My alternator problems are driving me crazy! Please some help here.

Last January I had the alternator in my 97 SC-2 changed. The reason for the change was that the ABS light kept coming on. I was advised from this group that the reason for this light coming on was that the alternator was going bad and not putting out enough power for the ABS system. So even though the alternator tested ok, I had the alternator changed. Things have been going ok for a few months but then, about a month ago, the ABS light started coming on, usually but not always when the a/c was engaged. Also I noticed that the Dash lights were flickering slightly.

So back to machanic I went. Of course the alternator tested ok, but since the alternator was still under warrenty(one year for a factory rebuilt) my guy put a new alternator in yesterday.

Driving on the highway last night with headlights and a/c going the alt light flickered momentarily and then the ABS light came on. This was unusual because the ABS light almost always came on right after the ABS system tested itself at 8mph, usually with the a/c running.

In anycase, I've got this new alternator in. It couldn't have gone bad so fast, could it? Is there anything that we are overlooking that could cause the alternator to under power the car. Should my guy be checking for bad wiring or something like that?

This makes it the car's forth alternator. The original one was changed in Oct. 03. Then in Jan 04 after the ABS light started coming on. And now yesterday. This is not normal. The Battery is about 3 months old. What gives?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Reply to
Raven
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Reply to
jdoe

I went through three alternators (over several years, though) and eventually found that the power steering pump was leaking fluid onto the alternator.

PC

Reply to
Patrick Usenet Cannon

Reply to
Blah Blah

Make sure you have GOOD ground wire to the car frame. If the battery is showing 13.5V when the engine is running. Everything with the alt is fine.

Reply to
M. Butkus

I just want to take the time to thank everyone who replied to my post. At your suggestions my mechanic checked every electrical connection and although he couldn't visibly spot a loose ground wire, the action of removing each connection and putting it back has solved this problem. The lights no longer flicker and I can run all the accesories (a/c, defroster, wipers, headlights, etc) without the ABS system shutting down. My guy spoke to mechanics who do a lot of work on Saturns, and this loose ground is a common problem on Saturns. In any case, my car is running better than it has in over a year.

Thanks

Reply to
Raven

Reply to
Blah Blah

Loose ground, or corroded terminals, etc etc etc.

My Harley, with it's motor (bumped to 95 inches + 11.5:1 CR, etc. Yes, it's a lot of fun >:) is really sensitive to loose ANYTHING in the starting system. I had to really crank down on the ground connections once, because the thing acted like a dead battery when you'd start it.

I'm guessing the ground stud, alternator, starter, and other high current lines on my Saturn could use a clean up too.

It really doesn't take much on a car's starting system - only a fraction of an ohm in the circuit, and things get sluggish.

BTW, you can in fact get replacements for those bolts that hold the battery cables on, and they're fairly easy to find and cheap. If yours are chewed up, it's not a bad idea to replace them, and also clean corrosion off of the battery and the cables.

Ground noise can also give the computer a headache, and is probbably bad for the charging system, too.

Reply to
Philip Nasadowski

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