1000th alternator question on SVTP

[phil a]

Hey guys

I have a nations alternator, no issues during my ownership this far

Driving today, car began to stumble a bit with any throttle input. I’m not 100% certain but do not recall seeing any dash lights on

Also heard the external fuel pump RPMs begin to fluctuate at part/constant throttle

Gauges then all swept dead, barely made it home but it died trying to pull into my droveway

Battery is in the trunk, big gauge cables/grounds everywhere

Battery voltage across the terminals was 11.7…..swapped in a spare battery and car fired right up and drove into the garage

Nothing looks odd under the hood - belt still on with good tension, no loose wires etc. Never had an alternator issue on this car before and wondering if any quick diagnostic tips/tricks suggested before pulling it out to get bench tested.

Any other thoughts aside from alternator that could potentially cause these issues?

Thanks guys

Phil

 

[01yellercobra]

I think you already know the answer. The alternator probably died and the car was running on the battery.

Did you check the voltage on the battery terminals while the engine was running?

 

[SID297]

1000th??? You should get a free toaster.

 

[2003RedfireVert]

What’s the voltage reading while engine is running?

 

[olympic]

Check the connection between the Nations harness and the factory harness. If it loses connection there the alt will stop charging. Another possibility is that the regulator died but I don't know how you would test it.

Side note: is the regulator assembly waterproof? I've always wondered because it doesn't look like it.

 

[Blkkbgt]

If memory serves me correctly that kit comes with a new fuse setup. Have you checked it?

 

[phil a]

Thanks for responses so far guys. Forgot to check… voltage with car on is 11.7 lol

Just called and talked with Nations - sounds like it’s an older 180A model

They’re going to call me back with recommendations but yeah - more ‘moving’ parts with the separate regulator to troubleshoot

Sid - you show me a toaster with an SVT logo in the swag shop and I’ll bring that bad boy home

 

[JohnsDSGVert]

Get a Mechman 240 amp and never worry again

 

[phil a]

I ended up shipping it to Nations yesterday
They’ll take a look and see what the problem is and I’ll go from there
It was an older 180a model according to the label
Not sure how many amps I need - no stereo, mechanical water pump, but I have an EMP trunk pump for the intercooler along with external Weldon fuel pump

I’ve heard good things about Mechman as well as KMJ - depending on what Nations comes up with I may explore those options also

Thanks guys

Phil

 

[Iamchris]

Why 240 amp? He has no additional load.

 

[phil a]

Update - heard from Nations today that the alternator and regulator both tested good. I have good (big) grounds everywhere so assuming that’s not the problem.
Only electrical thing I’ve added/changed recently was the EMP pump in the trunk.

Battery is a newer smaller Odyssey but it was on the trickle charger while the car was apart. Can’t imagine it’s bad - and it shouldn’t even factor in while car is running, but I could always take it to be tested….

Any ideas?

Phil

 

[01yellercobra]

Bench test is different than what happens in the car. It's not hot and it hasn't been running for a while. Can they actually test at full load on the bench?

I went through something recently where I had a couple companies try to tell me it must be my car. But I showed them where a different alternator wasn't having the same issue so they got real quiet.

 

[Bullitt1448]

The battery is a possibility, take it in and get it load tested if for no other reason than to eliminate it as a cause

 

[MG0h3]

Gotta do a voltage drop test along the circuit between ALT and batt

I’d start by testing between the ALT lug and battery ground post.

Charging? Yes. Move the positive lead one connection at a time from the alt lug up towards the batt post lug. Once you lose charging voltage, you’ve found the failure. By one connection, I mean move the pos lead from the alt lug to the cable end that’s bolted to the alt. Then you’d move it to the lug at the fuse block and so on.

If not charging, leave the pos lead on the alt post and go straight to the alt case or bracket. Charging? If yes, you have a failure on the ground circuit. This would be the leads between the post and engine block.

Also need to verify the exciter lead to the alt isn’t broken. I found that on a guys car where he’s let the alt hang during a repair. Not sure which lead it is on the nations, although I do have one on my car. Never had a failure in 10yrs but prob will now.

Thanks a lot!


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

 

[phil a]

Awesome! Thank you for the info
As soon as it arrives back at the house I’ll run through those steps to troubleshoot
Thanks for taking the time to type that out

Phil

 

[phil a]

So….things took an interesting turn

Ended up not hearing back from Nations - disappointed in their customer service.
Traced all grounds/power wires throughout the damn car, everything tests fine
Ordered an alternator from KMJ figuring ‘what else can it be?’

Went to order an alt pulley….needing a bigger belt, I looked for the part number in my existing blower belt. And the pulleys all turned. With belt on and tensioned.

So, get under the car and I can…..turn the whole front drive by hand. Turns out the lower caged assembly I just rebuilt maybe 6-7mi/15mins of run-time ago just ate itself. The small-end male threads on the shaft and the female threads on the tribar are essentially gone. This pic is with everything wiped clean…..that’s not anti-seize.

So, probably explains why alt wasn’t charging huh? lol
I called KMJ right away and he graciously cancelled the alt order before it shipped

Found a <20k mi stock caged assembly with good bushings/bearing on the way. Will NOT take this one apart; it’s just going right on the car. I’m betting the thread engagement on this one was not good enough with major/minor thread diameters as machine shop cleaned up the small-end threads on the shaft prior to reassembly.

The next route (God forbid) would be IW/Metco or ATI/hub/Metco. Both are double the price of the low-mile caged lower en route, and I run a stock diameter crank pulley anyway.

Thanks again for the insight/troubleshooting tips guys. Hopefully I won’t need them in the future lol

Quick plug for KMJ - generous with his time, willing to refund purchase price. If/when I need something I’ll buy from him in the future.

 

[01yellercobra]

I've heard that the alternator works best when it's spinning.


Glad you found the problem.