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Voltage Gauge, Noise and back to normal- HELP

S

smoman

NAXJA Forum User
Location
PA
This has happened a few times but the last 2 times I paid attention to detail. Sometimes I will turn the jeep on to one click before start...the gauges go up and all looks good...sometimes the voltage gauge will act up and go to 0.

Well this last 2 times it did it I started the jeep. The volt gauge was at 0, and I could hear a lil bit of belt chirp....I hit the gas a bit and still heard it. after about 20 seconds the belt chirp stopped and at that same time the volt gauge went to 14.

I have a new belt on and have not chirp at any other time...this problem is intermitant too.

I cant quite figure this out.....I get a good 14 all the time when it runs.

Thanks for any help you may have,
Steve
 
I have a 96 ZJ that used to do this all time... could be a couple of things. The belt tension could be wrong... maybe too tight, since it stops when the belt warms up??? It could also be the water pump bearing, but I doubt it if you said that it affects the alt as well...

I think safe bet is belt tension, but am no expert. My noise went away when I retensioned the belt after an exhaust manfold change.
 
Here is an update...I have not dug into this yet. But I was sitting at a dairy queen drive thru...jeep was running and at idle. the voltage gauge dropped to 9....belt made a lil noise..nothing nasty. I reved the engine a big...took about 20 seconds or so...and voltage went back to 14.

The only thing I can think is somethign is holding the belt back...thus not turning the alt...but I have no clue as of now. The belt tension is good too.

Any more ideas

Thanks
Steve
 
Assuming the noise and bad voltmeter readings are really connected (but you may need to consider other possibilities later!), then I would look for something intermittently causing the belt tension to change, like a bearing going out, or A/C clutch problem, or more likely a LOOSE(*) belt, or internal parts in the alternator are slowly going bad.

*I have had loose belts make noise until after the engine warms up. The alternator was pulling a heavy load to recharge the battery after start up, but the load dropped and noise stopped after the battery recharged and the alternator load dropped!
 
that is what I am thinking...or the AC....I am going to pull the belt off and spin them...see what they feel like. For the noise to be there and then the instant it stops the voltage goes up...seem like a mechanical issue.

But when I am hauling down the road...I have never had a problem...only at idle.

Smo
 
Last edited:
Is the voltage regulator in the alternator?

I keep having my voltage gauge drop to nothing and then come back up to 14...does it about once a week...but when it drops, nothing seems affected.

thanks for all help
 
smoman said:
Is the voltage regulator in the alternator?

I keep having my voltage gauge drop to nothing and then come back up to 14...does it about once a week...but when it drops, nothing seems affected.

thanks for all help
Click to expand...

YES!
 
smoman, have you figured anything out on this matter? my 2000 is having the same ASD relay problem (grounded it and now it starts) but just recently i noticed my voltage gauge started to fluctuate at idle, it will go past 14, then down to 9, sometimes drop to zero, but when the motor picks up rpm the gauge goes back up. My battery voltage witht he car off is 12.6v, measured with a dig. multimeter, but when the motor is idling, its up to 15.8v (hihger than what the gauge says). I am currently running the ASD relay grounded full time in order to make the car start . I bet we have the same problem. My car has been acting like this since it was rearended and i got it back from the body shop. When i got my car back, my fusible link from the alternator to pdc had burned up? Did you have this problem?
 
Smoman, check your fuses. My 2000 had the same problems and it was fuse #22...the 15amp fuel pump relay fuse. Also, use a voltmeter and check your voltage when the car is running, the stock gauge is NOT accurate on my 2000.
 
Does it do it while the AC is off?
Mine has been doing the same thing. Whenever my ac is on. I get a friggen squeal when the ac is on and the alternator drops to 9 volts. Pissing me off. I pulled my belt off and my alternator feels nice and smooth. so does the ac pulley but then again the AC clutch isn't engaged either. I don't know how the AC clutch being bad would affect the voltage at all. but thats what I'm going through. I guess I'll have to not use AC for a while.
 
File 05 said:
Does it do it while the AC is off?
Mine has been doing the same thing. Whenever my ac is on. I get a friggen squeal when the ac is on and the alternator drops to 9 volts. Pissing me off. I pulled my belt off and my alternator feels nice and smooth. so does the ac pulley but then again the AC clutch isn't engaged either. I don't know how the AC clutch being bad would affect the voltage at all. but thats what I'm going through. I guess I'll have to not use AC for a while.
Click to expand...

Either your belt was loose, or worn and loose, or the A/C compressor is bound up internally and it was not turning thus dragging the belt, or the compressor is somehow overloading the belt drive and making the belt slip due to an overpressure, pressure problem in the a/c lines. Any of these would slow the belt rotation making it squeal, thus slowing the alternator rotation, thus dropping the amps output and thus dropping the alternator voltage as well.

Try a new belt first with the proper belt tension, then if it squeals the A/C compressor is probably toast!
 
I'm thinking I've got it fixed now. I put an old belt back on. for some reason the new belt was too long. I guess I couldn't get the tention tight enough. The old belt being back on makes everything nice and quiet. never would have guessed. all is good now.
 
Uh huh. Some of the aftermarket autoparts stores don't like to stock every size there is and will sell you the next longer one because in most instances it will work. The number before the K (like xxxxK6) is the length (in some unit of measure, I think it's xxx.x inches) and the number after the K is how many ribs the belt has. You will also find that different manufacturers will call the belt a particular number, but the belt may be longer than that number would have you think.
 
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Hey guys..sorry its been a bit.

Yesterday the voltage thing was acting up a good bit. I drove into a Advanced Auto and he tested the Alt...and he said it was fine. I took it to my buddies garage and he put it on a computer and when we turned the AC on, Light, wipers etec....the voltage gauge would drop and the voltmeter would go from (14.4 good charge) to 12.55 (just battery)...I am thinking it is more the alternator, but does not make sense why I get a chirp some times.

Also my ASD pulse issue is still there, have a work around with temp ground, but would love to get this fixed.

Thanks for all the help,
Smo
 
FIXED...FIXED....FIXED

Thanks to the help of cklaus, we figured out this issue. Fuse #22 smack up against the big fuses in the Power Distribution Center....was blown. Damm if this did not fix my ASD problem and Alt problem. I could have sworn I checked this when I first had the problem. Now that I think about this, I was having fuel pump problems....determined it was bad...while checking for voltage at the pump...I saw a spark and then my ASD pulsed, fan and ac clutch. I could not figure this out for the life of me.

I figured out if you ground the ASD relay, it would override the shutdown and let everything work. Never thinking this lil #22 fuse would cause all these problems.

Months have gone by and I checked all grounds, wires, etc....

And to my suprise it was a lil fuse #22 15amp to be exact.

I cant believe the pump still worked and the PCM functioned for the most part. That fuse affects both of them.

Hope this helps someone else that was going nuts.

Thanks again cklaus...take care all,
Smo
 
Glad I could be of assistance. Don't feel too bad about having missed it, My local stealership had our Jeep for over 3 weeks and threw a CPS and IAC at it but could never figure it out the same problem( I was in school so i didn't have time to work on it and my wife had a rental car anyways). Since the Jeep would usually run though, they said it was "normal".
 
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