alternator or voltage regulator?

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elitesrock2
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alternator or voltage regulator?

Post by elitesrock2 »

so my tercel is on its 3rd alternator this week and when i test it in car it says 10.5 volts being pushed out. last time the alternator was actually bad but I'm wondering what is causing this? Would my voltage regulator kill them? I have a very minor sound system in my car and my first alternator never showed a hint of any kind of issue. pretty much consists of driving to work for a few days and then the battery being completely dead by the time i get home
Ridlbox
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Re: alternator or voltage regulator?

Post by Ridlbox »

I myself am running just over 2500 W of power for my sound system alone I have the external voltage regulator on my vehicle if yours has the external voltage regulator you may want to get that checked
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Ridlbox
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Re: alternator or voltage regulator?

Post by Ridlbox »

You also may have a short somewhere causing the system to burn up your alternator really fast
i will find a tercel in a music video
That's my new goal 8)
elitesrock2
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Re: alternator or voltage regulator?

Post by elitesrock2 »

is it a bad sign when you're voltage regulator is missing half its cap due to rust? hahaha that's what i just discovered
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irowiki
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Re: alternator or voltage regulator?

Post by irowiki »

Autozone etc would be able to instantly tell you what is wrong with one of their testers, but yes, I would replace the voltage regulator.
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elitesrock2
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Alternator not charging after 3 replacements

Post by elitesrock2 »

so i've gone through 3 alternators in a week now. every one has tested bad and are only giving me 12.5v at the alt. car won't idle about to do a weber conversion. but anyways i bought a brand new voltage regulator and replaced it and have gone through multiple alternators and still nothing. any ideas?
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Re: Alternator not charging after 3 replacements

Post by larry mcgrath »

Your battery is junk ---- replace it Larry
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irowiki
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Re: Alternator not charging after 3 replacements

Post by irowiki »

As soon as you have any problems with your charging system, save yourself the trouble and let autozone (et all) tell you what the problem is with the fancy tester they have.
Former Tercel Enthusiast (not a practical family car anymore but they still have a place in my heart)

Site administrator, if something is broken, PM me!

87 Corolla FX16, 105k
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95 Camry Wagon, 170k
97 4runner, 275k
elitesrock2
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Re: Alternator not charging after 3 replacements

Post by elitesrock2 »

I work at oreillys and have scanned it its saying mmy new regulator is bad so i have another im going to replace it with and see how it goes. battery is brand new as weell
elitesrock2
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Alternator not charging

Post by elitesrock2 »

So i've been having a charging issue for about 2 weeks now. Changed my voltage regulator 2 times and have changed alternators 4 times everything new test is telling me the voltage regulator is still bad and i have 12.5v to the battery when running. any ideas?
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dlb
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Re: Alternator not charging

Post by dlb »

bad connection somewhere. disconnect and clean all major connections with coarse sandpaper or emery cloth. like the battery ground cable to chassis, and positive cable to starter, those sorts of connections.

i know you said your battery was new but i have heard of bad alternators killing new batteries in short order. i would also load test it just to be sure it's still good.
elitesrock2
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Re: Alternator not charging

Post by elitesrock2 »

I've tested the battery a bunch of times and also swapped batteries as well so i shall check all connections and then redo all the grounds and go from there. The test is my typical load test and also i do this when i charge it at my work before and after as i just charge it everyday at work till its full
elitesrock2
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charging issues

Post by elitesrock2 »

so i checked all my connections, cleaned up and put dielectric on all connectors and grounds. still no charging. i've gone throiugh 4 alternators all have tested bad. but right off the bat installed they only put out 12.5v. replaced voltage regulator 2 times still my tester is saying the diodes are good regulator bad. no idea what else to do. any other ideas? theres gotta be something else going on. and also my Brake light has been stuck on since this whole ordeal started 2 weeks ago.
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Petros
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Re: charging issues

Post by Petros »

I do not recall exactly but I seem to remember sometimes when the alternator light is on it lights up the warning lights next it it as well. is the brake light next to the alternator light?

it is not unusual to get bad remanufactured parts right out of the box, that is why I buy new, not rebuilt, when I can. you need to "bench text" each of the components separately away from the car to determine what parts need to get replaced. Or if you have good parts from another working Tercel you can swap them out one by one until the problem is fixed. sometimes there are good reasons to own more than one tercel.
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irowiki
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Re: alternator or voltage regulator?

Post by irowiki »

Elite: I merged your four topic on the alternator/charging system. Try to keep to a single thread with a specific problem.

You may have gotten two bad voltage regulators out of the box, happened to me before.
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Site administrator, if something is broken, PM me!

87 Corolla FX16, 105k
94 Jamboree RV (Ford E-350), 90k
95 Camry Wagon, 170k
97 4runner, 275k
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