Cutlass Ciara Alternator?

Tiny
KINGHUDS
  • MEMBER
  • 1993 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 190 MILES
Car battery had been dead for a week, got it jumped and it ran fine until I got to a long stop light where it died. Jumped it again to drive it back, again ran fine until I sat idling in the parking lot.
Haven't gone to check voltages, but just wanted to confirm that this is likely a battery/alternator problem, or is there something else I should look into?
Monday, April 11th, 2011 AT 3:54 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 34,330 POSTS
Yup, you can confirm a generator problem by measuring battery voltage while the engine is running. It must be between 13.75 and 14.75 volts. This design, used since 1987 model, has an extremely high failure rate. What many professionals are finding out is to reduce the number of repeat failures you should replace the battery at the same time. It will work fine in older cars, but as they age, they lose their ability to dampen the huge voltage spikes these generators produce.
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Monday, April 11th, 2011 AT 6:07 AM

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