How I fixed my alternator using the Davis Car Chip

This is a data _recorder_ . It just plugs into the OBDII port and
records 4 out of 20 parameters, the fifth, engine speed, is
non-changeable. ( or is it rpm's ).

Anyhow, I was having trouble with my alternator charging system. It
would not *kick in* for up to 1 min 40 seconds after the battery
started the car. Then the headlights would illuminate to full
intensity, and everything would be ok for a while, and then the
battery light would come on again during a trip, and things would dim
out for a while, and then come back at full voltage again at some
point.

I could post my data recorder numbers here, but they would be
thousands of lines long, and you don't want that. So I will
summarize.

I looked at the Plot View, which is a graphic representation of the
numbers ( much easier to interpret ). Indeed my car was running off
10.x volts sometimes. When it worked correctly, 14.4 volts. A
mystery.

So everything was tight. I changed fuse 26 ( 10 amperes ) for the
alternator _anyhow_, WTF I have a box of them, and then went after the
electrical connections on the alternator and battery. Tight. But
still NO GOOD.

I took the cables off, and _burnished_ the metal with a file. The
cable terminals, the battery terminals, the battery clamps, and
reinstalled.

Voila. No more problem.

So what does this tell us.

That Tight doesn't make a good connection if there is not
CLEAN/UNOXIDIZED METAL TO METAL CONTACT between mating surfaces.

I have a 130 ampere alternator. But the usual load is about 84
amperes. This needs CLEAN/UNOXIDIZED metal to metal contact. Tight
isn't enough.

Well that is all about it. Nothing more to report. I pulled my
serpentine belt to make sure I didn't have a bearing problem on the
alternator BTW, which only takes a tool and a couple of seconds to
take the tension off the belt.

If you are going to take the time to tighten electrical connections,
at least take the time to clean them at the same time. Tightening
alone isn't good enough. This is true for your alternator, this is
true for your starter, this is true for everything. Unless it is gold
plated. Then don't fvck with it, because the gold plating is very
thin and you will rub it off.

Lg