Tammy

The voltage regulator appears to be questionable. It is internal to your alternator and replaced with it.

okiaristo

your voltage dropping when the temp comes up is not a sign there is anything wrong. your alt will produce a higher voltage when it is cold and slowly drop a volt as it heats up. the winding inside the case of the alt are less efficient the hotter they get. i would hate to see you replace an alt that seems fine (anything above 12.6-13 v is fine in the eyes of the car maker) instead of the real problem. without seeing your wiring i would say it is your starter, when it gets old it is like a old person it takes more to get it going than a young kid. i would replace the starter then the alt if the problem is still there. do yo have a system in your car? i mean a big one 2000+ watts? i ask becasue that will shorten the life of an alt but it would not really give you the same type of problems. good luck

Xeeeeeem

I do have a system but not a huge one. Running 85x2 in front and 55x2 in rear and 600watts to the sub. Along with a 2farad cap. Just check my sig
I would have to dissagree about the alternator working properly. I was driving home tonight and it worked great. Didn't really dip below 12.6 at all times. But not on my way to work. I'd press on the brake and it would dip down to 11.6. As i'd start driving it would jump back up. I believe the alternator is comming to the end of its life because my cap n rotor (o ring i think) used to leak on the guard and the guard led the oil right into the alternator. I think i have a 100 amp alternator laying around. Might as well get it in along with the starter.

I still need to get that chirping noise eliminated. It's probably my biggest petpieve right now with my car. There is quite a bit of tenstion on the accesory belt. Could it be the alternator making this noise

Max

Kaiser

iTrader: (1)

I think you might be focusing on the issue wrong here. Let me give you a quote from the internet:

"Voltage measures a "desire" for charged particles to move, while
current (number of amps) measures the actual number of charged particles
that are moving (per second past any point)."

Your volts drop is normal. It's the amps you need to focus on.

okiaristo

yes i think your right, the v should never drop that low. as long as you dont have a huge drain it must be the volt regulator or the alt in general. does it ever spike for no reason or randomly? the oil would make it hard for the belt to stay tight but i dont see how it could make the alt go bad. but i never really messed with the inside of one so it could i guess. a spare alt is always cool but if you have to buy a new one for some reason, go big amperage.. good luck!!!!

Kaiser

iTrader: (1)

Here is another thought for you. My 165amp alternator has no charge under 800rpms. My stock idle is 600ish. Turn the screw on your throttle body and turn up the idle over 800 and see if you still have the drop. A worn slipping belt could do it too.

Xeeeeeem

Ok, my car sat for 12+ hours, it was 52 degrees this morning and started up great. No clicking. On the other hand it was 42 i believe and the starter gave me trouble. I guess i gotta wait for the temp to drop again before making a final decision on getting a new starter.

I just had a thought. Well, the accesory belt was replaced in the past 2 months. From all the oil that dripped into the alternator could have potentially wrecked the alternator (liquid + electricity=malfunction) Now some of that oil could have gone on the little pulley on the end which causes the belt/alternator to slip causing that noise on start. I AM STILL CONFUSED on why it would make that noise when its cold outside after the belt gets replaced.. UGGHGHHHH

IOWNALEXUS

iTrader: (14)

Go to the grocery store and get some AJAX powder in the cleaning isle, put some on your serpentine belt and it will get rid of the noise, sounds crazy but it works.

SlowGS3

I also had intermittent starting issue. I turned the key and it just click. Jump started and the car run. Battery was replaced 1 month ago. Alternator checked out fine. My mechanic friend said it was the starter. I replaced the starter and everything work great now

Xeeeeeem

The car was charging over night, right after i took it off the charger, it clicked so its not the battery. The alternator, i do believe is going out but i went to 5 different places, only one confirmed that the alternator was ok. When my voltage drops as low as it does....i just don't know what to think.

I actually got my voltage to drop to 11.1 the other day, really humid night, (seems to effect it) Sunny days works very well. I had 6 ppl total in my car, got real foggy so i turned the rear defroster on, with headlights and heater....11.1 WOW.

The headlights are the biggest factor here.

Starter: I bought a ground kit off ebay, the wires turned all funky colors on me so i took that off today, see how that will effect the starter

Xeeeeeem

Its getting colder and colder outside, 33 this mornin and the car has been starting great, hasn't given me any grief whats so ever. No more clicking. Now that i have the new starter, i'm not sure whether to replace it or not.

JeremiahBr

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maroon rag his macaque? To get to the incompetent lion.
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Xeeeeeem

Sweet, acting up again. Droped below 25 last night and this mornin it clicked again. I'm guessing that its the contacts in the starter. Is possible to clean them out...what can i do without replacing the starter?

Xeeeeeem

Update: Replaced my starter, alternator, timing belt, pump, and a bunch of gaskets including exhaust gasket. Purs like a kitten

As for the squeeling noise, i FINALLY got rid of it...quite the unlikely discovery. it was the PULLEY!!!!!! The barrings went bad on it which is why i'm guessing it made that noise in cold weather. I replaced the whole piece, the Accesory belt tensioner. Problem solved. Have nothing to do with the alternator belt or anything

As far as for the voltage problem, i'm still stumped