battery/alternator problem

[cadotte210]

i have a 1986 Grand am, about a month ago my car starting putting around and the lights went dim and it died. I replaced the alternator thinking that was the problem, but now its doing it again. I charged the battery full and it just keeps ggoing dead. The battery was replaced about 6 years ago so i dont know how often im supposed to change it. Also, right before that, i put in a tachometer, and that is pretty much when it started happening, so any help on this would really be appreciated. Thanks.

[cadotte210]

can anyone please help me??????

[4kQuad]

6 years is a long time for a battery. Get it tested, I bet it has a dead cell or two. I think that's why it won't hold a charge. Also check to make sure all wire connections are tight.

Recheck you wiring. you may have hooked some thing up wrong and the problem keeps draing the battery.

That's where I'd start.

[wiccanferret]

Was there such a thing as a 1986 Grand Am with a V6?

[cadotte210]

Yes there is. Its a 3.0 Liter, Grand AM LE V6. Look it up if you dont believe me.

[sunrunner_pei]

Yup, rare engine, but it DOES exist. :)

Have the battery load tested. Chances are at 6 years old it may need to be replaced. As well, do some checking for voltage at the battery with a multi-meter with the engine on and off. See http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6369&highlight=voltage for more info. :)

[99GrandAMSE]

... a bad battery will cause problems to an alternator so I would certainly check the make sure your alternator is still work properly :)

[cadotte210]

ok i just replaced the battery, its not dieing anymore, but the alternator overheats really bad, so im just gonna go get a new one, leave the tach unhooked for a while and see if that helps.

[cadotte210]

hey i need your guys help again, when i was hooking the tachometer up, i took the distributor cap off, and i must not have realized it when i put it back to gether, but one of the wires that goes to the distributor cap was unhooked. Could this be the problem of why the alternator is getting fried, because it never did it before then? any help would be really appreciated

[4kQuad]

from what I read, No the wire off would not affect the alt. It would make the car miss. I'm wondering about the bearings in the Alt. If there going bad, they could be causing a friction which is making the Alt hot.

As a rule Alt's should not get hot. Well, not that much hotter than the engine compartment.

[99GrandAMSE]

Just a little 'point of interest' ... heat is the one major problem with GMs alternators, in fact, some cars even have cooling air ducts directed towards to alternator in the attempt to keep them cool :(

[cadotte210]

Well, i took it in today, to see what could be causing it, the inside of my distributor is like burnt, and they said my alternator is fried, they were pretty sure the wire that was disconnected, was what is messing up my alternator, now i just gotta wait till i get paid to get a new one.

[ssvejiita]

Originally posted by 99grandamse
Just a little 'point of interest' ... heat is the one major problem with GMs alternators, in fact, some cars even have cooling air ducts directed towards to alternator in the attempt to keep them cool :(

that sounds like a really good idea, im so scard my alternator is thnking of suicide since ive heard about ga's and their alternator prob., how would or can i set up an air duct?
and do you have ne pic s of one??