So I was messing with the power wire for my amp. I have the wire running from the red (+) distribution box on the passenger side shock tower. I unscrewed the power wire fuse, and accidentally dropped the side of the wire that was attached to the power, and it hit the shock tower and made a pretty big spark, but I was able to ****** it up pretty quick.

I put it all back together to make sure everything still worked, and it seemed for a while that it was ok, but after taking a short test drive, on my way home the "Check Gauges" light came on and my volts were down to about 12. So I pull out the volt meter, and sure enough, I only have 12.5v at the battery.

Could this have been caused by dropping the power wire? Sounds like my alternator is dying.

Is there anything I can check other than battery terminals and ground wires before I assume the alt. is dying?

 

take it to auto zone they'll check it for free the alternator

 

You can see if you alt is charging by comparing the static battery voltage to voltage when the engine is running. Take readings at the battery.

 

PS: Next time, disconnect the negative side of the battery when dealing with electricity.. Live and Learn... Been there, done that..

 

So what I did can damage other electrical components?

 

The voltage at the battery is the same with the car running or off. It seems the alternator is strong enough to keep it stable, but not strong enough to maintain it's usual power.

 

With the engine idling at normal temp, the voltage should be around 13.8~14.2... What are you showing???

 

12.5

 

Then, the alternator is not charging. Have it tested.

 

So I took the alternator apart. I was thinking I could just replace the bridge rectifier, but when I took it apart I noticed this.



In case you can't see it from the picture, this piece is broke to pieces in there and the springs were all over the place.


I don't know what this piece is called or what it does, but could it be causing the problem?

 

Figured out that it's called a brush holder. Sounds pretty important in transferring current, so I'm going to replace it to see if it helps.

 

Yeah, those are the brushes. It won't work without them.

 

Don't the brushes always pop out if you seperate the case?

 

When you pull the armature out, the brushes may pop out, because they are spring loaded. The holders should stay in place, though. When you re-assemble, there is normally a way to push the brushes back in and "pin" them from the outside, so you can insert the armature. You then remove the pins to release the brushes. Usually a paper clip or small nail can be used as a pin.

 

But if you notice the brush holder is broken where it bolts on, so once it snapped, the springs go both ways, pushing the brush holder away and losing the connection.