Thread: Engine makes faint intrmitnt thumping - pulls down idle (rough), alternator overheats

I'd be very interested as to why the alt is pushing so much power. Not sure where to go beyond that.. but hey.. someone had to post in your thread besides you.

Originally Posted by BillBoost37

I'd be very interested as to why the alt is pushing so much power. Not sure where to go beyond that.. but hey.. someone had to post in your thread besides you.

Lol, thanks! It is rated for 110 amps I believe, and according to my touchless ammeter has a load of only 30-40 amps on average (I don't know if this is a normal range). Would a bad ground increase the load on the alt? I am sure a short would, but a single circuit with a bad ground should cause issues on the circuit device itself, not the alt right? I am willing to accept that it's a faulty alternator, but my last one also fried I believe in a similar manner. I wonder if a damaged wire in the bundle that clips to the alt could cause this effect.

I could also accept that the O2 sensor is defective, but with this new tool in my arsenal (Torque), I hope to be able to narrow it down. I will see if I can monitor actual fuel trim values when I figure out how.