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ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: daddyizzle on November 05, 2006, 07:31:33 PM

Title: bad alternator? confirmation please.
Post by: daddyizzle on November 05, 2006, 07:31:33 PM
I just swapped sammys with another guy. I wanted a tin and he wanted a soft top.  I'm driving along in the cold and rain. I feel a bog in the motor. I shut the wipers off and put the lights on park instead of normal. Turned the blower down to low. It stopped bogging. I also notice that the wipers move r e a l l y   s l o w.  The heater blower doesn't blow very hard either. It runs great otherwise. Mostly holds 70 except on hills.


What do you think?
Title: Re: bad alternator? confirmation please.
Post by: Digger on November 05, 2006, 11:53:04 PM
Bad body ground. Connect a 10 or 12 guage wire to the negative battery terminal and attach the other end to a nearby solid body panel, like the firewall or inner fender next to the battery. My friend's sammy did this, too and we discovered the bad body ground...
Title: Re: bad alternator? confirmation please.
Post by: 4njeep on November 06, 2006, 12:41:19 AM
you can always take your alternator in to a alternator shop and have them test it out, i had a simular problem, and it was just bad brushes. they checked it for free.
Title: Re: bad alternator? confirmation please.
Post by: daddyizzle on November 06, 2006, 05:57:14 AM
Thanks.
I will try the body ground first. I guess you hook it up and leave it? Say from the negative side of the battery to the back of the firewall? I also thought I would go by autozone and have the alternater and battery tested. Not sure if I trust their "expertise" though.  Adam
Title: Re: bad alternator? confirmation please.
Post by: Digger on November 06, 2006, 10:36:10 AM
That's it, just connect a heavy wire from the battery negative to the firewall.

See the body is electronically isolated from the engine due to the rubber engine and tranny mounts and all of the electronics you mention are grounded through the body, so if that single body ground wire that goes from the firewall to the neg battery terminal goes bad or is disconnected, all of the truck's electrical stuff tries to ground through a single small wire off the distributor, which is what causes the bogging when the load is too great...
Title: Re: bad alternator? confirmation please.
Post by: mrfuelish on November 06, 2006, 11:13:01 AM
an old fan belt will do the same thing, put on a new one and re tighten it in a few days.