[simmy86]

Dear All,

I have an Astra G 2003 Model 1.7 Diesel and have been experiencing some problems.

• First I noticed that the car took long to start after using the AC and Lights
• Then one fine morning the battery went flat and couldn't start
• After using the jump leads to start the card i checked the voltages with volts meter and were dropping to 11.8V
• Hence I changed the alternator with a new one and went for a bigger one from 70 Amp to 100 Amp.
• The voltage has improved but the electrician still says there is something wrong. Voltages are as follows:-

Car Idle 13.7V
Car with AC on (Fan on 2) 13.5V
Car with AC on (Fan on 4) 13.4V
Car with AC on And lights on 13.29V
Car with AC on Lights on and bright on 13.00 - 13.10V

As I said the electrician still says there is something wrong. Does anyone know the proper voltage of the alternator at the stages as above?

Can anyone help??

Best Regards,

Keith

 

[BigDov]

voltages seem to be ok with me and are what i would expect when charging 13.5 - 14.5 are the ranges give or take a few decimal places so i would say there's nothing wrong with the alternator, also there would always be a large voltage drop on start as the engine engages the starter and glow plugs so the voltage drop is again fine. Have you checked the condition of the battery? since they do tend to deteriorate over time.

 

[simmy86]

Dear BigDov,

First of all many thanks for your reply.

I have just bought a new battery just to be sure but still the voltages are dropping low. I have searched online and seems that the alternator should drop the voltages once the AC is on but after a few seconds it goes back up to 13.8 - 14V like in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzz7P3qNHcE.

Do car models make a difference when it comes to charging voltages?