Im one of limited knowledge on cars so need some help regarding a alternator which no longer is working. Its an original and now have 153k miles. I know its kind of a stretch that its anything but a replacement but thought Id ask. I read its a possible blown fuse but I cannot locate what location this fuse would be reading the original owners manual. Is there anything I can try?

 

With that mileage and original I'd just replace it with a new one.
Your local parts store should be able to test it to confirm it's done with.
It lasted a long time to make it that far mileage and years wise.

 

do you have an ohm/volt meter? check voltage at the alternator connectors. the small wire is exciter wire that makes the alternator engage when you turn the key on if its getting 12 volts when key is turned on then your system is working and if its not charging then alternator is unhappy. or remove it and have tested at parts shop like y2k says. also download factory service manual for your year here http://www.mediafire.com/?40mfgeoe4ctti

 

I may have pulled the trigger too early. I saw a youtube video of a guy that showed how you can tell if your alternator is working without tools etc. He showed disconnecting one battery cable while the war was running and if the car quit then the alternator was bad. I tried this and not only did the car keep running but the interior lights glowed brighter than when I first started the car. I also ran the air conditioner and radio while the battery was disconnected and it idled fine. This car is seldom used and mostly garaged in the hot florida heat which seems to drain a battery faster than the northern cold. My terminals to the battery seem fine and my only question is ..is ther any maintenence that should be done to the alternator? I m pretty sure nothing has been done since new. Thanks for all your comments and help

 

No real maintenance. This way you discovered to check the alternator is old school, in fact it is not good to do it on a modern car. Your battery work as a capacitor, it will absorb voltage spikes an alternator can make. Without the battery connected you put you computers at risk of getting damaged by a voltage spike. If the alternator is work perfectly it will not throw a spike but if you have an older one there could be issues with the rectifier bridge that could cause a spike. I have seen people do this test and end up with a car that will not start afterwards.

All you need to check basic function of the alternator is a volt meter. Without the car running check voltage at the battery, this is base battery voltage. 12.6 is nominal but it will vary. Start the car. The voltage at the battery should go up. This can vary greatly. From 13.1 to 14.5 volts on a modern car. What you are looking at is the fact it went up. If the voltage stays above your base battery voltage you are charging. You can test load by turning things on. A couple of issues to keep in mind. If the RPMs drop lower then the factory settings then the Alternator can stop charging. Recharging a dead battery will cause the highest volt reading.

Battery draining faster most common cause is the battery. Car batteries do not like to sit. Bouncing it around can help a battery with an internal draw. The car itself can have a small parasitotic draw. Things like lighters and glove box lights not turning off can cause a battery to slowly drain down. All Modern cars have some parasitic draw from the electronics. That draw will vary over the life of the car but not a lot. Let say your car used to go 30 days without a charge and now it only goes 27 days, good luck finding that, but if it goes from 30 days to 15 days that should be traceable. Again 90% of the cars that come in with dramatic changes in battery life end up leaving with a new battery. Now the real question is how clean is the voltage and is that killing the battery. That I can not talk someone through that does not have the proper back ground.

 

do not disconnect the battery while engine is running. you can burn out a negative diode in the alternator. agree with gorn if battery is old it most likely is failing and needs replaced. I have seen bad battery go dead in a short time with nothing on in the car. if alternator light is on something is not happy.