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Is my alternator woking properly??

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Old 09-18-2009, 11:59 PM
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Question Is my alternator woking properly??

I have a 2001 Chevy blazer 4DR. I was cerious and i checked my battery voltage today and the voltage read at 13.79-13.80 About 3 weeks ago i had checked it and iut was at 13.83 volts. Theses tests were on during the day with the car on with the head lights off. What are your opinions. By the way i have a optima red top battery that is barely a year old.
 
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Old 09-19-2009, 03:04 PM
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first off a battery is supposed to be at 12 when the vehicle is off and 14.5 or so when being charged by the alternator with the vehicle running... I wouldn't worry just get it looked at with the car running and alternator on and then come back but to me it looks like the battery is fine
 
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Old 09-19-2009, 05:51 PM
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Sounds good to me. When under load do lights dim or you gas gauge act funny? When I had my old Blazer I had a Alternator that just couldn't put out what I would need, and when driving and when stressed you would see the voltage dip, and my gauges would act a little funny.
 
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Old 09-20-2009, 12:25 AM
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when the vehicle is off i get a 12.62 voltz and when car is on the little needle is at 14 in between the 1 & the 4. my concern was my alternator since i have an audio system on the car.
 
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Old 09-20-2009, 09:29 AM
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The voltage didnt drop by hardly anything over 3 weeks you should be fine. If you crank your system up does the voltage drop to 12 while its running?
 
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Old 09-20-2009, 07:14 PM
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the voltage does drop when i turn up the music, i will check with the volt meter tommarow, to see how much it drops for sure.
 
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Old 09-21-2009, 02:56 PM
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Do you have a cap... You might Want to look into getting a hightower output alternator or a yellowtop battery a red top is for starting only pretty much...
 
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Old 09-21-2009, 03:20 PM
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No i do not have a cap, Im going to try to avoid getting a cap. I am going to upgrade my battery cables along with the chassis to engine block ground cable. I called my local auto parts and they said that the postotive is 40 inches and the negative is 45 inches. Would anyone happen to know what the length is for thw cable that runs through the engine lock to chassis??
 

Last edited by ExplicitYourSelf; 09-21-2009 at 04:55 PM.
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Old 09-22-2009, 07:45 PM
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Here is a vid of how my sub cuts out because it lacks power... You can notice where it drops voltage since the subwoofer cuts out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFsBPlxvBz0
 
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Old 09-23-2009, 10:35 AM
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My jimmy at idle is about 13.85V. Just put a new battery in it. I tested the alternator with my stores hand held tester, and according to it's only putting out 45A at idle. I know it's a 100A alt. Should I be worried?
 


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