hi all.I recently had a post on here about my alternator which is driving me mad.I done what was said (replace brushes & bearings but this didnt help.I have since had 2 reconditioned alternators put in but no help.the problem is that the battery reader is telling us that the volts are not charging any higher than 11 & when the car is reved the volts get lower & the battery is only 6 months old.Is there something we have missed completely because if I take it to an Auto Electrician they will see a female coming & rip me off.Please help if you can I cant live without my car any longer.Thanks
There may be a bad connection in your charging system
There may be a wiring problem
The cheapest to deal with is a bad connection. Trace all the wires connected to the back of the alternator (helps if you have a service book that includes a wiring diagram) through the engine compartment and make certain none of them are loose. After several years, the connectors used can lose tension or oxidize; lots of problems can be fixed just by wiggling the connectors or unplugging and replugging them. Also, if you have a wiring diagram, verify that the alternator is connected correctly.
While you're doing this, look at the wiring; the insulation may have cracked, worn away, or broken at some point.
I think your car may be old enough to have an external regulator; if so, try replacing it. It'll be a small box, probably about 4cm x 5cm x 10cm, and some of the wires from the alternator will run to it.
It wouldn't hurt to borrow a battery charger and charge the battery overnight; it may be so low it's loading the charging sytem down a great deal and causing the low voltage reading.
As far as the Auto Electrician is concerned, do you happen to have a male friend about 2m tall and at least 100kg? Have him drive you to the shop... (That shouldn't be necessary, but it can be can be an effective way of dealing with shops which regard women as ripoff targets.)
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