Car is Completely Screwed....Need Help

[Danman765432]

Ok well I got a chip from Paul or Gcomfx and I installed it. Everything was working perfectly and the car was running better. Well then I went on a the highway and I hit it from around 55mph the rpms went up really fast and high and then i stopped hitting the gas. Well right after that my antilock brake light came on and my batter light. At this time the voltmeter was going crazy. It started off as dipping down and being low in the normal range. Now the volt meter wont stop from being pinned by the 18 volts mark. I got the car home by constantly shutting the car off and coasting but my batter did leak over a little bit. I should also say for the ride home I took out the chip and it did the same thing.

My question is what would cause this and how completely screwed am I?

I really need help if anyone knows, this is my daily driver and yeah well it seems im screwed.

 

[Badazgt.]

its prolly ur alternator... take her off and have it checked prolly has nothing to do with ur new chip

 

[cbarr300]

did your lights brighten up?

I'd be looking towards a voltage regulator on the back of the alternator. Battery leaking over could be the overcharging from a bad regulator.

basically the regulator does just that. It monitors inputs and outputs and keeps the alt. from overcharging. A simple test with a DMM will tell a lot.

Crank it up and see what it's charging at...then rev it up and see if the charge keeps going up...it shouldn't go much past 14.6......if so your regulator is screwed. I have a new one with brushes on it if that turns out to be the problem...just shoot me a pm.



also, if that's your problem...you're not screwed at all. It's like 4 bolts to take the old regulator off. Then you put the new one on, tighten it back down, and pull the metal pin out. Then...you're done.

 

[Danman765432]

Its a 200 amp alternator that I just bought and put in last month...I really hope it is just the voltage regulator but I think I might just play it safe and keep the chip out anyway.

 

[Badazgt.]

it is the alt. turn ur lights on and see if they are really dim...

chip has nothing to do w ur problem

 

[Danman765432]

I already have the whole alternator out of the car... I am just waiting for my brother to get home to bring me to autozone

 

[cbarr300]

hopefully they'll be able to hook it up right on their machine....I've had issues with the people working there before.

 

[Danman765432]

It my alternator...there are pieces of something inside it

 

[Danman765432]

This is going to be my 5th alternator in 3 years...Now my car might be down for a week since I have to send this one out for the warranty....Think i should just get an autozone one just so I can drive my car?

 

[cbarr300]

I would if you had the money...that way if it happens again all you have to do is swap them out until the good one is fixed again

 

[Danman765432]

Update: The alternator would not even test on the machine...When they hooked up a stock one it would work perfectly...So yeah i have no idea what broke inside of it

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ftPa4ruCX7w

 

[cbarr300]

well....at least it's nothing major

 

[Badazgt.]

easy fix

 

[GTA_V6_Mustang]

Before it crapped itself on you, How did you like that 200 amp alternator? Dont you think its a bit of an overkill? I still have the 110amp alt, but Am thinking of upgrading to a 130.

 

[smitty_64]

Well, Dan, I'm not an electronics technician, well, okay I actually am, but I would say that that would definitely make your voltmeter go a little crazy.

 

[badstang123]

I've had a couple 200 amp alternators and they have caused me nothing but problems time after time. So believe me, I feel your pain. I finally went back to a 130 amp alternator and things have been good since.
- Justin

 

[Danman765432]

See it worked perfectly fine all the time up until today...It was today that is wound up being pinned at 18volts...normally it just sat around 12volts. I got this one because I had charging issues with the underdrive pulleys. Even though i now took those off. See i first started out with the stock one and that went out on me...I then got a stock replacement and a month later that one took a dump on me, Then i got a 175 amp one and then a year later that took a dump on me and now this one I got in May and it really didnt take a dump on me something inside of it broke...There are pieces that rattle on the inside and I had wires that were coming out of the alternator. So i guess you can say it did take a dump on me but this one actually broke where the other ones just stopped working.

 

[SeventyMach1]

Sounds like a tool (maybe a brush retainer?) was left in there.



Anyway, I do feel for ya. As far as I can tell, my car still has a 14 year old alternator. Remind me to never attempt an upgrade. And (although controversial), I don't think I will ever install UD pulleys.



Hope you get it fixed up soon Dan.


EDIT: BTW, did you notice anything with Paul's mystery chip? Or did you have time?

 

[Danman765432]

The only thing i noticed about the chip is that it did make the car run better...I was driving the car for like 30 mins before this happened on the highway...I really liked the chip, the car was shifting at 5600rpms instead of 5200-5300rpms, the car also felt like it was pulling you through the shifts rather than lagging. The thing that did the alternator in had to be the O/D to 2nd gear shift without a rev limiter. I totally forgot that I did not have the O/D off (since i normally drive with it off) and i floored it from 55mph and the rpms shot up really fast to 5600rpms and I then stepped off the gas and then the car started doing the things as stated above. Oops I guess that is why they have warranties...I was afraid at first that i fried the computer or something.

I was looking at one of my alternators that i blew in the past since I ripped it apart...and the plastic pieces that seem to be on the inside of the alternator look like they could be part of the voltage regulator or part the stator. Those are the 2 things inside the alternator that were a white plastic.

At one point when I first took the alternator out, one of the stator wires was hanging out of the casing with a bare end...so maybe that broke. I showed my dad it and then the wire disappeared so im guessing you shoved it back in the alternator casing.

 

[HISSIN50]

Sorry to hear about this Dan.

FWIW, a 3G's critical speed is about 15K RPM (alternator RPM). Take the ratio of the Crank-to-alt-pulley diameters, and multiple it times engine RPM. This should give you an idea of how hard you were spinning it.

Good luck Alternator Dan.