May 05, 2006 9:57 pm

Has it been working now?

by lotas » Fri May 05, 2006 9:54 pm

Airforceyooper wrote:He must have had a wire falling off or something and didn't want to tell us about it.
ouch lol

No seriously, I didn't change one thing at all, that's why I'm convinced it was natural due to weather conditions or something.

by Robert Wollenberg » Fri May 05, 2006 8:57 pm

He must have had a wire falling off or something and didn't want to tell us about it.

by Bwcad1 » Fri May 05, 2006 10:59 am

what ever happend with this dude?

by Team AI » Tue Apr 18, 2006 4:33 pm

I think it just doesn't like you... I would buy it some chocalates or something

by lotas » Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:52 pm

Jonathan wrote:Check the wiring, make sure there aren't any loose or frayed wires as well as corrosion on anything. If that isn't the case, I'd still say it's the regulator. Usually when an alternator dies, it just dies, it usually won't be sporadic.

The most common things that happen to an alternator (no particular order):

1: Open field-To check that you would put an ohmmeter on the field terminal and the other probe on ground. Of course, for an open field you'd get infinite resistance.

2: Dead short in the field. Same procedure as above, except you'd get no resistance (0 ohm).

3: Stator windings/diodes gone. This results in reduced output, mainly a huge loss of output current (but usually only a slight loss of output voltage). You've got three phases, so you can lose one and get reduced output for a while. The added stress to the alternator will pretty much guarantee the eventual failure of the rest, though.

4: Mechanical failure-Pretty self explanatory. Bearing failures are the most common.
Thanks Jon, I'll look over those. I'll get out the Multimeter and check all the connections and everything. Again thanks for the help.

by Jonathan » Mon Apr 17, 2006 8:46 pm

Check the wiring, make sure there aren't any loose or frayed wires as well as corrosion on anything. If that isn't the case, I'd still say it's the regulator. Usually when an alternator dies, it just dies, it usually won't be sporadic.

The most common things that happen to an alternator (no particular order):

1: Open field-To check that you would put an ohmmeter on the field terminal and the other probe on ground. Of course, for an open field you'd get infinite resistance.

2: Dead short in the field. Same procedure as above, except you'd get no resistance (0 ohm).

3: Stator windings/diodes gone. This results in reduced output, mainly a huge loss of output current (but usually only a slight loss of output voltage). You've got three phases, so you can lose one and get reduced output for a while. The added stress to the alternator will pretty much guarantee the eventual failure of the rest, though.

4: Mechanical failure-Pretty self explanatory. Bearing failures are the most common.

by lotas » Mon Apr 17, 2006 8:25 pm

Oh fun get this. When I posted that last post I was at work. I leave work about an hour or so later. Start the car up, when I start it its at 12.5v or so, does its normal drop to 10.x when I start it and shoots up to 13.8v, great right? Take it to Autozone, have it tested, tests perfectly, nothing wrong, completely normal. Its like I have a ****ing dog that can do some amazing trick and anytime I try to show somebody he just lies on his belly.

Tonight, performed fine, was watching the voltage the whole time, dropped and rose with the RPMs just fine, was around 14.0v when I was driving (although it used to run 14.4v) so I have no idea what the hell is going on. If tomorrow morning it does the 11v thing again I'm gonna assume its the morning cold and throughout the day it sort of "warms" up, I don't know what else it could be.

by Jonathan » Mon Apr 17, 2006 2:53 pm

Sound more like a regulator than an alternator, but I'd guess that's a one wire regulator built-in deal so the alt. will have to be changed out regardless.

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