When my bought my Mercury back in May, the alternator would make a whining noise and output was only 13.1-13.2 volts max. The cranking wasn't weak, but the hydrometer on the battery would never turn green, it would always remain black.
Two weeks ago, I decided to replace it and installed a remanufactured Motorcraft 130 amp 6G alternator (exactly the same as the old one it replaced). Didn't want to go the aftermarket route and wanted a genuine Motorcraft one, even though I paid a pretty penny for the dealer to bring it in from another warehouse there and then (was out of stock). When installed, output was 13.6-13.8 volts depending on whether or not any accessories were turned on.
This evening, I was standing at a traffic light and noticed the voltmeter was lower than it used to be after the 'new' alternator was installed. The voltmeter has no readings on it other than high and low. I shifted into neutral and applied the parking brake, which caused it to rise a little bit. When I pulled over at the supermarket parking lot, I decided to check the alternator output before I went it - which read 13.4 volts. Turn on the lights and air conditioning, it dropped to 13.2 volts.
When I was driving home, I then noticed the voltmeter was back where it was and wouldn't move regardless of whether I had my foot on the brake in drive, or if it was idling freely in neutral with the air conditioning and lights turned on or off. After the trip, the hydrometer on the battery, not that I trust it as much as my multimeter, was also a faint green. I check the output again, and it read 13.6 volts. Should I reckon my refurbished alternator is failing? It will be really annoying if it it, considering that's about $170 out the window!
Also, I'm not sure how old the battery is...but could it be the battery is no longer holding a proper charge? The cranking isn't weak at all, however.
Two weeks ago, I decided to replace it and installed a remanufactured Motorcraft 130 amp 6G alternator (exactly the same as the old one it replaced). Didn't want to go the aftermarket route and wanted a genuine Motorcraft one, even though I paid a pretty penny for the dealer to bring it in from another warehouse there and then (was out of stock). When installed, output was 13.6-13.8 volts depending on whether or not any accessories were turned on.
This evening, I was standing at a traffic light and noticed the voltmeter was lower than it used to be after the 'new' alternator was installed. The voltmeter has no readings on it other than high and low. I shifted into neutral and applied the parking brake, which caused it to rise a little bit. When I pulled over at the supermarket parking lot, I decided to check the alternator output before I went it - which read 13.4 volts. Turn on the lights and air conditioning, it dropped to 13.2 volts.
When I was driving home, I then noticed the voltmeter was back where it was and wouldn't move regardless of whether I had my foot on the brake in drive, or if it was idling freely in neutral with the air conditioning and lights turned on or off. After the trip, the hydrometer on the battery, not that I trust it as much as my multimeter, was also a faint green. I check the output again, and it read 13.6 volts. Should I reckon my refurbished alternator is failing? It will be really annoying if it it, considering that's about $170 out the window!
Also, I'm not sure how old the battery is...but could it be the battery is no longer holding a proper charge? The cranking isn't weak at all, however.
