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Need help with electrical system on my car

J

jlee75

Golden Member
I have an oldsmobile alero 1999 v6. My electrical system in all whacked out. I'm trying to figure out if it's an alternator or battery problem. Here are the symptoms:

At night when i brake, the moment i hit the brakes the headlights drop out for a split second.
During idle, the dash lights flicker.

We're thinking its the cells of the battery going bad. I do have a new alternator pulley on it that is larger than the stock one which hasn't had the same problem before. Ever since we installed the sound system in it, 2 amps and a sub, it was working fine, until just about 3 weeks ago.

If you guys have any ideas of which it may be, it'd be greatly appreciated. Also if you need more info, let me know.
 
Your alternator is on the way out. You really shouldn't be underdriving the alternator while you're trying to run a powerful stereo. Think about it.
 
well i have a new alernator, just got it like a year and a half ago. my other one had gone out, but that was from bad bearings. so definitely the alternator eh? oh well... time for a free replacement i guess. hehehe

[edit]
yeah i know i should've be under driving it, but it's such a PITA to change up my pulley on this car. 😛
 
Considering you really bumped up how much power is required by the alternator, you're probably overstressing the alternator itself and/or the voltage regulator. Look into a higher amperage alternator.
 
either invest in a new alternator, or run some caps to your stereo. 1/2 or a full 1 farad for each amp is sufficient.

-=bmacd=-
 
ok, i've decided to replace my alternator, as that seems the be the general conception between you guys and places i've been calling. My stock alternator is rated at 105A. I am planning on going 140+. Now if you guys could tell me where to buy it for relatively cheap..... 🙂
 
replacing the pully with one the correct size will probably help. Why did you change it in the first place?
 
Originally posted by: jlee75
ok, i've decided to replace my alternator, as that seems the be the general conception between you guys and places i've been calling. My stock alternator is rated at 105A. I am planning on going 140+. Now if you guys could tell me where to buy it for relatively cheap..... 🙂
Click to expand...

Go to a junk yard and pick up one from a northstar engine. 150 amp alternators were common. I got one for $40 and put it on my gmc jimmy. The harness was not the same, and as such, my charging light would come on even though it was putting out 14.1v.

 
Originally posted by: Evadman
replacing the pully with one the correct size will probably help. Why did you change it in the first place?
Click to expand...

Well some performance gain. Lighter weight. Less resistance. Water pump pulley was also changed.

I prefer to have a decent warranty on the alternator. 3 yr minimum but lifetime would be preferred.
 
If you want any kind of warranty you're going to have to buy a new or at least rebuilt alternator. Anything from a junkyard is going to have a 30 day warranty at most. It might not be worth it to go through all that trouble for a few horsepower on a V6.
 
Yeah, I think I was pretty obvious about not going to a junk yard... if not... yeah no junk yard. 😛

Well I decided to just first get my battery and alternator checked. Bad battery. Replaced it. They checked my alternator and said the charging system was fine. Looks like I saved myself quite a bit of money 🙂

Thanks tho.
 
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