Initial FC

I drive an '88 TII that has been giving me some electrical issues. These are the symptoms - the car will be running as usual, and after a while the car seems to lose its charge and run off the alternator(?), the rpms rise and drop and the radio turns on and off until I come to a stop. Then it idles like normal. The car will continue to run until I either turn it off or turn on the headlights.

I took the car to an auto electrician and he told me he back probbed the alt and it was only putting out about 27 amps instead of the 70 he said the alt was spec'd to run. So I took the alternator to get it replaced and auto zone tested the alt and said it was fine. I took the car back to the electricians shop and they told me to replace the alt, charge the battery, and replace the negative battery terminal. They also told me there was only a 10 mA drain so a short wasn't the problem. I replaced the alt and terminal but when I tried to charge the battery it wouldn't hold a charge.

I'm gonna replace the battery, but I've already replaced the battery in this car twice. I'm runnin out of ideas so I figured I'd post my problem on here and see what the gurus think is goin on..

mashing rx7

Get a new battery. I blew an optima a couple days ago cuz my alt broke and Over charged instead of undercharged. And they measure Volts in the alt and anything above 13 and under 14 is good. i was at 16.7 volts frying everything and also check ur grounds. As i did a search, bad wiring to the alternator will drain ur battery and cuase it to blow a regulator. And it would be good to get a nice battery. And i agree with arron with YOU testing your own alt (w/ a voltmeter) cuz i did the auto zone and they said it was fine and a week later im smelling rotten eggs!

kungfuroy

iTrader: (6)

Before spending any money, you can get your items tested at many local parts stores.
I would invest in new battery cables first, they are a good investment in your 18+ year old car. Once you replaced those, then check out your battery and alt and see if they are still giving you problems.