Alternator troubles

[maldotcom2]

The other night my battery light came on, turned out to be a corroded terminal. I just checked the voltage at idle and it's only 12.13V, i've tried 3 different voltage regulators and got the same result, so it's not likely to be that. I've given it a good drive and it still reads the same, what else can I do?

[hako]

The cable you replaced may be bad further down the line - if it was the thick one at the rear of the alternator, the corrosion can still be in the wire itself and possibly a break under the insulation as the cable goes brittle and crystallises from repeated overheating. When this cable is giving trouble, it is best to replace the whole cable back to the battery.

[maldotcom2]

Could I test that by running a jumper from the alt to the battery? To see if i get 14V?

[maldotcom2]

Turned out the alternator had died, not just the regulator. It also killed the battery because it wouldn't hold a charge after that.

[BlackVXGTS]

You need to take the flat battery down to an auto electrician for a special charge. Once the battery has been fully discharged it won't charge up just by using the alternator.