Figure this alternator problem out

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: kc8adu



this is something to NEVER do on a modern car!
the regulator may not work right without the battery and may overshoot badly.
bye bye electronic$!
Ya a very bad idea to do. I know that some Alt's won't charge w/o a 12V referance. This means that the car will stall if you remove a cable with it running anyway. So at the least you may replace a good Alt.

Most electronics don't like 20V spikes.

 

[brianl703]

I've read it's more like 40V to 60V (the spike from disconnecting the battery with the engine running).

 

[tunabreath]

Still have the old alternator on the car without any problems. Of course, I am still carrying the new one with me. May return it sometime soon.

Also wanted to add, the alternator was tested UNDER LOAD at AAP and, not sure at AZ since it uses that tester that does everything automatically.

 

[1 FMF]

Originally Posted By: tunabreath

Is the alternator tester at both APP and AZ flawed?



YES, as in the idiot running the machine.
I tried having them load test my boat battery only to watch them do it wrong.
If you put a new alternator in and it worked from the getgo, then your old alternator was bad.

 

[javacontour]

One good way to see if the guy in the parts store knows what he's doing is to have him test the NEW alternator before you leave.

This does two things, it makes sure you don't get a DOA alternator, and it shows if he knows how to do the test. If he gets the same result everytime he does the test, his procedure is suspect.