Sierra alternator overcharging.

[mike_nofx]

Just wondering what other peoples 1.3 sierras charge the battery at?

My old batt died and i bought a new one today, the guy done a quick check over and my battery charges at 14.6V. Apparently it shouldnt charge over 14.4V.

He believes it may be the alternator regulator. Is the regulator a part that can be changed?

Thanks
Mike

[want33s]

mmmmm... more information..
Is yours a 1.0 or 1.3? Internal or external reg?
Jas.

[spamwell]

regulators are normally replaceable unless an alternator is especially unusual,

the only difference is thats it's alot harder to change an internal regulator yourself.

auto electrician would be able to tell you by looking at it most of the time.;

[mike_nofx]

Its a 1.3

Not sure what to look for when determining if its internal or external?

Thanks
Mike

[11_evl]

14.6v sounds ok to me

[want33s]

1.3 is internal regulator IE: built into the alternator.
14.6 Volts is the very upper limit of battery tolerance.
If you do only short trips I wouldn't worry about it but if you do lots of trips more than say 20km then replace the alternator before you boil your battery dry.

For about $50 you can get an EF Falcon 100A or Fairmont 110A alt from wreckers.
They are easy to fit and more than double the power output of stock alt.

Jas.

[ajsr]

13.3 - 13.8 is common charge volts
if battery is relly flat or high demand on elec system it may charge higher but 14's is high
reg is most likely f ked.
I doubt your battery would last long if it keeps charging at that rate

[bazooked]

14.6 volts is anon issue, i was in the battery industry for 3 years and that charge rate is NORMAL, also did he check it with the lights on? plus alot of the newer batteries luv that charge rate, and you will not boil the battery at 14.6 volts

[skez]

wish my alt went that high

[mike_nofx]

When fitting the battery i wanted the sealed maint free battery, but the battery fitter reccomended the low maintenance battery because of the high voltage charge. (sealed cost more) He's a trusted bloke. been in the battery business many years (Key's Batterys anyone?)

I dont plan on running any equipment with a high power demand (no fridges, big stereo, or anything like that) Just need to be able to start the engine, listen to the radio, and on very rare occasions use 2 small spotties.

I use it for work 5 days a week (10km each way) with an off-road day trip every 2-3 weeks. Not for touring (its a sierra...)

Getting some mixed answers here. Not sure wether to leave it as is, or source a new one.
Also, with fitting an alternator such as the mentioned falcon one, being larger and producing more power, would it cause a loss in engine power?

Thanks for all the replies!

Mike

[11_evl]

will only decrease engine power if you LOAD up the alt by running lots of accessaries. an alt will put out enough power that is required and no more. AFAIK

[84ZOOKSTA]

What you need to do is check the voltage with lights and other stuff on.

14.6 is not to high, if the battery was flat it would not be able to get anywhere near the 14.6v mark.

Check the voltage with different loads (lights on, Spots on etc) you will see quickly if the regulator is stuffed or not.

normal charge rate is between 13.8-14.4 BUT this is all dependant on load on the alternator.


i bet it wont be 14.6 with your lights and spotties on.

cheers