2002 Chevrolet Suburban, Changing The Alternator

This 2002 Chevrolet Suburban came in with the battery light on and the system voltage at 12 volts. In talking with the customer, I found out that the battery light had been coming on and going off for a bout a week. Yesterday the battery went dead while driving. I was pretty sure just from … Continue reading “2002 Chevrolet Suburban, Changing The Alternator”

2000 Dodge Caravan, Changing The Alternator Brushes.

This 2000 Dodge Caravan with a 2.4 liter engine came in with the complaint that the battery light was coming on. The battery had not gone dead at this time but the customer was concerned. I finally got it to act up long enough to determined it was worn brushes in the alternator. The first … Continue reading “2000 Dodge Caravan, Changing The Alternator Brushes.”

1992 Ford F150, No Charge Condition

This 1992 Ford F150 came in with a no charge complaint. The battery, alternator and alternator connectors had already been changed. I had to start with improving the splice connections that were used when the repair harnesses were installed. There had been a combination of scotch lock type connectors and poorly crimped cheap splicing connectors … Continue reading “1992 Ford F150, No Charge Condition”

2004 Volkswagen Beetle, Battery Goes Dead

This 2004 VW Beetle came in with the complaint that the battery would go dead while driving the vehicle. Especially when the a/c and lights were on. A quick visual inspection found the problem. Note the rusted nut in the center of the picture below. Rust on a steel nut that is part of n … Continue reading “2004 Volkswagen Beetle, Battery Goes Dead”

2001 Buick Park Avenue, Multiple Electrical Problems

This 2001 Buick Park Avenue came in with multiple complaints. Some of which were various dash warning lights would come on, the gauges would stop working, the power door locks would cycle intermittently and the battery would go dead. I asked the customer specifically if the clock on the radio would reset and was relieved … Continue reading “2001 Buick Park Avenue, Multiple Electrical Problems”

2006 Toyota Tundra, Power Windows and A/C Not Working

This 2006 Toyota Tundra came in with the complaint that the power windows and air conditioner did not work. The customer had stated that the battery went dead a couple of times and he would just jump it off. The last time he changed the battery. I was pretty sure one of the multi fuse … Continue reading “2006 Toyota Tundra, Power Windows and A/C Not Working”

1996 Ford Ranger, Battery Went Dead

This 1996 Ford Ranger wound up at my door with a dead battery. Well almost it was stopped in the median in front of my shop. This is going to be more of a people story rather than an actual repair as I never fixed the vehicle and it is the most simplistic of diagnoses. … Continue reading “1996 Ford Ranger, Battery Went Dead”

1996 Ford F350, Battery Voltage Low

This 1996 Ford F350 had multiple problems. One of which was low battery voltage while the engine was running. The owner complained that the battery would go down If he ran at night with the lights and a/c on. Go figure. At some point the ring terminal at the alternator was damaged and instead of … Continue reading “1996 Ford F350, Battery Voltage Low”

1997 Infiniti Q45 Changing The Alternator & Harness Connector

This 1997 Infiniti Q45 Came in with a battery going dead condition. I diagnosed it as a faulty alternator. I also found that during the alternator replacement that the regulator harness connector or pigtail needed to be replaced. Replacing this alternator looks like it would be quite difficult but it really is fairly easy. The only … Continue reading “1997 Infiniti Q45 Changing The Alternator & Harness Connector”

1993 BMW 318IS, No Charge Condition

This 1993 BMW 318IS came in with the complaint that the battery would go dead after a few days of driving. The battery and the alternator had been changed, with no success. The first thing I spotted when I opened the hood and look at the alternator was a 12 gauge red ground wire,  that … Continue reading “1993 BMW 318IS, No Charge Condition”