Good morning all,

I noticed an intermittent charging problem yesterday morning. The van was charging normally at first, but dropped to 11.5 volts after about 15 minutes. Yesterday, it returned to normal after about 20 minutes. This morning, it started normally but then dropped down to 11.5 volts and stayed there the rest of the way to work. The battery light is not coming on. The alternator is a parts store rebuild I installed approximately two years ago. I have no problem replacing an alternator, but is it possible it is something else? Are there any known issues with these vans that would cause similar symptoms?

 

Something you can try,
Since the charging system is controlled by the PCM , it may be functioning normally. One way to determine if is doing it's job properly is to put a load on the charging system by turning on something like the A/C and headlamps. If everything is as it should be, you should notice an increase in charging voltage since there is now an increased load on the system. Let us know what result you received, thanks.

 

Swapping the alternator solved the problem. However, the alternators the parts chains sell are marginal at best. The only reason the van had a parts store rebuilt in it was because the bearing seized in a rural area and that makes parts stores look a whole lot better. They swapped it out under warranty but gave me a lecture that they wouldn't swap it out again because something musts be wrong with the vehicle if it's blowing alternators. I don't buy that. The replacement lasted two years so my guess is it's a poor quality rebuild.

 

If possible I always try to get an alt from a dealership parts dept. They usually only carry remanufactured alternators.
The difference is a remanufactured get all new stuff, whereas a rebuilt only gets the worn parts replaced. A reman also gets a better warranty, but does cost more.

 

I remanufactured the original alternator on my Jeep a few years ago and it has held up perfectly. I would have done that with the van, but didn't have the time.