[s-cars] Alternator Musings

[Rokas Reipa]

I am having the same problem. In fact, headlights + A/C when it's 90F+
cause the voltmeter to eventually show almost exactly 12 volts. Trying
to operate the windows at that point briefly causes it to dip below
12. This is when sitting in traffic but even at highway speeds, the
voltage is barely above 12v, when a/c and headlights are on. The
battery light never comes on however, and I've never had starting
issues. When the voltage is around 12v, dash lights get dim, etc. Are
brushes/regulator the culprit? TIA

Rokas
95.5 S6

On 7/13/05, Brian Powell <powellb at gmail.com> wrote:
> Well, in this ridiculous heat he have had in Colorado for the last 2
> weeks (fortunately, I leave for an ice breaker to the Weddell Sea of
> Antarctica on Sat.) I have noticed that when running the AC, the
> system voltage drops to ~12.5V (based on the analog gauge). Normally,
> it is at the 14V hash mark on the gauge, but sometimes with the AC
> running it will get down to as low as what seems to be about 12.5V.
> The hotter it is, the lower it goes.
> 
> Should I replace the brushes and voltage regulator? This is a 97 S6
> with 75k miles. Seems pretty early for an alternator to act weak (my
> 90q20v with nearly 200k miles never had an alternator issue).
> 
> Any writeups on this? Where is the best place to source these parts? I
> won't deal with it until I return from the southern ocean in Oct, but
> it is something I'll need to take care of.
> 
> Cheers,
> Brian
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