84 parisienne wagon

just bought a 1984 pontiac wagon in excellent condition. the only problem i can find with the car is that sometimes it idles pretty low and when i press the gas, the headlights/parking/dash lights get brighter and then they get dimmer when i let off the gas. I've been told it could be too small of a battery, and also possibly i could need a new alternator. The alternator on the car looks fairly new, maybe a year or two old. Any suggestions as to what my problem could be?? thanks in advance

Reply to
Daniel Vorell
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No, it's not the battery. Whoever is telling you that is pretty clueless. Your problem is the ability of the alternator to carry everything at idle. There are two possibilities.

It's possible that the alternator isn't producing as much amperage as it's supposed to. You can get that tested for free, but if you buy a rebuild, it may not be any better than the one you have. They just kind of wash 'em off sometimes.

On the other hand, the alternator may be working correctly, but just not capable of generating a decent voltage at that speed. You're kind of on your own there.

Reply to
Joe

take it off and have it tested for the amperage output....

If another alt. is needed,check to see what amperages are available. ( note: the cheaper the price...the lower the amperage output)

Other things to consider: Is the idle too slow.....just guessing here,should be around 700 in gear. Did the prior owner replace the headlight with a higher wattage one? ( Brighter than the original style would have been?)

Hope this helps.......Stan

Reply to
BAD 4 GOOD

Alternator is too small, or bad ground between body and chassis/engine/alternator could be the problem. Most likely the replacement alternator was a cheap underspec unit.

Reply to
clare at snyder.on.ca

Reply to
Les Benn

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