'91 Corsica Charging System Problem

1991 Chevy Corsica, 3.1L V6 engine, approx. 145000 miles.

Ok so I was having a problem with my battery going dead so I had both the alternator and battery checked, as I know that having one which is bad can cause the other to go bad as well.

It turned out that indeed both the alternator and the battery were bad. I replaced both ensuring that all batter and alternator connection were clean and free of corosion. I also check all ground connections to make sure they were good as well. The serpentine belt is nice and snug and appears to still be free of cracks and over wear.

My problem is that I am still having a problem with the alternator not properly charging the battery. With the engine running, I unhooked the negetive battery cable (yes I know its not necessarily a good idea, now, but at the time I didn't.) The engine died right away which suggested to me the alternator wasnt working, which I know couldnt possibly be true because I had just purchased it brand new as previously stated.

What else is there that I should check that could be causing this problem? I know the voltage regulator is built into the alternator so that isnt a problem but after that, I really have no clue where to check?

thanks for any advice and help Jeremy

Reply to
Jeremy
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Check your voltage available at the battery with a digital voltmeter. If it's 13.5 to 15.5, your alternator is probably okay. You won't have the tools to do a proper load test unless you happen to have a VAT-40 hanging around your garage.

What made you so sure your alternator is still not working properly? Did you touch the main alternator wire to ground with the battery connected? If so, you probably burned the fusible link, usually attached at the starter, but I'm not specifically familiar with the Lumina.

Reply to
hyundaitech

check connectivity between alternator and battery.

Reply to
ulas cosar coskun

hmm I wasn't aware of a fusable link, I will check that.

I didn't ground the alternator out, I'm sure of that. I didn't even install the new battery until I was completely finished with the new alternator installation, so no worries there.

What lead up to me having this problem is, I had a blown water bypass gasket at the water pump. After replacing that, the first time I started up the car I noticed a little plume of smoke coming from the starter area, so it's highly possible that I blew a fuse or something to that matter. I will check it.

thanks for the advice, Jeremy

Reply to
Jeremy

The starter area is where the alternator fusible link is on most GM vehicles I've seen..

Reply to
Robert Hancock

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