alternator installed in 2002 conquest, voltmeter acting weird now

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Thread: alternator installed in 2002 conquest, voltmeter acting weird now

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
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    Fort Mac
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    12

    alternator installed in 2002 conquest, voltmeter acting weird now

    Hey!

    Just finished installing an alternator kit in my 2002 conquest 8x8 with 20hp Kawasaki engine.

    That was fun!

    Next time (which will have to be at gunpoint) I will take some videos of me throwing tools across the yard, getting stuck upside down between the front seat and the transmission, inventing new curse words, and ruining a good pair of pants I should not have been wearing for this job!

    I have 2 questions that I am hoping someone can help me figure out:

    (1) the instructions were followed to the letter, no exceptions. I'm left holding the flywheel gear plastic cover in my hand, wondering if they want me to run without it from now on? They say to remove it, to throw away 3 of the bolts and plug the other hole with a bolt leftover from a previous bracket removal step, and then they don't mention this guard/cover again...?

    (2) after firing up the engine, the alternator belt is definitely turning, not slipping. The voltage indicator light is illuminated when the ignition is turned half way, then goes out as expected after the engine is started. I can't get it to indicate a low voltage at all no matter how many accessories I run at the same time. This is a good sign. Problem/question is that since installing the alternator, my built-in voltage meter is showing 10 amps (EDIT: I meant to say 10 volts) at hands-free idle, 12-ish at high idle, and absolutely zero (like a dead gauge) when I run the stock headlights. My additional LED spotlights (2 x 27W = 54 watts) run fine and the voltage meter only drops a needle-width with them on. Even with stock headlights on, winch pulling a load up the driveway, LED lights on, brake blower running, and with a hands-free low idle, the low-voltage LED does not illuminate and after an hour of running/testing like this, my headlamps are still burning bright. Before the alternator, this would not have been possible.

    Do you think I have a grounding issue with my toggle switch for the headlamps, causing the volt-meter to utterly quit only while they are turned on?

    I have not yet tried measuring the output of the alternator with a multi-meter, as I don't have one but I will probably end up buying one for this purpose next week.

    Thanks in advance! Any suggestions are appreciated.

    The Swamp Donkey
    Last edited by The Swamp Donkey; 10-04-2014 at 08:42 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    TUCSON
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    777
    normal

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
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    louisville ky
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    278
    mine started to act weird after the fist ride then quit charging at all ck belt was tight , then the plug in the back of alt came loose doe to the brake fan hose pushing on it , repluged it been working fine ever since, shows charging 13 1/2 volts

  4. #4
    I've never known a voltage meter to show amps but it sounds like the power wire to the alt. is turned off when you turn on the head lamps. This would cause your alt. to rotate fine but with no output thus the amps go to 0 and your running on battery only. Otherwise it sounds like its working good 54 watts divided by 12 volts= only 4.5 amp draw for the lights. Check where those lights are connected to.

  5. #5
    also a grounding issue would probubly blow a fuse.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
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    Fort Mac
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    Quote Originally Posted by chris davison View Post
    I've never known a voltage meter to show amps ...
    Chris: Woops! I said "amps" above but definitely meant "volts". So far I have no quantitative way to measure amps.

    Do you know the wattage off hand for the stock headlamps?

    Thanks for your input!

    Quote Originally Posted by chris davison View Post
    also a grounding issue would probubly blow a fuse.
    Chris: Good point. I will have to check continuity at a few spots with/without the headlights turned on.

    Quote Originally Posted by wfo View Post
    normal
    wfo: Your response cut right to the point, and I like what I see! I hope you're right, that would be sweet.

    Quote Originally Posted by locolouie View Post
    mine started to act weird after the fist ride then quit charging at all ck belt was tight , then the plug in the back of alt came loose doe to the brake fan hose pushing on it , repluged it been working fine ever since, shows charging 13 1/2 volts
    locolouie: I hate that blower hose! What a stiff, misplaced annoyance that was when installing the alternator. I have half a mind to replace it with a more flexible duct and super-glue some tie-wrap points to the right inner side of the hull to keep it away from all that stuff.

    So your voltage meter shows 13.5 at hands-free low idle with no accessories aside from brake blower fan running?
    Last edited by Mike; 10-04-2014 at 08:57 PM. Reason: merged four consecutive posts. You can reply to everyone at once using the multiquote button

  7. #7
    What size alt. did you put on this machine? If you don't know the wattage or amp draw of a 12vdc bulb you can always measure the resistance. amps= volts divided by the resistance in ohms. once you figure out the amps multiply it by the volts to get watts.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    louisville ky
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    278
    Pretty much, dose not move more than a niddle width

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Oconee County, SC
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    823
    The alt is a mini denso, at 40 amps. you can get them off eBay up to 75+ amps if you need more power.

  10. #10
    A 40 amp alt should be more than enough for your needs that would run (2) 100 watt head lights at 16.6 amps (2) 10 watt rear lights at 1.7 watts and should keep your battery full.

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