SO I replaced my alternator recently with a reman with the same 70 amp rating. Car drives fine and starts normal. What I don't understand is that my bulb out light will flash on/off whenever I have any exterior lights on. This was happening even prior to changing the alternator so I thought putting a new (reman) one will solve it... well, it did not... So today, I was able to do the big three upgrade and decided to test the actual voltage using a multimeter. On idle with no load, it reads a constant 14.4v... but alas, once on full load on idle; hi-beams, flashers, A/C, the voltage drops to a measly 12.2v. I did not even tested it with my brake lights and wipers on... when I rev it to 2500 RPM, the most voltage I was getting was 13.8v +,_... I was so surprised at the amount of voltage drop i had on full load... is this an indication that the alternator maybe a lemon and must be swapped with another one? I am curious to know what everybody else's readings are so I have some comparison... Given the the stock output was is only 70 AMP, one would assume that it should be sufficient to supply the demand of the car's electrical... I'm very eager to know since I will be completing my audio upgrade soon and if the car cannot handle the extra load, then I need to think of a solution....
the voltage drop is normal. you are seeing the bulb out light because: you have a tail light bulb out you have a bad ground on the tail light bulb housing to add to this, and tihs is something i post often... i was 2nd in the world with my previous celica in dbdrag. 151.9db in 2sub 1amp no-wall class. all of the alternators will last about 6 months dealing with this BS. run dual batteries, huge wiring, and stiffining caps. i can assist much further if needed. i still remember all of the fun things i had to do to prevent the car from dropping out when the stereo was turned up.
also, wtf...you are in leesburg? i train at vmma every other week. perhaps i should come by your place afterwards? leesburg is only a couple hours from my house in annapolis.
yeah bro... leesburg, VA... you are more than welcome to stop by... as for my audio upgrade... i won't be doing db drag or any of that nature... im more SQ and clarity... for my purpose, a cap is not necessary... i'm using 4ga wires for the power/ground plus hoping that the big 3 upgrade will help... for the bulb out light, i am more convinced that it is a grounding issue as my bulbs are all fine... i will tinker with it when the wife calms dwon from me spending too much time with stuff...
