Family,

I have been enjoying my car for a few weeks now that the snow is gone - yeah!!


- When at idle, i can hear the fuel pump buzz and see my voltmeter increase (1-2Volts) then decrease like it is being pulsed. I am idling at under 1000RPM (is this too low?). When driving, I have no problems and the voltmeter registers 12-14volts (depending what I have on).

anyone have ideas what could be causing this cyclical surge?

Thanx in advance, and love the new layout!

T

The idle is not too low, however the alternator output is very low at that point and small fluctuations in RPM could cause bigger output changes. It could be the fuel pump has high resistance connections and is starving for current. The voltmeter is not much of a guide to real system voltage anyway. Use a DVM and some long leads to measure voltage at specific points of interest. I would choose a point near the alternator for a single reference ground point. Measure the voltage difference from here to battery ground and find the lowest point to serve as a ground point for all other measurements. What you find may surprise you.

now that is an answer!

i will check things out.

what should the alternator output be at idle (1000rpm)?

Anyone know?

T