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| Alternator (generator) for Fiero GT 87 (Page 1/1) |
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Alan Stockholm
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AUG 31, 12:28 PM
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Hi
I am living in Sweden and I believe my generator is bad or at least the voltage regulator. As when I am driving the volt meter goes from almost red to center and some times to almost red on the low side... I wondering with Alternators I can use to my fiero? Is the alternator used in any other car's who was sold in Europe?
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theogre
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AUG 31, 07:04 PM
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Don't trust the dash gauge.
Put volt meter on battery terminals.
volts should be 14 to 15 volts with engine running. 14.7 is "perfect."
If too low or high with this test...
GM Alt's has a plug that goes bad by dirt/"rust" or get loose. check it with engine off.
1 large wire has power with battery connected. Engine off should be same volts at battery. This wire is splice to alt out terminal is used by regulator to measure alt output volts with engine running.
1 small wire goes to light in dash with rest of warning/turn lights. Key On, Jump this to ground to make light comes on.
If plug looks good...
Take alt out then to local auto part store/shop to bench test.
Because car is in imported and 30+ years old, need pictures of alt you have because likely not an original alt if others have upgraded or went bad before.
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Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)
The Ogre's Fiero Cave
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Mike in Sydney
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AUG 31, 07:11 PM
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Let's confirm the alternator or voltage regulator is bad first. Check the battery voltage with a volt meter with the engine off and the all lights and accessories off. You should be seeing at least 12.5 volts. Next, try checking the voltage at the battery with the motor running. You should be seeing around 14-14.5 volts. If you don't see that start checking / cleaning all of your ground connections on the car and try again. If no joy, you'll probably need to replace the Alternator since the VR is internal to it. Some instructions for replacing it are found here: http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/136909.html .
Sorry, I don'y know what cars in Europe would use the same family of alternators. You should be able to get them from Summit Racing or Rock Auto. They ship internationally.
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Mike in Sydney
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Patrick
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AUG 31, 07:53 PM
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If your alternator is indeed not charging, keep in mind that often it's something simple like just a $5 diode trio that needs replacement. Not difficult to do.
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dremu
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SEP 02, 04:54 PM
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Also check the pulley, the belt and the belt tension. If the belt is loose or the pulley has stuff on it so the belt doesn't grab well, the alternator doesn't spin fast enough and sometimes fails to self-excite. (I think that applies to these alternators, anyway, I get my GM alternators confused.)
Finally, as to replacing it, at least here in the States, we have shops which will rebuild an alternator. It's kind of a specialty thing, but for older or unusual cars, sometimes it's the only way to go. They can also do repairs, and as Patrick points out, test the windings and send you home with new diodes or whatever if that's all it takes.
-- A
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