Lights down low, windows down slow...

[Bearded Viking]

The driver side window started moving slow when going up or down... I thought it was the electric motor showing it's age... and then, I noticed my dash lights looked dimmer then they usually were, but I thought, these have never been that bright and perhaps my eye sight at night was slipping! Yikes! And then... the alternator light lit up for ~5 seconds. It was raining out and I thought it might have been a "glitch".

The next evening I'm driving home from work with the radio playing when all of a sudden the radio display dimmed and shut off. The radio is old and now I'm thinking, here we go, now I need a new radio. I turn it back on and within a minute, it slowly fades away again. I'm finally thinking battery-alternator problem! I look at the tach and the flouresent orange needle is bouncing around between 500-1500 RPM, but the motor is idling fine and is not following the tach bouncing.

I call Tom Amon (Mobile Works WEST) to explain what is happening...
Tom said it sounded like the alternator was failing (or failed) and I'm running on what's left of the battery charge! He says, turn off your lights, radio, and any electric accessory that I can in order to make it home. I had already done this, so now my fingers are crossed to make it home!

I didn't make it home, she stalled out on me, but luckily for me I was able to pull over and park in a safe spot away from speeding traffic. I popped the engine lid, to see if by chance the belt was broken, but as soon as the lid was up, I smelled electrical burn. It was originating right from the center of the fan...

I call Tom back and tell him the bad news. This is Tuesday night and I need my car for work. He tells me that he can stop by my house Thursday "night" and check out the car and replace the alternator and battery. The battery was over 5-6 years old and having confidence that the alternator was dead, I figured that a battery refresh was needed too.

Tom arrived Thursday night (Yep, night time visit!) with his 500 watt halogen light and went to work. We confirmed the alternator was dead. Once the alternator and battery were replaced, the car fired right up!

Dash lights bright (well...), and windows down fast again! Radio stays on too! Haha!

Tom has been servicing my 87 Carrera for ~3 years now and has always done a fantastic job on my car! He shows up when he says he will and never throws in any extra BS!

I realize this can be a DIY job, but I needed fast service to get me on the road again, and Tom did just that.

The warning signs where there in hind sight, but I would have liked the alternator light to have stayed on. Oh well....

My car seems faster now!

[fondeportago]

Tom always saves the day!

[RoninLB]

all owners should install a volt gauge somewhere.