i think my alternator went

[RmvBfrFlght]

I'm fairly sure that you need to plug the connector into the alternator and ground the case for this to be checked. Note that the large red wire that goes to the alternator will be hot once the battery is reconnected.

RemoveBeforeFlight

 

[john keskes]

Well , the news is that the Alt. checked out ok at 2 auto parts stores.. I saw the PC screen after the test. it's fine and puts out 14.2 Volts.
Just got home, connected the battery and turned the ignition key. The seatbelt , check engine, & oil light went on. no volt light. I locked the car up and will tackle it either tomorrow on Sunday. thanks RBF, i'll try that too before i actually bolt the alt in.

 

[lolo86GN]

Well , the news is that the Alt. checked out ok at 2 auto parts stores.. I saw the PC screen after the test. it's fine and puts out 14.2 Volts.
Just got home, connected the battery and turned the ignition key. The seatbelt , check engine, & oil light went on. no volt light. I locked the car up and will tackle it either tomorrow on Sunday. thanks RBF, i'll try that too before i actually bolt the alt in.

Hopefully the volt light will be all thats wrong. Now removing the cluster should be a FUN job if you've never done it...

 

[GNVenom]

http://www.installationinstructions.com/FYI/alternator_charging_tech.pdf

This explains it all.

 

[john keskes]

awesome write up. Thank you!

 

[john keskes]

Update. before i connected the brown & red wire to the alt to do a quick volt light check, i sanded off the little tarnish on the red connector, wiped the brown lead connector , then added a little dab of tune up dielect grease on each. I cleaned off the + battery term also.. it looked ok to begin with. got in the car and turned the key. The Volt light came on! It was a lot dimmer than the brake, check engine & seatbelt light but it worked! then i proceeded to install the alt. got back in the car & she started right up! scanmast. says 13.7, volt meter at battery shows 13.7. Took car out for a quick ride and all ok. Damn gremlin! Hope it doesn't come back!

 

[L8TRH8R]

Great news! You should still do the big three upgrade, great 20-35 dollar upgrade.

 

[JimP]

You mean to tell me that a fifty cent light bulb can leave you stranded on the side of the road if it burns out because the alternator won't charge your battery if it does??? WTF was GM thinking?? There has to be a recommended fix or upgrade for this, if someone knows please advise, one less thing to worry about in the future.

 

[john keskes]

I initially thought the same thing But it is what it is. Look at some of the previous posts here. Casper's has an awesome write up and Illustration of this subject. They also have a solution for pocket change.

 

[JimP]

I initially thought the same thing But it is what it is. Look at some of the previous posts here. Casper's has an awesome write up and Illustration of this subject. They also have a solution for pocket change.

Thanks John, this is good to know. I will be checking Casper's site. This should almost be a Sticky!!! Little things that can leave you stranded!