Hi there...

I still have some voltage problems on my 87 Camaro TPI..
I have just finished my LG4 to TPI swap on my Camaro..

I have checked ground wires and the wiring around the alternator and everything seems to be tight and clean.

I have about 12.3V on the battery when engine is off. After I start engine I have about 14V...It doesn't change anything if I give a little gas.
This was measured with a voltmeter on the battery and around the alternator wiring.

The VOLT gauge on the dashboard is showing a little bit over 13volts.
As soon as I put the light switch on the voltage drops to about 12 on that gauge...If I push brake pedal and use turning lights at idle, the Volt drops to around 9volts on the gauge. And this is affecting the ECM so the idle changes along with the volt drop.

Anyone that has an idea of what this could be?..the only thing I know is that the wiring that goes to the starter motor is not tighted very good because the threads on the starter solenoid is broken so I can not tighten them hard..Will this affect anything??

As for the alternator I use a wire directly from the output on the back of the alternator and in to the Red wire that goes on the side of the alternator. This was because the wasn't 12V at the connector that goes to the side of alternator...

Any suggestions of what this could be?...The voltmeter in the dash also is also varying very much when idling...From over 13volts to around 11volts...All the time..Sor there must be something that is not right...

 

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Yeah I will try to fix those later, but then I have to buy a new starter solenoid because of the threads that are unable to fix..I am tightening the starter wires pretty good but the NUT will only turn around when trying to tight hard...

 

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Hi there... Have you ever had your battery load tested!!!... Does the car start fine... then that would prove that the connections at your starter are good enough... And you said that after you started the car. you got a volmeter reading of 14 volts... then obviously your charging system is working and the regulater is working.. therefore when you hit the brakes, or turn the lights on it puts a load on the battery, that the battery cannot handle because it is bad.. have the battery load tested to see if it is bad.. and replace if neccesary.. Also don't freak out if the engine runs bad at times. because the computer must see a certain voltage in order to operate the engine properly. other wise it goes in "limp mode". remember that a 100% charged battery will have 12.6 volts.. 75% charge will read 12.4 volts, charging system voltage should read anywhere from 13-17 volts. and when load testing at 100% charge.. at half the cold cranking amps it shouldn't drop below 9.4 volts.. GOOD LUCK!

 

Ok..:Thanks alot..I have been looking around the battery today again and still I am not sure what this could be...

When I measure the battery with my voltmeter it holds 12,4volt with engine off...I measured about 14.3Volt with engine running today, and the volt was pretty steady.

The VOLT gauge in the dash is still doing some jumping but it doesn't seem like it is broken either, because when I got the carbed system this gauge worked perfectly.
When I put on all the lights, push the brake pedal, then the volt drops...but it jumps quick up again, and quick down again...Like there is something that is stealing the power every second and letting go again...

I hate this electrical problem...But I praise myself a little bit also because I have done all this swap by myself and I don't have any trouble codes on the SES light...Only one code..Code 22...Of course, low voltage at the TPS..And that is beacause of the main voltage....

I don't think the starter circuit would affect this at all, because the starter cables is almost direct to the battery...

 

Well,, let me ask you this..... do you have a ground cable connecting the body to the frame or engine... i kinda seems like you have high resistance in a circuit somewhere,, which a bad ground would cause......and the fact that your battery reads 12.4 volts means thats its only 75% charged....it should be around 12.6v and around 12.6 to 13 after u shut it off until the battery settles....and as far a your gauge issue.. can u have a friend varify that the guage is working correctly with the voltmeter. hope u fiqure it out and congradulations on doing it yourselff.. my car used to be TPI but i was having to many issues with it.. so i buildt the engine a and carbed it and im glad i did it.. GOOD LUCK

 

Here you can see a video clip of my Voltmeter gauge...I just filmed a little bit tiday to show you..My english aksent is not good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2-gVeeRFFQ