NOHC-ROTARY

i have a question about my sisters 86 gxl, i was driving it to bradenton and got a warning for the battery or voltage, it died on me so i bought another battery a couple blocks down, heres the problem, that night, i got the same buzzer about the battery being low and it shut off when i pulled up to the driveway. Im wondering if its a short or if it may be the alternator. any help is appreciated. thanks.

NOHC-ROTARY

also, her power steering is leaking from a hose and looked like it was spraying on the trailing coil, could that cause a short or be the problem also?

Icemark

The warning for battery voltage???

You mean all the idiot lights on??? If so that means your alternator has failed, not the battery

cluosborne

Chances are it's either your alternator or a blown 80-amp fuse on the engine bay fuse block.

Our stock alternators wear out at around 110,000 miles. To determine if it's the alternator, run the engine and measure the voltage at the battery. If it exceeds 13.7 volts, it's charging the battery, if not, connect the positive lead of the voltage meter to the top post of the alternator (covered by a black rubber boot) and measure voltage there. If it's the same as at the battery, it's your alt, if there's no reading, check the 80-amp fuse.

As for whether the fluid spray is causing a short, I doubt it. If there was a short, it would affect your ignition system, not the charging system--if at all. The connectors on the ignition system are sealed.

BTW, those of you who just run 4-gauge stereo power wire directly to the battery tend to forget one important fact--the alternator is fuse protected! That 80-amp fuse that bolts into place on the fuse block is for the alternator. If you use a higher-amperage alternator or want to run heavier gauge cable, don't forget about using that 80-amp fuse--or in the case of a higher output alt, a higher amp fuse or circuit breaker.

NOHC-ROTARY

thanks, eventually figured it was the alternator and gave her mine and now it runs fine