I believe the Alternator is bad on my 3800SC swap. (1997 Riviera swap & Stock mount Alternator). it seems the Alt has stopped working, Belt squeals and the volt meter only reads about 12 volts and goes down the longer it runs. Thing is : at full charge, the engine runs perfect, as soon as the voltmeter gets below 12 volts the engine is not running as smooth as it was at full 12 volts. Charge it up full and it runs perfect again ! Also, anyone Know what "Interchange" will work for a replacement Alternator ? ( I'm Talking "Boneyard Alternator" that will Fit the Stock 97 Riviera Mount). Thanks
Modern PCM's do not like the voltage being below 11.5 volts and actually can cause damage to the PCM running below this voltage. Make sure you have the alt wired up to the charge ind bulb in the dash and the bulb is good as this will kill the charge.
I'm assuming that everything was running correctly before this? Most auto parts places will test alternators and batteries for free of you bring them in. Find a local place that does and bring them both in. A bad alternator will kill a battery, and a bad battery will kill and alternator. Get them both checked and replace as required. If they are both good, then you will need a little more trouble shooting.
the battery is fine, bringing in the ALT to be checked tomorrow. belts not slipping enough to stop it from charging. the squeal MAY even be coming from the Alt itself, but it spins freely.
The Alternator checked out OK at the shop, but still won't charge IN the Car ! Both fuseable Links are OK, all fuses are OK, the Volt light works in the Gauge (with the key ON, once the cars running the light goes out. What's getting me is: there are 2 wires going to the Alt, the 1 big one from the stud to the POS on the Battery, and the 1 very small one that plugs into the alt. (I believe this one is "supposed to energize" the Alt) . SHOULDN'T that little wire have some voltage going through it ??? it has nothing ! What to Do ?
Check your alt light in the dash, does the light come on when the key is on and engine not running? If not change the bulb and check it again. Some cars use the current through the bulb to energize the alt.
OK, this is a 1987 GT (has the Volt Gauge above the heat/AC controls.) Where is there a ALT Light ? the Volt light comes on in "ON" position and goes Off when started. this is a 1998 3800SC conversion.
HOW can it be Not enough wrap around the Alt pulley, the Belt Routing is exactly STOCK, even still has the power steering.
If the wrap isn't the problem, and the alt and belt are good but it is squealing, then my next question would be whether or not the tensioner is working properly and applying the proper tension to the belt.
That's a Good Point ! I finally just Ran a" New Wire" from Clear 61 to the plug o the Alt. At first there was no change, then I "Revved it "once and the volt gauge went up to 14-15 and stays there,I Only ran it for a minute). Still have the "chirping" /" squeal". (definitely from the Alt Belt, not the Super Charger), so I Will look into the tensioner. (although when I took the belt off, the "tensioner" does Have a lot of Tension !) Thanks . Finally down to Alignment , Paint, And doing something with the Wheels/Tires. Everything is New and" Everything Works as it should" (P.S., A/C, P.W., P. Mirrors, Big brake booster, Stereo. Getting closer !
Did you paint or powder coated the alt or brackets? Had a similar problem once and the alt was not making good ground. Scrapped some areas and problem went away.
No powder coating. believe me, it's NOT a Lack of Grounds. I've got the battery to the body, battery to the block, block to body , body to Cradle, body to all grounds needed for the ecm. Now charging at 14.7 volts, but still got the squeal. I'm taking a break from the squeal, putting in a new Trunk FLOOR where I had to remove the bottom 6" to fit the muffler into.
