1979 corvette ..

G

gerald mindenhall

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2 You're 10
Sep 29, 2012
5
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coombs.B.C
VetteCoins
534
Car
1979
i have two problems to deal with first is the altenator, should i have power going to my altenator when the key is turned off i can kill a new altenator in a matter of minutes,after five minutes of the motor running , the altenator will burn you if you touch it. all the connections are good the ground is good

the second problem is, i have super wide tires on the front of this car for some reason i seem to blow the seals out of the sterring ram ive replaced the unit three times with new and rebuilt units same thing happens i.m thinking the tires may to to big for the unit to handle
 
Hi Gerald..
I'm not sure on the hot wire question..??
I think that terminal is hot all the time but I can't check my car right now..
My battery is currently(!) disconnected while I do some work on the car. Sorry.
The alternator should be not getting abnormally hot.
I don't know what to tell you.?? Something is wrong.
Do you have an Amp gauge or Volt gauge in your dash??? Is that reading fine!
1975s gave an Amp gauge... I'm not sure what is common in a 1979 model Vette.
Most places have an alternator/generator shop around that can bench-test it for you.
Those old alternators generally just need a new diode trio to repair them..

Tires? How wide is super-wide???
I've run 265/50-15s or 255/45-17s on the front for 30+ years in slaloms and never had an issue.
Some of my buddies run sticky race tires and I've not heard of a problem.
Odd....

Now... About your postings..
That's 2(two) postings in 3 1/2 years! Something has to be done here!!!!!
We need to hear from you more. And maybe a picture of your prize automobile.
And. Did you ever get you clutch noise sorted out??

Graham
 
Your problems are kinda strange. Blowing the seal out of the ram sounds like excessive fluid pressure not cause of tire size. If several rams did this then it sounds like the pump is putting out too high a pressure and causing this, something I never seen before. Change the pump and it should be OK.
The big wire on the stud on the alt is live all the time. The other 2 are on the volt reg , one being powered when key is on. If you have blown several alternators already then there must be a short in the harness from the 2 wire plug I would think and instead of charging into the positive with key on it is pushing into the negative thus the alt gets hot and fries.
 
XFIRE82 said:
Your problems are kinda strange. Blowing the seal out of the ram sounds like excessive fluid pressure not cause of tire size. If several rams did this then it sounds like the pump is putting out too high a pressure and causing this, something I never seen before. Change the pump and it should be OK.
The big wire on the stud on the alt is live all the time. The other 2 are on the volt reg , one being powered when key is on. If you have blown several alternators already then there must be a short in the harness from the 2 wire plug I would think and instead of charging into the positive with key on it is pushing into the negative thus the alt gets hot and fries.
Click to expand...
the last time it happenened i i had to replace every thing, the pump the control valve, hoses, and the ram the new ram lasted about a month before the seal went. the tires i have on the front are P275/50 R15 101S as foe the altenator i will have to find another old corvette and see if they have power going to it with the key off . another posting i had was about a noisey clutch it was actually the throwout bearing i had a new clutch put in and bearing, but i dont think they rally changed the bearing cause i still get that horrible squeal once in a while
XFIRE82 said:
Your problems are kinda strange. Blowing the seal out of the ram sounds like excessive fluid pressure not cause of tire size. If several rams did this then it sounds like the pump is putting out too high a pressure and causing this, something I never seen before. Change the pump and it should be OK.
The big wire on the stud on the alt is live all the time. The other 2 are on the volt reg , one being powered when key is on. If you have blown several alternators already then there must be a short in the harness from the 2 wire plug I would think and instead of charging into the positive with key on it is pushing into the negative thus the alt gets hot and fries.
Click to expand...
 

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About your alternator, It does get hot when its charging max power. A weak battery will make it work way to hard and make the stator overheat. Your alt. is probably a 70 to 80 amp rating at high rpm, to keep the engine running, you probably use at least 25 to 30 amps so if the battery isn't to good the alt. is always running max power trying to recharge it and creating a lot of heat. Terminal "Bat" should be live all the time, terminal #2 should have power with key at "run" position and terminal #1 is connected to the printed circuit to feed the voltmeter or "battery" indicator lamp according to your equipment.. All ground goes true the alternator housing to the engine block. If you suspect a problem with the ground (corrosion can isolate the alternator even if it is bolted on) use a boosting cable conneted from the battery negative to the housing of the alternator, you will then eliminate any ground problem. An old sealed beam make a good tool to test the 2 powers that feed bat and #2 terminals. Connect the old sealed beam directly to the battery and check how strong is the light, then leave it connected to the groung and the other lead to "bat" terminal on the back of the alternator, it should be as strong as direct to the battery, repeat the process with the power (key on) from terminal #2 (disconect it from the alternator to make this test) Should also be as strong. There is some great equipment to run good test but they are expensive, if all you powers are good, the ground is good and the battery is good and fully charge then ask Santa for a new alternator. Good luck. Stephane
G09344705
 
I would first look for a grounding issue. Just because the cables are connected and tight does not mean that they are making a good connection. Are the wires hot as well, or just the alternator housing? If your ground cable to the block is too hot to touch, then it is not grounded properly.

Is the regulator built into your alternator (like I believe it should), or do you actually have a separate voltage regulator?

Do you find that the engine turns over slower when it is hot than when it is cold?

Cables are cheap. I would change those first. I've been through this before where I replaced the alternator twice, the battery once, the regulator once, and then I touched the ground cable and burned my hand. I replaced all the cables from alternator to battery, battery to starter, and ground cables, and everything worked perfect again. Wish I had started with those damn cables.
 
theboss said:
About your alternator, It does get hot when its charging max power. A weak battery will make it work way to hard and make the stator overheat. Your alt. is probably a 70 to 80 amp rating at high rpm, to keep the engine running, you probably use at least 25 to 30 amps so if the battery isn't to good the alt. is always running max power trying to recharge it and creating a lot of heat. Terminal "Bat" should be live all the time, terminal #2 should have power with key at "run" position and terminal #1 is connected to the printed circuit to feed the voltmeter or "battery" indicator lamp according to your equipment.. All ground goes true the alternator housing to the engine block. If you suspect a problem with the ground (corrosion can isolate the alternator even if it is bolted on) use a boosting cable conneted from the battery negative to the housing of the alternator, you will then eliminate any ground problem. An old sealed beam make a good tool to test the 2 powers that feed bat and #2 terminals. Connect the old sealed beam directly to the battery and check how strong is the light, then leave it connected to the groung and the other lead to "bat" terminal on the back of the alternator, it should be as strong as direct to the battery, repeat the process with the power (key on) from terminal #2 (disconect it from the alternator to make this test) Should also be as strong. There is some great equipment to run good test but they are expensive, if all you powers are good, the ground is good and the battery is good and fully charge then ask Santa for a new alternator. Good luck. Stephane
G09344705
Click to expand...
i have a new battery in it i found an old altenator in my shed i dont know what it came of of the frame is a little different amd i had to get a longer belt to get the altenator away from the the hiigh rise valve covers i have a two wire plug in on the top of it but in order to make it work i had to reverse the two wires it has a lower output than i would like. the alnenator still gets hot , but it is pretty close to he ceramic headers, I also have a new alnenator to put in
this is the third one the parts store has given me under warranty im afraid to put it in i know it will blow up also `i have a feeling that lordco
has a real bad batch of alnenators or bad regulators inside them tomorrow i will go looking for new batterry cables for this this car
 
Any local shop should have a AVR test equipement, it is not expensive and it will tell you if your is charging properly and if the diodes are good or if you have a local rebuilder for starter and alternator, they have a test bench, you could bring the alternator and have it check. I did a AVR test this morning on a police car with a 220 amps alternator and just making the test (about 2 minutes) got it hot enough that you could not keep your hand on it. Also make sure the ground cable is clean at the block, if possible unscrew it, clean the connector and the treads of the bolt
 
Have to agree with Stephane and others about tracing the ground, not only to the engine, but each connection right to the battery.

The car looks good! I hope you're able to resolve the problem and keep an alternator in your car! As for the steering, if you've replaced the ram, rack, hoses, and pump and it still blows.....???? As Jermaid said, fluid??? But I'm assuming that was changed when all the components were changed.
 
Sounds like something is pulling an awful lot of current, like the guys say find and clean all the grounds but I would also find and clean as many of the main hot connections as I could. Scratching my head on your steering problem though. Is any thing in your steering binding through the arc of of turning your wheels? It sounds like you have covered everything else although I cannot see if you have also change your hoses. Could there be an internal failure in your return line?
 
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