I have a 1977 Volvo D244 that seems to have alternator problems. The only problem is that the alternator and battery both test that they are working properly. The wires are all in good working condition. However, the car will just die at intermittent times and then it is a huge production to get it going again. I don?t have a lot of money to take it to a mechanic and have them charge me a ton of money to find the problem. Any suggestions on what the problem might be???
So what exactly happens ?
The engine dies then what ?
Won’t turn over ? Turns over but won’t start ?
Need a little more info pls.
Your problem is probably NOT the alternator. Please provide more info.
It acts like either the alternator or battery is dying. All the dash lights turn on, then I have about 1 mile before it completely shuts off. I can jump it and drive for about 2 miles before it dies again. Once it dies, you can try to turn it over, but it acts like a dead battery. I?ve taken both the battery and alternator for testing and they both test fine. There also doesn?t appear to be a problem with the wiring. What else do you need to know?
I’d take a look at your battery connections first, ensure they are clean and secure.
Likewise with the engine to body ground cable, this will be most likely bolted from the tranny bell housing and an adjacent part of the body work. If this is not secure, the car will not have an effective circuit and will attempt to use stuff like throttle cable / linkages to complete the ground circuit, these components are not designed for this of course and will not allow the alternator to charge effectively.
Going from your descripition of the trouble it seems to me the battery is losing the charge from the alternator for some reason and then dying out as you drive on. If there is an external regulator it may be intermittent or something else in the wiring for the charging system. The dash warning lights coming on when the trouble occurs is a good clue to the source of the trouble.
Thanks for the ideas. I know that the battery connections are clean and secure, because I had them replaced thinking that was the problem. I will take a look at the grounding wire and see if it might be the problem.