I was driving on the highway Friday night when my voltoge guage started showing a slow drop in volts. It got to the point where I was getting flashed to get off the road (My dash lights were barely even visible). At that point the voltz were reading below the orange on the eight of the gage. When I pulled over and put her in park, the voltage went back up to the 11 or 12 range.

For some reason when I was in drive, with the headlights on, the voltage was running out. To get to my final destination, I had to throw it in nuetral a couple of times to let her charge up while I was on the highway. She was running just fine, minus the electrical snag.

And, when I got into the city off the highway, the voltage was low, but would remain constant. Because we were trying to make it further, we ran by the autozone for a free diagnostic check.

They said it wasn't the battery, and that the alternator was putting out the appropriate voltz too. But when they checked teh Amperage, it was only at approx 27 at the highest point. The alternator is about 3 weeks old and is rated at 100 Amps. Why would my voltage guage keep dropping though when I was on the highway?

Should I go for another alternator, or does someone know of another problem that could be affecting it? Thanks in advance

I probably can't add any competent opinions on this but maybe its possible that at higher RPMs the bearings are worn enough to allow the armature to contact the other parts of the altenator or the Diodes are braking down under heat and load.

I'm just guessing. :?

Remove the belt and see if you have excessive play in the shaft or a grinding noise. On my 93 Pickup I have to replace that baby about one every two years. The bearings always go south never has it stoped charging but it sure will grind and leave aluminum shavings all over the place. I can't adjust the tension. Anyway... Let us know or I would be intrested in the reason it does that just in case I run up against that problem.

If you need a new alt., then get one for a mid to late 80s Camaro. It's has a higher amp rating.

bad diodes in your alternator

Make sure your belt is not slipping.

If you need a new alt., then get one for a mid to late 80s Camaro. It's has a higher amp rating.

On my 76 I put one on it from an 86 Caviler. It has the same connections as the Elky, did require a reclocking an pulley chang over though. Its got a 97 Amp output. Doesn"t cost a fortune.

Does anybody know where the plug connection goes to from the alternater? I had a fire and have no idea at all. A friend told me it was for the idiot lights. I'm hooking up a triple gauge(oil,volts,temp), could I just hook up the volts + & - to the new gauge?

The Red wire goes to the battery.

The black wire is a ground I believe.

I have worked on a few alternators in the past on newer cars(cause I work in an autoshop), but I haven't touched one in at least a year. If I am wrong I am sorry.

Hey bearing guy....Dont replace those altenators over a bearing...

If you take the alt apart(carefully) you will usually find that the "front" Bearing is the problem...then you can tap it out of the housing, read the number on the bearing(have it cross referenced), and get it for 5-10 $$ at a NAPA or other well stocked parts store....if you happen to pull the entire shaft out, you will have to re-seat the diodes, beginning with the rear one, and slide a skinny nail/coat hanger through the hole in the back to lock them in place until the shaft has been replaced...I do it all the time, I have a suburban that I have put over 40k on since my last bearing replacement.

They said it wasn't the battery, and that the alternator was putting out the appropriate voltz too. But when they checked teh Amperage, it was only at approx 27 at the highest point. The alternator is about 3 weeks old and is rated at 100 Amps.

If you bought the alternator at autozone, take it back and get a refund, then buy a reman from a local electrical shop.