Was driving normal about 1/2 an hour .Pulled over and put the car on park.Saw idle jumping for about 40 seconds. Went back to normal. Shift the car to D and radio cuts off for a split second.Do it about 3 more times park to drive radio shuts off.Now I drive home another 20 miles no problem.Go to gas station put on high beams disconnect neg cable. Radio cuts off for a split second.Now I leave high beam a/c and take neg cable off car still runs. Put it to drive car shuts off. Headlights or dash dont dim. But I been having this problem lately in the mornings.2 to 3 cranks before car starts.Ive driven a car with no battery before. Im thinking ALTERNATOR.

Changed lately.
plugs, wires. fuel filter, fuel pump,distributor, rotor.battery

 

It does sound like a slowly dying alty,my wifes vg done about the same thing except more dramatic,the air conditioner/blower motor/radio would intermitently turn off,but never lit up the brake/battery lights like most 3rd gens do when the alty dies until days later,even then they were very dimly lit..

 

Yeah no brake lights here.My alt could be the cause of all them cranks in the mornings also.

 

thats somewhat what mine did when it was dying. get another.

 

This is why I'm adamant that every car should have a voltmeter in it. They say a hell of a lot and it was how I've always known well in advance of an issue with my alternator (not to mention keeping an eye on things when they really go bad so that you know what to do whilst still on the road when it happens).

It's definitely looking like your alternator dude. If your set up is pretty much stock, then stick to a stock alternator. Otherwise if you have big stereos, etc, I'd consider a beefier alternator but I can't recommend a decent source since the one I got mine from ended up being a **** wanting more money after throwing in a crummy regulator to begin with. Anyway...

Good luck.

 

If you haven't done so already, do the easy things 1st. Check alternator belt tension and condition. If it is slipping due to wear, looseness or having oil on it, you may see the same symptoms. A new belt is always a cheap, easy proactive maintenance item. If you have already checked these, then I would agree that your alternator is a prime suspect for the problems you are experiencing. They aren't hard to remove, and I believe you can take them to places like an Advance Auto Store and they can check the output. They can tell you whether you need to replace it. I bought one from Advance Auto and it came with a lifetime warranty.

 

Changed the alt today been driving around a bit. No radio cutting off no more . Still get that 3 cranks in cold start. I have another post (possible fuel filter)with fuel pressure results maybe someone could help me out.

 

You need a Voltmeter on the battery (ideally actually somewhere on the main feed to the fusebox - that way you are able to monitor battery/alt/state of wiring - at a single glance) - you need it in the cab - you need to monitor it while driving - you need to see more than 13.4V once the car is started and the alt light has gone out ...................... anything else is a problem with the alt or the state of the wiring (alt to batt/earth points/batt posts etc)

 

Of course, that 13.4V being at idle with full speed reaching about 14.6V. If a voltmeter is connected inside the cabin for permanent monitoring, as I have, then either connect the voltmeter to the ignition/ON power circuit in which you might see a voltage drop of no more than 0.3V (of course, you could calibrate the voltmeter if it allows for it to compensate for voltage drops) or otherwise have it so that the ignition/ON power circuit switches the voltmeter on only when the car is operating as it takes its actual measurement from the battery feed.

Either way, it should be switched to avoid draining power unnecessarily.

 

Welllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ........................ that 14.6V is going to be dependent on the actual voltage regulator design.

Our Bosch regulators fitted here in South Africa seems to be hell bent on 13.9V max output - irrespective of load (within alt capacity) and "full speed" revs.

The 13.4V I quoted is based on battery manufacturers often stating/recommending that the lead-acid jobs should be kept "trickled" at around that value ................... and if all is electrically well on your vehicle, that should/will be the minimum normal state of operation of your alt/batt combination

 

13.8 is the typical spec for automotive electronics here.

 

As of a few days ago I just started getting the battery/brake light only at start-up though. As soon as I rev it past 3k they go away. My stereo was also cutting out here and there. What's weird though is once you give it the initial rev it doesn't seem to have a problem charging. I also noticed that it at high rpm the voltage gets up to 16! Sounds like it's time for a new alty I suppose. I was kind of shocked to see that a re-manufactered alternator for the car was around $220 with a core...

 

Everybodies car has a mind of its own. Some get the dimming lights.Radio cutting off.Battery/brakelight.Best is detecting it before you get stuck somewhere.