Help!! Dead Battery

[Brett Dikeman]

At 1:20 PM -0800 2/9/02, Adam Jansen wrote:

>OK, so two days ago the voltage light comes on
>Four miles later the battery is obviously dying.
>
>I replaced the battery with a fresh one I happen to have and drive
>home and the voltage light comes on again.  I got home and pulled
>the alternator and took in to Schuck's.  They tell me the alternator
>is fine...
>
>If it isn't the battery or the alternator what could it be?
>
>The car is dead in the water as I cant get enough juice to start it
>up. Any suggestions?
>

Sounds like the exciter wire for the alternator popped/rusted off;
did you notice a thin wire coming off the back when you took it out?
It feeds current to one set of windings in the alternator, forming a
magnetic field(in place of permanent magnets.)  If it comes off, the
alternator is just a bunch of spinning coils.

Look for a small thin wire(blue, I think?) in the vicinity of the
alternator, hanging in the breeze :-)  I believe it should supply 12v
with the ignition on; if it doesn't, check for a blown fuse etc.


Brett
PS:make sure that battery you "just happened to have" is the right
size, has a plastic cap over the positive terminal, and a proper vent
connection!
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