Alternator bad??

[86love]

Recently my charge/ebrake light doesn't come on when you turn the key before starting, check engine light's on, and then when started the charge/ebrake light's do come on while running, my guess is alternator is going bad

[MisterJerk]

or its unplugged.

[86love]

It's not unplugged lol, i'm sure of that. I'm thinking the alternator took a shiet.

[jondee86]

Check the "engine" and the "Charge" fuses in the under hood fuse box.
Check the alternator belt is properly tensioned.

Cheers... jondee86

[aukword1]

you can always pull the positive terminal off the battery when the car is running to test to see if the alternator is working...if the car stays running, its good, if not then the alternator is bad...

[86love]

Well, actually today just recently on my way home, the charge light was not on, then down the road, light's slowly dimmed out, could barely see the road, charge light and ebrake light came on, car was missing through out changing gears, so it's obvious it's the alt. I turned around in the middle of the road, parked it back at my buddy's house and cut it off, tried starting it, nothing. Picking one up tommorow probably, and take mine is to test it.

[Nick94tt]

Well, actually today just recently on my way home, the charge light was not on, then down the road, light's slowly dimmed out, could barely see the road, charge light and ebrake light came on, car was missing through out changing gears, so it's obvious it's the alt. I turned around in the middle of the road, parked it back at my buddy's house and cut it off, tried starting it, nothing. Picking one up tommorow probably, and take mine is to test it.

More or less word for word what happened to a MK2 MR2 I had a long while back. Alternator died. Always worth checking the cheap and easy fixes first though. Hope the replacement alt does it for you. Now would be a logical time to replace accessory belts if yours are worn as well.

[meifert]

you can always pull the positive terminal off the battery when the car is running to test to see if the alternator is working...if the car stays running, its good, if not then the alternator is bad...

That is actually not a good thing to do. It can cause a power surge through the electrical system and kill the alternator or other electrical components. The battery acts as a buffer from surges.

[86love]

Well, I've got a new alternator. All problems solved! It finally died on me coming home one evening, felt the motor missing and struggling, light's dimmed out, i turned around and had to park it back at my buddy's house. But with this said, there is one problem that drives me insane... Every time I decelerate and let off my gas pedal, a relay click's and it has to be the main circuit? I'm guessing? But it does it.. every.. single.. time. Everyday. One solid click, as soon as I let off the gas, It did it when I got the car and has done it for over a year! I've checked all ground's, even came down to finding one bad one from the intake to the firewall, fixed it. I'm clueless..

[ra40]

glad you figured it out. another way to check is just using a voltmeter on the battery itself to see how much voltage was being put out. my corolla would do the same it would light up the ebrake light and battery light when the alternator went bad. its normal

[86love]

Yea man I understand that, I know that's normal. Appreciate it though. But i'm just clueless on when I decelerate, I believe the main circuit relay click's as I let off the gas, one sold click. everytime. It's a relay, but i'm just taking a guess at the main circuit.

[MisterJerk]

sounds like the COR, that controls fuel pump. Check codes. Also a AFM being at a downward angle if your idle is low, it closes, turning off the fuel pump.

[ZINCHOTRAN]

There are two 'alternator brushes' inside. Replace those and clean up the sleeve. That's what I did and haven't had a problem since. The brushes were a few dollars. Cheap but easy to fix. Don't forget a soldering iron.