Possible Alternator Failure (Page 1/1)
The Pontiac Kid JUL 21, 11:29 PM
Howdy y'all. Bought a stock 1988 fiero formula 27k miles year ago. No problems with anything until this. Got into it last night and as soon as started the volt light came on. Drove few miles watching the volts slowly go down as the battery was dying. Turned off accessories and turned around to return home before it died. Eyeballed, dis&re connected alternator connections. No corrosion,all good. Will check tommorow with 2nd person multimeter on battery test (after manually recharging battery) to confirm alternator deadness. If this is the case- any recommendations from y'all for a good new alternator? Keeping car original and don't need fancy better alternator. Any recommendations are welcome as I will just Amazon one that will say it fits my fiero (computers are wrong on fitting stuff sometimes). Or if anyone has any other ideas as too my problem they are welcome. (Battery tested when charged= battery good). Thank y'all for helping me keep the time machine on the road!
theogre JUL 22, 03:20 AM
Use AZ etc locally. Get lifetime warranty one. AZ and a few others use Phone # and doesn't need a receipt a year later to get warranty honored. Local means you don't ship to whatever too.

Might be something loose etc.
May have 27k miles but parts will rust etc just parked.
See my Cave, CS Alternator

Check ECM codes too before disconnecting battery.
May have low or high volts codes. High volt is nearly always dead regulator in the alt. Low volt can be other things.

------------------
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

justin87 JUL 22, 11:08 AM
I second the recommendation of a local autozone purchased alternator with a lifetime warranty.

You may or may not be able to get a decent price from amazon, but if you purchase from Autozone they have a very liberal return policy and back their lifetime warranty without question, plus the good feeling of supporting local AND no wait for shipping. I just installed the 94 amp with lifetime warranty on my custom 85 and its working like a dream.
Spadesluck JUL 22, 04:36 PM
Not sure I understand you testing method but the easiest way to test the alternator is to start the car then use the multimeter to check voltage on the battery. If it rears anything less that 12v the alternator is not charging.
The Pontiac Kid AUG 07, 09:18 PM
Alrighty I went with a new az duralast alternator with the lifetime warranty. After 2 hours of working with it I discovered it was a cockeyed part impossible to install (I was quite suprised). Returned it and got a remanufactured delco (2 year warranty) and popped it in place in 5 min. Problem solved the fiero is back on the street. I've had quite a few problems with duralast parts but at least the store always makes it right. Until next time fiero fans