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re: 86 GT alternator
>I should have included in my last message the fact that the alternator
>was load tested before I replaced it. It did not return a charge and was
>found to have a scored rotor (I think that's the term). I also forgot to
>ask whether the battery could simply be losing a bit of its charge, even
>though it never seems to go below that 11.5-12 volt threshold.
>
I'm not sure what causes it but I think it is fairly normal for batteries to
read around 13.5 volts right after charging and then gradually have the
voltage drop to something around 12.5 volts. All batteries have some
internal leakage that is why they go dead over time even when out of the
car. As the battery ages, the internal leakage increases until you decide
that they can "no longer hold a change".
11.5 to 12 volts seems a little low but it could be that your meter is a
little off.
Regards,
Bob Wheeldon
'90 V8Q
Principal Engineer
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
robert a wheeldon@boeing.com
rawaudi@frugal.com