Why Check the System I Know What’s Wrong!

We all have Test Equipment

But We All Use These Testers!

Our Favorite Testers!

Question I If the units are 100% tested at the factory, why do I seem to get so many bad units?

Question I If the units are 100% tested at the factory, why do I seem to get so many bad units? 1) I’m Just Lucky! 2) The Units Were Damaged In Shipment. 3) The Units Are Cataloged Wrong. 4) They Don’t Really Test Them At The Factory 5) The Units Are Not Really The Problem

Answer! The product you receive has nothing to do with luck, and while occasionally products can be harmed in route, and cataloging errors can happen. We take every possible step to ensure the quality of the product we sell, and the vast majority of problems can be traced to some other member of the electrical team on the vehicle.

Warranty Returns 1) 55% of all DEFECTIVE alternators function perfectly 2) 52% of all DEFECTIVE starters function perfectly

2013 Core Testing Testing of the cores returned in 2013 show that over 33% of all cores tested good! That’s 1 in 3 times were the replacement of the unit did not fix the problem Most Alternator/Starter failures can be traced back to bad connections Which Testers Do You Think Got Used?

Educational Stuff

The Charging Team The Charging System is much more than just the Alternator. 1) Alternator 2) Battery 3) Cables 4) Tensioner 5) Belt

Alternator!

What an Alternator Does 1) Maintains the Battery 2) See Rule #1 What an Alternator Does Not Do 1) Charge Batteries with Low Voltage 2) Run the Vehicle’s Electrical System

What is an Alternators Nemesis? Weak BatteriesWeak Batteries Low VoltageLow Voltage WiringWiring Frayed, corroded, looseFrayed, corroded, loose The ElementsThe Elements Water, Oil, Dust, HeatWater, Oil, Dust, Heat

Voltage Drop Test Why Is This Important? If we have a.8 volt drop on the ground side. The alternator is only “seeing” 11.8 volts on a fully charged 12.6 volt battery. Resulting in alternator going wide open to correct drop Alternator Overheats Alternator Fails! When replacing a Alternator/Starter always do a voltage drop test first. Most times the original failure is caused by those bad connections

Battery

Why is a Battery Like a Glass of Beer?

Result – New Battery Can Be Installed at 70%

Battery State of Charge 12.6 or Higher = 100% Charged 12.4 or Higher = 75% Charged 12.2 or Higher = 50% Charged 12.0 or Higher = 25% Charged Less than 12.0 = Discharged

Battery State of Charge Diagnosis has to be Systematic!  Always check battery first!  Check for 12.6 volts at battery  Load test battery  Check belt tension – is it loose?  Check cables and connections

Things to know about a Starter

The Starter’s Enemies Low VoltageLow Voltage Dead or undercharged batteriesDead or undercharged batteries Poor GroundingPoor Grounding Loose cablesLoose cables Poor mountingPoor mounting CorrodedCorroded Earth, Wind and FireEarth, Wind and Fire Dirt, water, oil, heat, salt etc…Dirt, water, oil, heat, salt etc…

Mounting Ground Largest grounding surface on a Starter is the mounting flange. What’s wrong with this picture? Clean Block and Starter surface!

Cables and Terminals are Critical Always Buy Quality Cables If making your own cables, Solder and Heat Shrink 00 Cables solve a lot of problems….Bigger is Better! Take the time and do it RIGHT the first time!

Simple Things to Prevent 1 in 3

Alternator Alternator Proper AmperageProper Amperage Check WiresCheck Wires Start with Charged Batteries/ Charging StationStart with Charged Batteries/ Charging Station

Simple Things to Prevent 1 in 3 Alternator Alternator Proper AmperageProper Amperage Check WiresCheck Wires Start with Charged Batteries/ Charging StationStart with Charged Batteries/ Charging StationStarter Start with “GOOD GROUND” Check Cables

Questions?

Thank you