Charging problem

[qwikz28]

Looking for ideas. Over the past year, I've watched the my car slowly sink to the 12.3 volts its at now. Car is sitting until I get it back over 13.

So far I've:
-checked and trickled charged the battery, still producing over 1000 ccas (but don't know if that has to do with voltage).
-replaced the alternator
-replaced the exciter wire
-replaced the battery terminal bolt thing on the positive side (looked corroded)
-cleaned the battery terminal wire thing on the positive side (looked corroded)

Car is still at 12.3. Revving the car makes no difference in voltage. Scangauge is also reading 12.3. I don't have the big 3 done, as the terminal of the wire from the alternator to the battery that I had jumping along with the stock wire broke while I was removing the battery to get it checked out. I don't think that is making a drastic effect really as the problem existed even while the wire was in place.

Thoughts?

[MyFirstZ]

While driving its at 12.3

Are you going purely by the gauge and the scantool or checked at the b+ charge back wire with a meter?

[qwikz28]

While idling, driving, immediately after a cold start. It loves 12.3.

No, I don't have a meter to check. I'm going by the gauges.

[MyFirstZ]

I would check it with the meter first.

You have underdrive pulleys or anything, not sure if that would effect it. Just tryig to rule things out. Not sure how the gauge operates on the cluster though either.

Any other symptoms?

[qwikz28]

I'll pick up a meter tomorrow and give it a try. No underdrive pulleys (yet, it's waiting to go in actually) and no other symptoms. The car actually starts fine, however before I charged it up on the trickle charger, it was giving me a high idle which I understand is a protective measure when the car sees the voltage getting low. That is gone now, though, and doesn't really tell us anything we don't know, or so I think.

But yeah, I'll check the voltage tomorrow and go from there. Thanks for the advice.

[sweetbmxrider]

Definitely check it with a meter first. See what's coming out of the alternator and compare it to at the battery and at the power distribution center. You should check the amperage coming out of the alternator as well, no load and large load. I think I remember reading that the cluster is used to excite the alternator.

[qwikz28]

Fixed. Bought a multimeter and started testing connections.

First the battery, not good:


Checking the alternator, and found this guy:


So essentially the alternator wasn't even connected to the battery. Replaced, and good. As always, thanks for your help

[MyFirstZ]

Good to hear!

[sweetbmxrider]

That would certainly cause a charging issue