I had my car hooked up to the machine at autozone... my alternator is only putting out 12ish volts... Isnt it supposed to be 13.5?

And the amps are only 65, shouldnt they be 90ish?

That was the reason my car wouldnt start, it slowly drained the battery...

Before i go getting a new alternator, what could i check or do to see if i actually need a new alternator??

96 Integra

 

ttt

 

Your voltage is low. That is a typical sign of a failing alternator. If the voltage changes with and without the headlights on (lower with them on), that is another clear sign.

 

Im just trying to avoid parts changing and diagnose as much as possilble.. Reason is that the alternator isnt old at all.. Only 40k or so miles... Doesnt make sense that it would go out already to me

 

Check your grounds for tightness first. If the voltage is changing with load, the alternator (at least the voltage regulator) is failing. Do you have any whine coming through the speakers (much worse with an external amplifier)?

 

Also, check the trouble shooting trees in the Helm manual. Your problem could go a few ways. (You can search google for "hondahookup manuals" to find one.)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dogginator &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Check your grounds for tightness first. If the voltage is changing with load, the alternator (at least the voltage regulator) is failing. Do you have any whine coming through the speakers (much worse with an external amplifier)?</TD></TR></TABLE>I checked the grounds.. they are good. There are two right? One on the tranny and one right off the battery cable.

Isnt the voltage regulator in the alternator?