1986 SE 2.8 190,000 kms. Mostly original.

I have owned this beautiful machine for less than a year now. Every time I start it up, the voltage is low. The volt meter reads around 10V and the warning light is on. (The lights are dim and the wipers run slowly).

When I pump the accelerator or drive off, the voltage comes up and everything is fine. No issues after that.

Does anyone know what the problem is? How can I fix it?

Thanks and God Bless.

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"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose."-Jim Elliot

Occam's Razor: check the simplest things first. In this case, belt tension. When I recently bought mine, I thought "Oh, it's a serpentine belt, it's self-tensioning." Erm, no. The alternator is manually adjusted to tighten the belt -- that noise you hear is my head banging on the workbench.

-- A

The regulator in the alternator decides when it is powering the car. If you have a small battery leach (or a bad battery), the alternator will re-charge the battery when there is sufficient power available. You should load-test the battery at an auto parts store to see if it is losing power. See the Ogre's cave to learn how to track down a battery leach.

Look under Electrical / Charge & Start / Battery Leaches

[This message has been edited by Gall757 (edited 04-02-2019).]

Mmm, yes. Check the *simplest* things first -- does the battery load test good? Most parts stores will load test for you.

-- A

I will get the battery checked. The belt is brand new and seems snug. If the battery is good, what else could it be?

Thanks.

Maybe... See my Cave, Battery Leaches

Sound like have other problems w/ iffy alt, battery cables, belts, motor mounts, etc.
Start w/ See my Cave, Wire Service then check/fix battery cables, all grounds and all wires to "box" under C500.

Hook Volt meter to read volts in engine bay like at battery or at alt output to see if volts are low there at same time.
Make sure any wires to meter won't short and fry.

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Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave

quote Originally posted by CookesForChrist: Every time I start it up, the voltage is low. The volt meter reads around 10V and the warning light is on. (The lights are dim and the wipers run slowly). When I pump the accelerator or drive off, the voltage comes up and everything is fine. No issues after that.

Sounds like your alternator isn't "self-exciting" (as its supposed to be doing). One of my Fieros has this issue, but all I need to do (as a work-around) is to slightly goose the accelerator after starting the engine, and then it's fine.

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 04-02-2019).]