[cjstarnes]

I have a 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce 2000. She runs like a dream except for the fact that for some reason the alternator isn't charging the battery! I've tried replacing the battery, the battery cables, the alternator (3 times!), the regulator, all the wires and connectors that have to involve the battery, alternator, and regulator, and nothing is working! It's been like this for like 5 or 6 months and it's really starting to piss me off, if you know what I mean! So does anyone out there have any ideas as to what I could do to fix this problem?!?! Any input would be much appreciated! Thanks!


Casey

 

[Andrew]

Have you put a voltmeter on it to see what's coming out, and whether the alt/volt reg are not actually charging, or rather than they're charging but something's discharging quickly?
Ground cable to battery matters a lot on proper charging and starting, as does ground cable from engine/trans to frame, on the pass side. But sounds like you need to put a voltmeter on it and see what you're getting at the battery.
Andrew

 

[Tifosi]

Query to mabe clarify the issue a bit:
By not charging, do you mean the indicator light is on a lot while driving letting you know the system isn't functioning correctly and voltage continues to drop 'til failure, or is it perhaps possible that you've just got something left turned on that's draining the battery while the car sits parked for whatever period of time?
(cabin/hood/trunk/glovebox light that doesn't shut off, radio turned down but not all the way off, etc)

 

[cjstarnes]

yes, it'll start right up, but as i drive it the battery just drains. it's like the car is running right off the battery instead of the alternator. if i put a voltmeter to it i can see the volts just drop. it's a slow drop but it wouldn't make it 20 miles. its even less when the lights are on.

 

[Andrew]

Something's very not right. Even running off just the battery, it out to last more than 20 miles. Sounds like you have a fundamental problem, which may or may not be complicated to sort. But diagnostics to see what's electrically going on is first.
Andrew

 

[papajam]

As Darren queried, does the alternator light work. And if so, under what conditions is it on?

 

[Monsai52]

You mentioned that you've changed the alternator three times; have they all failed? Did you test them before installation and again after removal?

Best regards,

 

[racer1958]

As mentioned above, running on battery alone without AC and lights, you should last more than 20 miles. You have a short someplace in the system.
Best diagnostic tool (dont change any more parts) for this case is a DC clamp on ampmeter. With the engine not running, clamp it on the pos or neg wires on the battery.
You should read < .1 A with everything turned off. Also check your voltage, 12.8V is for a well charged battery. With the engine running you should see a flow of Amps going in to the battery from the DC clamp on ampmeter. That will tell you if your alternator is charging.
This will get you started.

 

[cjstarnes]

ok now that i think about it, i remember it going probably around 40 miles, but then i can feel the performance decrease gradually over the time its running. i also remember that once i turn it off i cant get it to start again without a jump. i drove from wichita ks to augusta ks (a drive that's about 20 to 25 miles) and when i got to augusta, at my house, i turned it off and it wouldn't start at all. the lights barely turned on, and the turn signals wouldn't even work either.