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Question: Alternator problem?

norwegianvette

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 15, 2007
Messages
240
Location
Norway
Corvette
1993 Aqua Convertible
Hi. When driving the cluster went crazy and all instruments did show abnormal values. I pulled over and the car died. A under the bonnet check and the alternator was burning hot. I let the car cool down for 3 hours and it fored up so i could drive it home and everything worked normal. Today i decided to start looking for the problem and guess i need to replace the alternator but when i tried to fire it up ir only clicks on the starter even with the booster hooked to the battery. Also, when i switch the ignition on the tach goes to 2000 rpm and stays there. Any good ideas out there, might be someone had the same issue before and can point me in the right direction.

thanks,
Steve
 
Hi. When driving the cluster went crazy and all instruments did show abnormal values. I pulled over and the car died. A under the bonnet check and the alternator was burning hot. I let the car cool down for 3 hours and it fored up so i could drive it home and everything worked normal. Today i decided to start looking for the problem and guess i need to replace the alternator but when i tried to fire it up ir only clicks on the starter even with the booster hooked to the battery. Also, when i switch the ignition on the tach goes to 2000 rpm and stays there. Any good ideas out there, might be someone had the same issue before and can point me in the right direction.

thanks,
Steve


The absolute first thing you need to do is make sure that the battery cables are clean and tight, and then have your battery properly load tested. Any diagnostics with a weak or bad battery or poor cables can give you false results. You need to be 100% sure that any tests are done with a healthy battery and good cables. The only way to know for sure is to have it properly load tested, preferably with a carbon pile load tester. Even new batteries can be bad, so make sure that test it, you need to know for sure.
 
I think the battery is roasted by the alternator and will replace both. What puzzles me is that when the charger s connected to the battery and i turn the ignition on the tach goes to 2000 rpm without the engine running. All other instruments looks normal. If i switch the charger to crank mode i only have the clicking from the starter like with a low battery. It do not throw any codes, tried with both my tack 1 and 2.

steve

The absolute first thing you need to do is make sure that the battery cables are clean and tight, and then have your battery properly load tested. Any diagnostics with a weak or bad battery or poor cables can give you false results. You need to be 100% sure that any tests are done with a healthy battery and good cables. The only way to know for sure is to have it properly load tested, preferably with a carbon pile load tester. Even new batteries can be bad, so make sure that test it, you need to know for sure.
 
Not that this response is much help but the 89 I had ate alternators up ever 2 or 3 years. The original owner had the alternator replaced under warranty, then replaced again 3 yrs later at his expense and again 4 years later. Besides the dealership, he had 3 different mechanics look into it plus he was an electrical engineer and he went through it. I was aware of the problem when I bought it and he told me not to waste money on getting it looked into, just be ready to buy a cheap alternator every few years. I had the car for 7 years and when I sold it, I had put 2 alternators in it. Current owner hasn't had a problem yet and its been almost 4 years on the current alternator(he is aware of this issue).
 
I think the battery is roasted by the alternator and will replace both. What puzzles me is that when the charger s connected to the battery and i turn the ignition on the tach goes to 2000 rpm without the engine running. All other instruments looks normal. If i switch the charger to crank mode i only have the clicking from the starter like with a low battery. It do not throw any codes, tried with both my tack 1 and 2.

steve


If you are going to replace the battery, make sure that you have the new battery load tested so that you know for sure that any voltage readings or diagnostics that you do are valid. It is that important to prove a battery is good.
 
This is my first help reply on this forum.
I had a strange thing happen on my 92 recently. After replacing the alternator, it was sending 17 volts constant to my system as metered at the terminal. I was initially alerted to this as my gauge was reading unusually high and steady. During installation, I had broken the tang off the alternator connector and was not making good contact to the internal voltage regulator. After replacing the connector, problem was solved.
 

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