Friends, SOS from Tennessee - semi-stranded.

[spidklr]

Regrettably, I am partway home to MN from AL with my '88 and having electrical problems. The car has about a one year old battery and got a fresh rebuilt alternator last spring, but now the car isn't charging the battery any longer when I drive, so it's running on the battery and depleting it.

I suppose it's the usual suspects - perhaps I got a bad alternator or voltage regulator when it was replaced, or the battery is hosed despite it's young age.

I can charge the battery with a charger and limp along a bit, perhaps for an hour or two at a time. Last stint like that the lights started to flicker, so I stopped for the night at a hotel.

Anyone know a reputable place in TN I could get this looked at? I'm west of Knoxville just off I-40.

[350 SIX]

These guys are good Welcome to Air Cooled Classics Porsche Service and Restoration

[pmax]

Hi,
I wouldn't drive it any distance on a bad alternator or VR.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/866360-danger-install-volt-meter-now.html

[spidklr]

Thanks y'all - the battery is out of the car and has not exploded :-). That's good advice, though.

[93nav]

Would one of those volt meters you plug into your cigarette lighter help monitor the situation? Not sure what kind of autoparts stores are around where you are at.

[93nav]

What part of TN are you in? N, S, E, W???? I had a guy look at a car for me once in eastern TN (I think it was eastern). I will pm you his phone number.

[spidklr]

Thanks all - I found a good shop, very friendly and they went WAY out of their way to help me out. It does look like I'm stuck in Knoxville for a while until more other businesses open Monday.

[tirwin]

Does the battery light come on when you turn the key? Not sure about your year model but that bulb is part of the charging circuit in earlier cars.

Hope you get it resolved!

[spidklr]

I'll have a look - I guess if that's part of the charging circuit then if it comes on it would at least indicate there's no wiring break in the charging wiring, even if the alternator or voltage regulator has some issue?

The whole set of symptoms:

- If the battery is charged, the car starts and runs OK
- Over time while driving the battery runs down
- Eventually the battery light in the dash starts to flicker on slightly, then more. Other lights like the upshift/idiot light go a little dim or flicker. If the headlights are on they start to flicker too.
- At that point the car will no longer start if I turn it off, and the battery reads very low when re-connected to a charger
- Battery itself checked out OK when I took it to an auto parts store this morning to have it tested, but as suspected the car's not charging it.

[LakeCleElum]

If you have to limp home (done it with a motorcycle):

Buy a 2nd battery and run only daylight hours with headlights off. Charge all night and repeat the next day.

[afterburn 549]

Ditto ^^

[scottrx7tt]

If you need anything, let me know. I live in West knoxville. I have a garage full of tools and lots of porsche wrenching experience. Sounds like a bad alternator to me. If the voltage regulator were bad, it would probably overcharge the battery.

[Algernon]

Can the regulator voltage be adjusted, assuming it is just low not destroyed?

[Modifier]

Spidklr - What shop helped out? I live in Knoxville and it's always nice to know who the good guys are around you. Hope you get this sorted out and on your way home soon!

[tirwin]

In the spirit of checking for things that could get you on your way, do you have a good ground for the alternator? Ground strap properly connected?

[DanielDudley]

Sometimes the fan belt will slip at higher RPMs, even though it seems fine at idle.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

If you have to limp home (done it with a motorcycle):

Buy a 2nd battery and run only daylight hours with headlights off. Charge all night and repeat the next day.

I had to do this with my 84 from NC to MI with the same prob. Didn't charge overnight, but never shut it down..even when refueling. At home...fixed it.

[tmadden2]

As a former Knoxvillian, welcome to the Marble City and enjoy your (hopefully) brief visit to East Tennessee.


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[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

If you have to limp home (done it with a motorcycle):

Buy a 2nd battery and run only daylight hours with headlights off. Charge all night and repeat the next day.

I like it.

Fully charged battery with little draw? 3-5 hours. Then backup battery. Plus parts stores could charge them both at 40 amps for a couple hours.

Just like driving a Tesla.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by tmadden2

As a former Knoxvillian, welcome to the Marble City and enjoy your (hopefully) brief visit to East Tennessee.

Gotta be some decent BBQ there.

Just enjoy it. Screwed for the short term.

God bless that shop!