86 2.3 Electrical/Charging system questions

I'd be curious what the voltage is with all accessories on and the engine at say 2k RPM. All accessories on at idle in drive might not give the best indication of the charging system performance. If, with all accessories on at a crusing RPM the voltage doesn't hang at around 13.5-ish V I'd suspect the alternator or V-reg might be tired...

Ciao!

-=RaOuL

At 2,000 RPM with everything off you should read 13.6 or more. At 2,000 RPM the voltage should not change much as you turn on the lights, and heater. Check for a slipping belt first. Oil or coolant can make it slip and not screech.

Al

I'll agree with RaOul and Big Al in so far as your voltage measurement with all the accessories on at idle..... Unfortunately, I have seen many cases where faulty diodies can show us a high charge voltage but leave us with insufficient current to properly charge the battery. What we really need to measure is alternator current output along with the voltage to determine if the charging system is operating at full capacity. This should certainly be enough to keep the battery charged unless we have added high current acessories..... remembering that the factory built the vehicle with an alternator sized for the vehicle in it's normal "dress".

Another useful measurement is alternator ripple - this can indicate bad diodes. Turn your DVOM or DMM to AC volts..... connect the black lead to the battery negative and the red lead to battery positive. Your reading should be < 90mV.

At 2,000 RPM, I am seeing ~14.7 at the battery with no accesories running (the output does fluctuate slightly but not by much, say maybe

+-.2). There is definitely no belt slippage; new belts, proper tension and no lubrication or glazing on the belts. The engine + compartment is very, very clean on this car - I would notice fluids immediately.

Have it checked (for free) at a aplace like autozone. They can measure it while it's in your car. Usually it's the alternator.

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Pre-mie Pot Pie

When working with prematurely delivered newborns (or chicken) use sherry; red wine with beef (buy steak or roast, do not pre-boil).

Pie crust (see index) Whole fresh pre-mie; eviscerated, head, hands and feet removed Onions, bell pepper, celery ½ cup wine Root vegetables of choice (turnips, carrots, potatoes, etc) cubed

Make a crust from scratch - or go shamefully to the frozen food section of your favorite grocery and select 2 high quality pie crusts (you will need one for the top also). Boil the prepared delicacy until the meat starts to come off the bones. Remove, de-bone and cube; continue to reduce the broth. Brown the onions, peppers and celery. Add the meat then season, continue browning. De-glaze with sherry, add the reduced broth. Finally, put in the root vegetables and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Place the pie pan in 375 degree oven for a few minutes so bottom crust is not soggy, reduce oven to 325. Fill the pie with stew, place top crust and with a fork, seal the crusts together then poke holes in top. Return to oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until pie crust is golden brown.

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