Not Making Enough Voltage..
05-13-2004, 09:10 AM
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Frederick MD
Posts: 6,331
Well.. Now that I FINALLY got the car to stop smoking and smoothed out the idle, here's the NEW problem.
With the Greddy Pulley kit and the Unorthodox racing main pulley, idling at 800 only generates like 11V. That sucks. At 11V, the car dowsn't make enough juice to power the wideband and laptop via the cig lighter.. I can wire the convertor to the battery and be free of problems, but I'd rather find a fix.
Can I get a bigger alternator? I guess I could just crank the idle to 1K and be done with it, just curious if there's another way.. cause I don't like the battery, oil and water lights flickering at idle LOL
Justin
With the Greddy Pulley kit and the Unorthodox racing main pulley, idling at 800 only generates like 11V. That sucks. At 11V, the car dowsn't make enough juice to power the wideband and laptop via the cig lighter.. I can wire the convertor to the battery and be free of problems, but I'd rather find a fix.
Can I get a bigger alternator? I guess I could just crank the idle to 1K and be done with it, just curious if there's another way.. cause I don't like the battery, oil and water lights flickering at idle LOL
Justin
05-13-2004, 09:40 AM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 480
Bigger alternator may help marginally - remember they need to turn at some minimum speed to attain full rating. Crank the idle up a little - if that doesn't
do it, put the stock alternator pulley back on (or alternatively use the stock
main pulley - but that's harder to change).
If you are seeing only 11V, it is likely that the alternator is producing nothing
whatsoever, and you are just draining the battery.
I suspect you will see no drop in performance by operating the alternator at a
decent functional drive ratio (actually some things may improve by having a full
14V or so available at all times).
do it, put the stock alternator pulley back on (or alternatively use the stock
main pulley - but that's harder to change).
If you are seeing only 11V, it is likely that the alternator is producing nothing
whatsoever, and you are just draining the battery.
I suspect you will see no drop in performance by operating the alternator at a
decent functional drive ratio (actually some things may improve by having a full
14V or so available at all times).
05-13-2004, 10:57 AM
#6
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Frederick MD
Posts: 6,331
Originally Posted by TYSON' date='May 13 2004, 08:42 AM
Did you replace / rebuild your alternator?
05-13-2004, 05:21 PM
#10
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Okinawa, Japan
Posts: 4,928
Originally Posted by 9BASE3' date='May 14 2004, 05:01 AM
I think I'll just bump the idle a hundred RPM or so.. Thanks for all the help fellas. 