Hi all, I am a newbie to car repair. In fact, my '77 280Z ( which I have owned for 8 months)is the first car that I have done any work to at all. Never interested before, but age and wisdom has caught up and now I have the bug. Anyway, I have an electrical problem that I could sure use some help on. The car stumbled on mild acceleration, then after lurching at half power for half a minute, stalled completely. My dashmeter had been reading an overcharge state for a few days prior, but I hadn't had time to address it yet. I changed out the voltage regulator and needed a battery anyway, so I changed it out as well. Voltage returned to normal on my dashmeter and I assumed the problem was fixed and was able to drive the car for several more weeks until a radiator problem forced me down for several months (family committments). I was finally able to replace the radiator and drove the car for a couple more days. After not driving the car over the week-end, the battery was dead, so after recharging, I took the car to Advanced Auto for a battery / alternator test. The alternator tested bad, so I replaced it, only to find that it still wasn't charging fully. Test numbers from Advanced were 12.04 V and 4.6A. Someone please point in the right direction. Where should I start to track the problem and just as importantly how. I can hear you saying, "you idiot", but I don't know where to start. Thanks in advance.

 

I have had a similar problem. Start with your fan belt. Check that it is tight enough. You should not be able to move the pully on the alternater when the engine is off.