ok guys, I just rebuilt my engine and put it back in.. my car has been out of commission for about 6 months.. I finally got the work done, but its hard doin it all when you only have one day a week sometimes zero to work on it... anyways here is what happened... note that the wiring has been disco'd for probably 4-6 months and the car isnt in a garage... but everything runs great and everything is new, the engine has never sound so smooth. I bought a brand new battery and ran my car for 2 days, everything was fine..then the third day, my check engine light came on and my battery light came on.. I went to autozone and they checked my light, (95gs) the codes were low battery and o2 sensor.. I charged the battery, and the check engine light went off... now I painted my block and valve cover, is it possible somethin could be grounded off and if so, where? and I just have doubts that it is definately the altenator b/c it ran fine for 2 days, and if the alt was shot, the battery would have died... but if I pull the positive terminal when my car is running, the engine dies, which is a indicator that it is the altenator.. I was just wonderin if a bad connection somewhere would give it that or if it definately the alt..dont wanna spend 229 on one when I dont need it right now..thanks guys

maybe it lasted 2 days because the alternator is not completely dead. or maybe it was okay for those 2 days then died.

maybe the alternator is going bad, but notall the way out yet. Putting out a charge- but not as much as it should!??!

"now I painted my block and valve cover, is it possible somethin could be grounded off and if so, where?"

its seriously doubtfull that the paint messed anything up. sure, the paint might have introduced a resistance in the grounding of the car at certain points, but your problems would not have resulted. things would have been more subtle.

"and I just have doubts that it is definately the altenator b/c it ran fine for 2 days, and if the alt was shot, the battery would have died"

i have doubts that it is the alt. as well. you have the right frame of mind in your reasoning. alternators do not typically just "die" like that, at least not in our cars.

"if I pull the positive terminal when my car is running, the engine dies, which is a indicator that it is the altenator"

this is not a safe thing to do on any car produced after fuel injection was introduced. the battery helps to filter voltage and a/c ripples, and those can damage sensative parts within the computer system of modern cars. HOWEVER...i will agree that this test does seem to point out a weakness in the alternator, wither it is producing "damaging" signals or and out-of-whack voltage. i must note that this is not an end-all test, though.

"I was just wonderin if a bad connection somewhere would give it that or if it definately the alt"

its not def. the alternator (although that is a probablility), and such a sudden loss in power would lead me to belive tht something has shorted or become disconnected. when batteries or alternators go bad, there are typically warning signs...hard starts, wierd idle, noise in the stereo, etc... they dont normally just "stop working" as you have described.

"dont wanna spend 229 on one when I dont need it right now"

you dont have to. you can pick up used alts. form this f/s forum or others (dsmtalk.com / dsmtuners.com / dsmtrader.com / ebay.com) or get a high-output 140 amp version from www.4alterstart.com for around 200. i highly recommend them.

if you plan to remove your alternator (search this site for instructions) in order to have it tested, i highly recommend you call ahead to the place you are taking it to. i know that in my area, no autozone, advance auto parts, etc... can test the alts. from our cars. of course, the first thing you might want to do is have the battery tested for free. strange, strange things can happen when you have a bad battery.

dumb suggestion but a definite possibility.... did you make sure the belts were properly routed and properly torqued? if the belt is loose enough your situation can arise.

thanks guys... yeah I had the batt tested, it was bad after it was worn down b/c of the alt not charging it... it is a new battery though so its fine after a charge... I'm gonna check into those used alts, but at the same time 229 for one w/ a life time warranty isnt so bad I guess... and yeah belts are tightened, that's the first thing I checked and unfortunately wasnt it..thanks though guys..peace

ok, your alternator should charge anywhere from 13.4 - 14.0. Your is probably is charging like 12.7. Giving the battery a little charge. But it will envetually go dead. + autozone blows. They dont have heavy duty equipment. Let me know if you want you can send the alternator to me and I can check it out and give you a call and fix it if you want. later
Zach

hey man.. if its worth the money to ship it then I'll send it to ya.. unless I can do it myself.. I'm pretty mechanically inclined... do you have aol aim? if so hit me up sometime, my name is rawdawgstv.. or just reply here..thanks man

also.. I have an amp for my stereo.. should I just suck it up and buy a new alt anyways.. and a higher output one at that? what other car's have the same alt or one that will work w/ our cars..thanks again

I can build you a pretty good alternator. It would be cheaper to just fix that one and let me amp it up. Get a priceing quote for sending it to 31794. Tifton, Ga. I can tell you if it is worth it or not. We have people drive from 100+ miles to come see us cause we do an excellent job. For me to fix it. It sounds like the voltage regulator that could cost from 35-50 depends on how many amps you want. Just let me know. I tried to msg you on aim. you werent online. My aim is holyroller8. thanks