low voltage...
05-13-2002, 06:16 PM
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low voltage...
my '86 944, when starting it at school today had a little bit of a tough time starting, i noticed the voltmeter was very low. this evened out to a bit below the "12" mark. it still seems a bit weak at the start-up. the battery is pretty new. I have heard recently a little belt squeal every once and a while, could this be the alternator, could i tighten it myself? thnx. any thoughts appreciated
05-13-2002, 06:46 PM
#2
Nordschleife Master
Could be the belt but you would need an awful lot of slippage. Easy enough for you to tighten up but also take a look at the belt to see if it is cracked on the inner ribbed surface and replace if it is. About $10.
Then it is off to taking voltage measurements to track down where the problem is. Very well could be your wiring. Take a voltage reading at the battery when car is off and when it is running - you should see almost 14 volts at the battery when running even though your dash gauge says 12.
Then it is off to taking voltage measurements to track down where the problem is. Very well could be your wiring. Take a voltage reading at the battery when car is off and when it is running - you should see almost 14 volts at the battery when running even though your dash gauge says 12.
05-13-2002, 08:38 PM
#4
Nordschleife Master
12 volt on the dash voltmeter is too low, but not unusual for a 944 that is over a decade old. You are losing voltage due to poor wiring & connections but you should get by .... there are an awful lot of 944s that are reading exactly like yours, but running OK.
The big area you are losing out on is headlight light output. And there isn't much you can do about it unless you do some rewiring.
The big area you are losing out on is headlight light output. And there isn't much you can do about it unless you do some rewiring.
05-13-2002, 09:18 PM
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Nordschleife Master
It is hard to guess without you taking some voltage measurements, but you are not going to blow up your car taking your time figuring this out. Maybe get stranded not starting, though. 
The rewiring isn't as hard as you might think. Add a few supplemental wires, clean up terminals, etc. I'm selling a headlight rewiring kit that usually results in about 14.0v system voltage when you get it in.
The rewiring isn't as hard as you might think. Add a few supplemental wires, clean up terminals, etc. I'm selling a headlight rewiring kit that usually results in about 14.0v system voltage when you get it in.
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05-13-2002, 11:07 PM
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ok this kinda freaked me out, it was really rainy today and i had the EXACT same problem. It started kinda rough in school and i saw the low voltage meter but didn't think anything of it. then i thought i was overheating cuz my water temp gauge was all the way up. i came home checked that out but the engine wasn't even hot. So whatever i went to work. on the way home it barely starts and the gauges, ie:rpm, speedo, water temp were all going crazy, voltage was about 1/2 way between 10 and 12. So i come home get on the comp and was about to start a thread called low voltage untill i saw this one.
i also have a 86 944. Gotta love it. so anyway where is this belt?
i also have a 86 944. Gotta love it. so anyway where is this belt?
05-14-2002, 12:07 AM
#10
Nordschleife Master
Moisture could make the problem worse if your connections are crudded up and with the added water you get a minor short going. Same as the guys that power wash their engine bays and their car doesn't work anymore.
The alternator is on the left hand side buried under a ton of stuff. Getting at the belt to check it out is probably easiest by going at it from underneath the car. Have to take off a belly pan and if you need to adjust you have to be down there anyway to get at the turnbuckle.
The alternator is on the left hand side buried under a ton of stuff. Getting at the belt to check it out is probably easiest by going at it from underneath the car. Have to take off a belly pan and if you need to adjust you have to be down there anyway to get at the turnbuckle.
05-14-2002, 02:41 AM
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If you keep driving it you will be walking really soon. Might want to put a battery charger on the battery overnight to get the charge back in it. Sound like you need to get a "free" battery/altenator tests at your local parts store. They should be able to tell you what needs replacing.
05-14-2002, 02:27 PM
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i started the car this morning and it was "relatively" fine. I want to know what needs to be cleaned or sanded down for better contacts so i can do this. I dont know where or what to clean?
05-14-2002, 08:30 PM
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ok i thought maybe something got wet those couple of rainy days and when i got outa school it was pretty dry out so i thought id be fine. It started fine at school but when i stopped at home and then tried to start it again to go to work it wouldn't start, the starter would just click. Its not the alternator though. when i got home i tried again and it started, voltage was fine, turned it off, started it again, voltage was fine. Went for a drive....15 min later voltage down to 12 and tach started the jumping around thing......could it be the regulator between the alternator and the battery?