Hello All,
Browsed the site but haven't found anything specific to my request. I recently got a 'Charging System Failure' warning on Thurs Aug 7. My alternator had been replaced in Sept 2013. I knew the battery has been weak so I replaced it. Problem is, voltage is very sporadic. I see 14.5 at times. But lately it struggles to make 12.9.
So I took it back to the garage that originally replaced the alternator. He informed me that he was able to reproduce issue and noticed that the Alternator was experiencing overheating. He replaced the Alt last night. Now today for the first 15 mins of drive it sat at 14.7 volts (which I thought is nice). Within a 5 min span, it reduced to 13.07.
I called the mechanic back and he advised to keep an eye if it drops under 13. He did tell me that the computer was commanding anywhere from 14.5 to 13.2 during his testing.
I use the torque app on my BlackBerry and I'm curious if the ability to see what the commanded voltage is. Or would it need a custom PID added. I found 'Voltage Control Module'
To be honest, since the Alt was replaced last year, I haven't been monitoring the voltage. It may be possible that this was occurring the whole time unnoticed. Any input is appreciated.
Thanks
2005 Grand Prix GXP