Does anyone know where the voltage regulator is on my 88 GXL? Thanks alot.

 

It is my understanding that it is built into the alt.

 

Are you sure it is on our cars? Man, I replaced the alternator and battery but the battery keeps draing. I can not figure it out. I don't have a radio or anything else hooked up. Jumping it doesn't work because the alternator can't keep up with whatever is happening. ****...

 

Yep, definitely built into the alternator.

 

Hmm. Well would the alternator still show up as being good even though the voltage regulator was bad when its tested? I tested the alternator and it was good they said.

 

Where did you get it tested?

 

At the local parts store. It it also a new alternator anyways(well a few months now but only month old when tested).

 

Here is a trick to try

Start car
While running disconnect + battery cable
If car remains running (give it a min or two) alternator=good

if that works you may have a short some where, which is draining the battery

Or just a bad battery

 

Hmm...I will try that tomorrow. I know its not the battery since it killed a brand new battery and then I put my friends in it to start it up and it worked. Now I have my friends other battery in it and it was working for a day and now it is real low.

 

Measure battery voltage with the engine running, should be ~14.5V

 

Don't do this for too long because the battery acts as a filter smoothing out the current from the alt. Runing with the battery disconnected can subject the car to innecessary voltage spikes.

My alternator tested fine at Autozone but when hot it would crap out and send too much voltage out. It fired my headlights!
Does your volt-meter work? Use a multi-meter to test the battery terminals when running and you should have +-14V.
If that's good, you should use the meter to test all the fuses with the car off and see which one is passing current. The interior lights circut (quite hard to get to the fuse box with the door closed...) should be the only one passing electrons through.

Cory
whose car finally starts every time.

 

I would not recommend this on any car built after 1980.

The electronics like the ECU can be badly damaged if you have a diode out in the alt. As well in the case of some german cars, the alt can spike to over 24 volts if the battery is disconnected.

If the alt is in question a Digital multi meter, battery load tester, and alt amp tester should be used.

But I belive myself that he has a current draw issue in the car that he should solve.

 

Alright well the car ran fine yesterday when it didn't get much above the C at all. Now today it ran at 1/4-1/3 the way up and the battery ran down. I tightened the alternator up and I thought it fixed it and did enough for me to drive about 50 or 60 miles. Then later today I drove like 2 miles and the battery started to drain. I have the impression that it has something to do with the car running hot, but am also leaning towards the car having a mind of its own. I can't figure this **** out.

 

If the battery is running down and causing you to stop driving (car dies) then you've got a charging problem. I know you just replaced the alternator but it's not unherd of to get a bad unit from the parts store. Are you sure your unit works? Check your running voltage like we suggested and see.

Cory

 

Yes the battery draining while driving is an indication that the Alt is failing