[StangAddiction]

I drove my jeep cherokee this mornin and i noticed the battery was running extremely low as i was driving it...Upon stopping at the light...i revved it to about 3K and the volt meter shot straight up. I'd let off the gas and it slowly come back down. I also noticed the engine temp was slowly rising so i got to the school parking lot and i noticed smoke creeping out of the grille. I popped the hood and noticed my upper main radiator hose was spraying coolant everywhere through tiny little hoses just around the clamp. I looked down and saw coolant ALL OVER my alternator which is just under where the hose goes in. I replaced the hose and refilled it with coolant...Runs fine, but the volts are still jumping all over the place..Im guessing its the alternator being rained on by coolant dunno...Any ideas?

[707Stang]

Yeah bro i think you may have jacked your alt. take it out and have it tested. I know it's a pain on those cars from experience. esp when you're stuck in the mud.

[StangAddiction]

The car runs fine and the battery runs at 14 volts all day (12v battery i believe) but if i have the heat on and the lights on (night time or early morning driving, cold weather) the volt meter creeps down to about 5-6 volts and the lights dim. I press the gas pedal and it shoot right back up. Alought with lights off and heat off it doesn't do this...It stays at 14 solid with VERY LITTLE movement at all...Might i also add, it didnt do thjis before the radiator hose incident. Im curious as to why it only acts this way with the stuff on. Im sure it uses more power, but it shouldnt move that way if it doesnt move that way with it off should it? I intend on having my alternator checked out. Its just such a pain to pull that thing out because of the AC compressor and position of the bolts...

[707Stang]

Originally Posted by StangAddiction The car runs fine and the battery runs at 14 volts all day (12v battery i believe) but if i have the heat on and the lights on (night time or early morning driving, cold weather) the volt meter creeps down to about 5-6 volts and the lights dim. I press the gas pedal and it shoot right back up. Alought with lights off and heat off it doesn't do this...It stays at 14 solid with VERY LITTLE movement at all...Might i also add, it didnt do thjis before the radiator hose incident. Im curious as to why it only acts this way with the stuff on. Im sure it uses more power, but it shouldnt move that way if it doesnt move that way with it off should it? I intend on having my alternator checked out. Its just such a pain to pull that thing out because of the AC compressor and position of the bolts...

Yeah i know it sux dude see my avie, that was my jeep. But if it it wasn't till after the hose incident yeah i think some the antifreeze might have gotten in the internals of the alt. . .

[StangAddiction]

I've pulled the alternator out before...its been rebuilt...I've still got a lifetime warranty on the rebuild, so fixing its not a problem...Its getting it out...its like trying to fit a 3-in pipe into a 2.9-in coupler...It can be done, it's just hard. The alternator barely fits between the gap between the frame and the AC compressor...

[Twist it up]

the drive belt was slippin because of the coolant spraying on it, your alternator is fine.

[StangAddiction]

Nah...its still doing it...to this day....that was a couple weeks ago...

theres no way the alternator puts enough drag on the pulley that the belt would slip...I just cant see that method...sorry