[eddietheperson]

hey, over the last three months i have had alot of alternator problems. i believe something in my car is killing them. i have checked the fuses and they are all good. i also just changed the battery to rule it out. also, it started overheating the other day so i checked the fans and they are coming on and running, and i replaced the thermostat and completely drained and refilled the coolant.

if anyone has any ideas what could be killing my alternator, please let me know

(86 4age)

 

[Spots]

I remember hearing that alternators in the AW11 tend to be susceptible to water damage because they're directly beneath an engine lid vent.

Being 20 years old might also be an issue.

My alternator's on its very last legs, for example.. about to be pulled out and replaced.

 

[Papo J]

Check your ground cables, those are old and normally corrode internally.

 

[wave]

Cool! A MKI in the area. I live in the Northeast.

Do your lights dim when you use the blinkers or stop? Are you seeing any change in your voltmeter during driving or at low RPM's?

Mine does these things and I beleive it to be a combination of bad grounds and a 20 year old positive cable. I have read where some one replaced the positive to the fuse box and it solved a lot of weird gremlins. I have also replaced my engine to chassis ground a few times. Each time things get better for a few months.

One other thing to look at is the cap on you radiator overflow bottle. I had a crack in mine and it overflowed shorting the alternator.

Good luck w/ it! Keep an eye out for a black 86 in varius stages of dis-repair w/ mesh rims. We need to get the Columbia crew together one of these days.

Anthony

 

[eddietheperson]

worked on the car for a while.. then decided to test the alternator out at autozone. the tests said it was ok. so i went back and tried to find something new. still nothing, so i decided that i was going to buy a new alternator tommarow and test it out in my car.

as im laying under the car i decide to check out a noise i believe was coming from a pulley. i gave a few of them a wiggle, and turns out, the harmonic balancer was complete seperated from the crank pully (thus neither turning the alternator, nor the water pump)

that explains the overheating problem as well.

thanks for the suggestions though

 

[eddietheperson]

bye the way, does anyone know where i can get a hold of a new harmonic balancer? i can't seem to find somone who sells them

 

[wave]

Try the pick n pull on Hyw. 321 in Gaston. They have a. 86 in the yard. Should be cheap.

Anthony

 

[eddietheperson]

awesome, i will give them a call