I mentioned in my thread for the '81 how the radiator started leaking. Same day, Tuesday of last week, I drove the Jeep out to storage to retrieve the radiator for the '81 in hopes of getting it recored. While driving, granted it was triple digits, as I was leaving the house I noticed the volt meter was not at 14 like it should be. It was maybe in the 11 range. Not good. But, it held steady, and I attributed it to the heat.
Was sitting at a red light and it was idling rougher than it should, and then it stumbled, but picked right back up. Since it broke down in February and it was the coil, I now keep a spare since this vehicle goes through coils quickly now.
Dropped off the radiator, and went to the parts store for a new battery. I figured I got the battery in August 2021, and they are no longer last more than three years, especially the Silver. I told them I would bring the core at a later date, as I didn't want to change the battery in front of the store in the blazing sun. I have tons of shade at home.
Changed the battery, and ran the errands I hadn't yet. No change on the voltmeter. CRAP! Again, attributed it to the extreme heat. Out of curiosity, I did a search "Can an alternator lose charging capability when engine is hot". I knew it was possible, but it shouldn't make a huge difference, as vehicles around the globe run in extreme heat all the time and the battery charges, and the accessories run no problem. But, I am a curious one, and the search results came back, if the brushes are bad the alternator can potentially run at a lower amperage/voltage output.
I searched for a brush kit. Found a website, but the cutoff year was 1992, although the parts looked like they would fit my alternator. Needing a vehicle, I bought a new alternator from the parts house, then called the number on the website to ask why the cutoff year was 1992, when the same alternator was used on 4.0 Jeeps up to 1999. He called back yesterday, the kit will work, cool, now I can rebuild the alternator I took out, and have a spare.
Now the Jeep runs at 14 volts until it's really hot outside, and then it drops to 12-13, which is not bad, considering the conditions out there. It's been an expensive week for car parts!
