I have a 1984 camaro. 5.0 L 305. I'm having what i think is alternator issues. Quite often i get intense power surges that make my headlights extremely bright, and my windshield wipers insanely fast. When this happens, my choke, check engine and volts lights also flash on and off randomly. I've had the alternator tested but it seems fine (however, every time i've had it tested it's not going through one of its power surge phases). But before i take the time and money to put on a new alternator, i thought i would get some advice as to what else could be causing this problem. Any help would be appreciated!

 

What does the volt gauge read when that happens?

 

Need to confirm voltage is doing what you see. Need to get a voltmeter across battery & alternator output to ground. I just went through an electrical dilemma of my own. let us know what you see.

 

sounds to me like the voltage regulator is goin wack. its inside the alternator. i cant think of anything else that would do it. has it ever done it when the car is not running?

 

my camaro started doing the samething here just recently. I have an aftermarket volt meter on my car and it bounces between 12 and 18 volts only when i am driving down the road but when i am at idle it holds steady at around 13 volts. I am not sure what RPM they test them at but i am sure if i have mine tested it would test fine at idle.

 

It doesn't do it when the car idling, only when i'm driving down the road, which is why i've never been able to test it when it's doing this. I just haven't gotten around to taking it in to let someone who really knows what they're doing and has the right equipment. It almost seemed easier and cheaper to just put on a new alternator myself and hope that fixes the problem.

 

like i said i dont see what else it could be. the alterantor is the power maker and if ur lights are getting really bright and the wipers are hiper something is not right. never had one over charge in a car before. had it happen on the boat but thats got a seperate voltage regulator and it had a breaker built in so it kept shutting down.

 

If you're good at taking things apart and putting back together (with success), you can replace the voltage regulator yourself. It's only about a $15 part. Since that's what "regulates" alternator power output, that would be the first thing I would suspect as well. I've had regulators go bad before, but normally causing a low output. But it sounds like yours may be "sticking" once in a while. Even some electronic parts don't act up with either "on or off" symptoms.

 

yes, it is a voltage regulator issue. i had one go bad a week after my trans cooler line blew and soaked the alternator in atf. it isnt extemely difficult to replace, but if you arent that mechanicly inclined, i suggest buying a new alternator. if you can replace the regulator, i suggest getting new bearings and brushes while youre at it. then it will be like new