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Stock Z Alternator Output?

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Old 04-06-2011, 04:20 AM
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BlizagaXx
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Default Stock Z Alternator Output?

Hey guys, what voltage does your stock Z put out on the volt gauge? I keep popping ballasts in my 03 touring (OEM HID) and I have no idea why. I noticed my voltage IS kind of high, like 15 always, but it goes up to 15.5v, maybe even more. I never really paid attention to the voltage gauge though so this may be how it operated the whole time. I never really had a reason to check the gauge, I'm stock. I was thinking maybe the voltage regulator in the alternator might be bad.

Last edited by BlizagaXx; 04-06-2011 at 04:22 AM.
Old 04-06-2011, 06:13 AM
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DavesZ#3
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Normally, alternators put out about 14+ volts. Per the FSM, the regulated voltage should read between 14.1 and 14.7 volts.

Last edited by DavesZ#3; 04-06-2011 at 07:37 AM.
Old 04-06-2011, 06:54 AM
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drivessidewayz
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My Z and crv are, as Dave said, between 14.1 and 14.7; typically 14.4
Old 04-06-2011, 07:19 AM
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diablox1
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15.5 is too high for consistent, steady state output. normal range is like stated above, with acceptable and very rare fraction-of-a-second spikes into the 15s, but never constant and all the time. get your alternator checked out
Old 04-06-2011, 07:48 AM
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DFW Z33
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mine puts out 14 on the dot when driving
Old 04-06-2011, 09:35 AM
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BlizagaXx
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Yeah I though that's what it was supposed to be. I'm by no means a rookie when it comes to working on cars, I just didn't know if Z's ran higher. Like I said, never had a reason to look at the volt meter until now. There's a shop by my house that rebuilds alternators so I'll have him take a look at it.

Thanks guys!
Old 04-06-2011, 11:15 AM
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christol
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Originally Posted by BlizagaXx
Yeah I though that's what it was supposed to be. I'm by no means a rookie when it comes to working on cars, I just didn't know if Z's ran higher. Like I said, never had a reason to look at the volt meter until now. There's a shop by my house that rebuilds alternators so I'll have him take a look at it.

Thanks guys!
If you have a good voltmeter of your own, check it at the battery. Check at idle and at 2k rpm. OEM voltmeters seem to guesstimate quite often.
Old 04-06-2011, 04:06 PM
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BlizagaXx
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I've got a Fluke multimeter I'll check it with thanks.
Old 04-06-2011, 11:27 PM
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winchman
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I heard a joke once about a high voltage reading being just a fluke, but I can't remember how it went.
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