Help somthings gone wrong!!!

[macatoni]

So now i dont know what to do. I was driving and came to a 7-11 and went in but kept the motor running(friend in car of course) and when i came back out it started. I left the store and the cars lights got very dim. The stock battery/alt gauge said 8 (which is the lowest it goes). When i tried to accellerate the car would act fine till it reached 0psi and then bogged out and almost died. It felt as if every time the turbo spooled it bogged out and wanted to die. I was able to limp home 2 miles but now im stuck. There was no check engine light. I checked under the hood and the belt was still there. It was dark out but i couldnt see any physical damage?

Anyone got any ideas of where to start?

Last note is that my scanmaster has been on the fritz. It has been seemingly randomly loosing power. And then somtimes it has power but only displays dots on the bottom digital strip. And then sometimes it works perfect. Checked all connections visually and they all seem solid. When the current problem happened it did not have any power. But since the check engine light didnt go on i assume it wouldnt matter.

Thanks in advance,
David

 

[GNguy]

Check grounds and ECM.

 

[disco stu]

Well, ya lost voltage, so check the alternator, it's probably dead. And the battery will need a good long slow charge if it did not kill that too.

 

[TurboBuckeye]

Alternator is probably shot

 

[FlyinGN]

yea id vote a bad alternator

 

[macatoni]

Best way to check the alternator? Good replacements?

 

[84GNwith87eng]

don't forget the Volt dummy lightbulb...and if your cluster is making a flush connection to the wiring harness where its plugged in :wink:

 

[volvoman]

That happend to me

don't forget the Volt dummy lightbulb...and if your cluster is making a flush connection to the wiring harness where its plugged in :wink:

My wire was not conected. If that wire is not hooked up it will run fine till you nail it, which it will fall on its face. You could allways pull off the alt, only take min or so and take it in to get one of those free checks.

 

[disco stu]

A good replacement is a 96 Impala 140 amp alternator. Pull yours off, take it to Vatozone, have them spin it. Then you have yours on hand to turn in for a core if it is bad.

 

[eazy e]

Best way to check the alternator? Good replacements?

With the car running, dissconnect the negative battery cable and if the car dies, it's a bad alternator. This method will only tell you if the alternator is dead; a weak one can still keep the car alive.

The second way to test is with a digital volt meter. With the car off, place the ends on the battery. You should have a voltage reading of 11-12 volts depending on how charged the battery is. Start the car and quickly take another reading with the volt meter. You should now see 12.5-13.5 volts coming from the battery if the alternator is good. If the voltage is the same or has dropped, then you have alternator problems.

 

[TurboBuckeye]

With the car running, dissconnect the negative battery cable and if the car dies, it's a bad alternator. This method will only tell you if the alternator is dead; a weak one can still keep the car alive.

His will probably pass this test and still be the problem

 

[macatoni]

im gonna go try the two tests...

 

[macatoni]

OK so i went out there and read the posts on the battary and it said 11. I expected that cause the battary is slightly drained from being completly dead yesterday. When i started the car the voltage did not change. When i disconnected the battary negetive the car died instantly. Alternator, correct? Where do i get a good one? What brand, however i need to get it today or tommorow, and where do i buy it? Upgrades?

Thanks for all the info! i hope to figure it out soon, just want to know weather its for sure the alternator. On the inside all the lights act the same as normal(no check engine or other illuminations.

 

[turbopete]

Bad alternator

My alternator went bad the same way. The problem was a small ceramic piece inside it (regulator?). I got the stock replacement, but it took a few days to have it shipped in. You do need a strong alternator for these cars. I think the stock one is 120 amps...

 

[eazy e]

OK so i went out there and read the posts on the battary and it said 11. I expected that cause the battary is slightly drained from being completly dead yesterday. When i started the car the voltage did not change. When i disconnected the battary negetive the car died instantly. Alternator, correct? Where do i get a good one? What brand, however i need to get it today or tommorow, and where do i buy it? Upgrades?

Thanks for all the info! i hope to figure it out soon, just want to know weather its for sure the alternator. On the inside all the lights act the same as normal(no check engine or other illuminations.

I looks like it's dead. As for where to get a good one you have me since I don't actually own a TR yet. If I were in your shoes I'd just go to any parts store and get a rebuild with a lifetime replacement plan. I've done this with other cars and figure if it dies on me again, all it'll cost is the time to remove it. I can't see the alternator on this car being harder than the I6's I'm usually working on.

I'm sure somebody can recommend a good replacement. Good luck.

 

[disco stu]

96 Impala 140A alternator. Might as well upgrade. It will only charge what it needs, but you might as well have the extra juice. I would suggest a reputable brand, I have bought more than one junk replacement. Remans are usually available with a lifetime warranty, new ones are not. Go figure. I got a Bosch unit, was not much more expensive than an Ultima.

 

[Blazer406]

one more test ... you could do...

Here is a simple test (I don't think there is any hope in your case.... but it could help someone out down the road... I think yours is definately dead....).... With the car running and the suspected bad alternator... still hooked up..... CAREFULLY take the tip of a screwdriver...or combination wrench or anything metallic... and touch it to the center of the back of the alternator.... where the bearing is.... (dead center)... if it sucks the screwdriver.... or wrench... to it.... like it was magnitized...... it is most definately charging......

Let me explain.... when the field is energized in the spinning alternator.... the way it generates electricity produces a magnitism in the rotor of the alternator.... the part spinning around inside.... that spins inside the bearing I mentioned above.... it magnitizes it .... big time..... so if it feels magnitized..... it is charging. I said CAREFULLY above.... because the post on the back of the alternator is hot (12V).... and you could accidentally short it out with the wrench.... and then.... you really have a welder.....

Hope all this makes sense..... sometimes it is hard for us engineers to put thoughts into words.... clearly....

HTH