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I’m at my wits end. Alternator not charging.

 
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skrtskrt  



Joined: 12 Jul 2024
Posts: 12
Location: Hillsdale, Michigan, US

PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2024 3:00 am    Post subject: I’m at my wits end. Alternator not charging. Reply with quote

I’ve replaced the alternator and had the alternator tested to make sure it works and it does.

I’ve replaced all the B+ wires that go from the alternator to starter then to battery positive so thats not the problem.

Ground has good connection.

I know it’s somewhere along the excitement wire (D+) that there is the problem (because that is all that is left) and I’ve tried tracking the wiring through diagrams with the Haynes manual I have with no luck.

I’m just trying to figure out where the wire goes because everything I find online is that it goes through the battery light and if that light doesn’t come on then the excitement wire os the problem but my battery light comes on so I’m at a loss.

Any and all help/advice is welcome
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coup85  



Joined: 12 Aug 2024
Posts: 48
Location: Madrid

PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2024 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's also important to check the battery light on the dashboard, as a defective bulb can cause the battery not to charge. I'd start right there.

You can find the cable on page 258 of the Haynes manual. It doesn't appear on Porsche's parts manual as the "excitement wire" is just a single cable, usually blue, that goes from the alternator to the dashboard.




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Joined: 18 Sep 2013
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Location: Scotland

PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2024 10:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

D+ goes to the 3-pin white connector above the brake booster, you can pull that apart and check for 12V there with the with the ignition on.

One wire is starter solenoid, one is the coil booster during starting, and one is the D+ wire. So I think you should see 0V on the solenoid wire, 6-9V or maybe less on the coil booster wire, and 12V on the D+ wire.
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skrtskrt  



Joined: 12 Jul 2024
Posts: 12
Location: Hillsdale, Michigan, US

PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2024 11:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the replies, I’ve already checked the wires up the 3 way plug so those are all good but after that I loose where the wire goes through the harness but seeing that it goes straight to the bulb helps. I’ll give the battery bulb a look.

Would there still be a problem at the bulb if it comes on when ignition is turned on and goes off once car is started?
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Joined: 18 Sep 2013
Posts: 327
Location: Scotland

PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2024 11:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

skrtskrt wrote:

Would there still be a problem at the bulb if it comes on when ignition is turned on and goes off once car is started?


That's exactly what it's meant to do.

Are you actually measuring the voltage at the battery with a multimeter? The cabin gauge is not accurate at all.
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coup85  



Joined: 12 Aug 2024
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2024 11:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You might try to bypass the connection directly from the alternator to see if the problem is on the wiring.
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skrtskrt  



Joined: 12 Jul 2024
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Location: Hillsdale, Michigan, US

PostPosted: Mon Sep 30, 2024 2:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes I’ve measured the voltage at the battery and it reads around 12.2v, and bypassing it altogether was going to be my next thing I tried.
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skrtskrt  



Joined: 12 Jul 2024
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Location: Hillsdale, Michigan, US

PostPosted: Sat Oct 05, 2024 11:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

coup85 wrote:
You might try to bypass the connection directly from the alternator to see if the problem is on the wiring.


I bypassed the exciter wire to the battery and checked all the grounds again. I put in a different battery that I know is good. The alternator is creating the magnetic field but I’m still not getting any charge. Could there be any voltage draw if there is a bad starter? I’ve had some problems with my starter being intermittent before and just doing the “click” noise of the solinoid hitting but it hasn’t done that in a while so could something be shorted in the starter?
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Fifty50Plus  



Joined: 28 Feb 2008
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 05, 2024 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My race car wasn't charging even though the red light would go out once I started the engine. Turns out that a ground from the alternator housing to the engine block was loose and causing a problem. See if you have a connection there (beside the alternator housing to the engine block near the oil filter).
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skrtskrt  



Joined: 12 Jul 2024
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Location: Hillsdale, Michigan, US

PostPosted: Sat Oct 05, 2024 12:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fifty50Plus wrote:
My race car wasn't charging even though the red light would go out once I started the engine. Turns out that a ground from the alternator housing to the engine block was loose and causing a problem. See if you have a connection there (beside the alternator housing to the engine block near the oil filter).


What other alternator housing to block grounds are there? I only have one near the filter.

Also, I checked it with battery unhooked and car running and I was getting 8.2v from positive terminal on battery to engine block.
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Joined: 18 Sep 2013
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Location: Scotland

PostPosted: Sat Oct 05, 2024 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fifty50Plus wrote:
My race car wasn't charging even though the red light would go out once I started the engine. Turns out that a ground from the alternator housing to the engine block was loose and causing a problem. See if you have a connection there (beside the alternator housing to the engine block near the oil filter).


This is a possibility too. I redid my alternator ground (it only has one ground) to originate from the lower adjustment bolt (make sure to clean the alterantor back to bare metal) rather than the tiny bolts for the rear cover, because the tiny bolt holes had stripped and kept backing out.

So now it's earthed to one of the larger oil pan bolts. Works fine. Just always make sure you sand the surfaces to get good contact and don't re-use rusted bolts.

A tool that can be useful here is a DC clamp meter, will allow you to very easily check if there is some current flowing between the alternator and starter. One of those tools I wish I bought years ago.
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