Alternator Trouble

[igve2shtz]

Allright, here it goes. I have been through 3 alternators in the past week. My car is completly stock, and I have had it for about 2 years. When the first alternator went, I limped it home from 50 miles away (i had already used up my free AAA tow). I put in a junk-yard alternator, and 30 miles later, battery was dead (running at night, only lights on). I charged the battery on the trickle-charger over night, and I finally found the Haynes manual, and tested the alternator per their protocol, and found the alternator was dead. So, i returned it today, got a new alternator from the junk yard. I just got home from test driving it, 50 miles it got me, headlights on the entire time, radio and heater for 1/2 the time. And now it is dead.

My question is, is it just bad luck that this is happening, and all the alternators are just bad? The junkyard tested this new alternator, and gave it the green light. The voltage regulator seems to work perfectly. Or could my battery (which is only 2 months old cause when i was first having these alternator problems, i thought it was battery related) now be dead, due to this constant charge and drain? Or is there somewhere where the power could be draining? Every accessory the car has (which isnt much) works perfectly.

I am at a complete loss, and about to go suck it up, and buy a brand new alternator, but I dont want to sink the 150 bucks if it turns out it isnt the alternator at all.

Thanks for reading all this.

[nano_mazda]

belt?

Is your alternator belt tight? That's the only problem I can think of that fits your troubles.

[Mazda_Powered]

Bad groud or a split in your alternator harness? Check to see what you have for current.

JACK.

[igve2shtz]

The belt is tight. When I hook up the ammeter, I am getting 10-12 amps at idle, and no accessories turned on. With the high beams and the heater motor on, I should read 65 amps, but I am reading the same 10-12 amps. This tells me the alternator is bad, but Ive gotten the same readings on two different alternators, so thats why I was thinking it was something else. I guess if the belt is slipping, this could cause that. Ill try tightening the hell out of it today.

I'm gonna try to run a seperate 8 gauge wire directly from the alternator to the battery, and see if I can get better readings that way, to try to determine if stock wire Im running into problems.

Is there supposed to be a ground off of the alternator? All I know of is the plastic connector, and the 8 gauge battery wire.

But yeah, still at a complete loss. Im thinking im just gonna drive to the junk yard with ammeter, and show them first hand that something is messed up ... again.. Hopefully I can get a refund.

[nano_mazda]

The belt is tight. When I hook up the ammeter, I am getting 10-12 amps at idle, and no accessories turned on. With the high beams and the heater motor on, I should read 65 amps, but I am reading the same 10-12 amps. This tells me the alternator is bad, but Ive gotten the same readings on two different alternators, so thats why I was thinking it was something else. I guess if the belt is slipping, this could cause that. Ill try tightening the hell out of it today.

Where are you measuring your 10-12 amps?