Hi,
The alternator light's lighting occasionally on my Cavalier (a '95 2.5 GLS).
There's no sound of a slipping belt, and the light goes out if you rev the engine up a few thousand rpm. It then stays out.
Anyone know what's the most likely cause? Brushes? Dirty connections?
Is the alternator specific to that engine, or could one from any cavalier be substituted if necessary?
Thanks,
Iain
More than likely an internal fault in the alternator itself, possibly the regulator. The alternator is solidly bolted to the engine itself, so doesn't have a seperate earth lead which caused trouble on other Vx models.
The alternator is common to all V6 models, but is different from all other alternators used on other Vx engine types AFAIR. Changing it over is a pain on all transverse V6 models as the drivers side driveshaft has to be removed for easier access.
A common cause of alternator failure was due to failure of the auxilary cooling fan. When the engine coolant reaches a certain temperature this fan cuts in to provide additional cooling air for the alternator. This fan is mounted under the bonnet just to the right of the engine block, behind the radiator. Quite often the motor seizes-up and blows its fuse - these are located in the black relay box at the back of the engine compartment, near the anti-theft system horn.
HTH
Anthony Remove eight from email to reply.
OK, thanks for that. Nothing on the V6 seems to be an easy job :-(
Check out the brushes before all else!
sounds like the alternator maybe telling you its in need of repair. Remember you are probably now using heaters, heated screen etc! putting extra pressure on the alternator.
Bill
Brushes. They're quite cheap at most autoelectricians
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