Help! My daily driver is turning into my Valiant!

-
justthatguy

justthatguy

Josh(69 Valiant)
Joined
Jul 6, 2012
Messages
132
Reaction score
6
Location
Danville, VA
So, I don't know if this is exactly Kosher, but, well, I have a Pontiac:)wack:) that seems to want to make all sorts of electrical gremlins apparent. I'm posting here because the people on here don't seem to be as big of douches as the guys on most Chevy forums. I'm ready to ask anyone and everyone because this is annoying and I can't seem to pinpoint it. The battery light is on, and stays on, yet the battery reads good and the alternator is working fine. I'm thinking it might be the voltage regulator but I'm not entirely sure. If it helps, most of this stuff is original equipment(car has 65,000 miles, 1 owner) and should probably be replaced at some point, but I'm not going to throw money at it until I know what to replace. Can anyone help?
 
Have you taken the alternator in to have tested. just because its putting out voltage dont mean its putting out amps. not sure what you tested for.
 
DobaDaddy said:
Have you taken the alternator in to have tested. just because its putting out voltage dont mean its putting out amps. not sure what you tested for.
Click to expand...

We just tested to see if it made voltage and wasn't locked. It's hard getting anything done around here, since everyone has the mentality of drive-it-til-it-locks(and I was left exclusively the responsibility of maintaining the beast), so I actually haven't gone to Advance Auto and test it, though, I do plan getting it done by the end of the month. I will report my findings here.
 
If I remember right some GM alternators have a diode trio in them that will often go bad, triggering the charge light yet still charging....
 
inkjunkie said:
If I remember right some GM alternators have a diode trio in them that will often go bad, triggering the charge light yet still charging....
Click to expand...

Correct. We need more info in order to help though. And you say the Valiant being the daily like its a bad thing!? Just jokes man, we'll get it figured.
 
The Valiant WAS the daily until it self destructed, I got the GMobile so I had something to drive while I worked on the Valiant. To be more precise, the car seems to start and run fine(though, the check engine light will come on if the AC is left on while the car is not moving. Not really a big deal, as fall and winter are almost here.). I actually took it on a 120 mile round trip with absolutely no problems. The light really doesn't seem to affect anything, but I want to be sure. I'll likely take the car by Advance auto and have them test the alternator.
 
We'll need to know what alternater and regulator is there. So many have been changed/updated.
 
Regardless what brand it is, its electrical. Lack of proper ground is the number 1 fault in automotive.
I've seen battery grounds bolted to the block that looked fine but give the cable a slight tug and it falls out of the terminal. I've seen the ground strap from engine to firewall left disconnected many times also.
In these cases the alternatoer, regulator, or both will fail repeatedly.
So there is the scoop on cause and effect.
If you still have the stock set up with seperate regulator and want to upgrade to the later system with regulator built in the alternater, it's a very simple change in the wiring.
Hope this helps
 
when you say your car was charing what was the voltage at the battery with the car running at idle? was it 12.6? 13? because thats not charging

a good charge is around 13.8-14.2 at idle anything less and your killing the battery

clean your cables and large red wire on the back of the alternator and retest
 
I just got home, so I'll check the grounds when it cools off a bit. I will get a friend to pull out his multimeter and I'll check the battery.
 
Your alternator definitly has a diode trio. Unfortunatly, ive had to rebuild many 90's alternators
 
Could that be the problem? The grounds look fine, and I didn't see any noticeable damage on the alternator. I tugged on them, and they remained attached.
 
Its hard to say for sure. Im not there physically looking at/testing it. As Ink stated, They do go bad. Hell, my little acura's alt. went bad and the idiot light NEVER came on. I certainly wouldnt rule anything out.
 
There's only one thing to do

If your daily driver is turning into your Valiant.................

Then turn your Valiant into your daily driver!!!!
 
*queue 318 swap(maybe even 360)*

That's probably where I'm headed. It might make it able to be driven a month without failure. Also, it's a bit too hot for something with a black interior and no AC.

Would a video help?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top