Alternator fuse screwed up..

[sage2k]

Ok last week my alternator fuse blew out so the mechanic replaced it, my book says it needs a 20amp fuse, he put a 25amp (i didnt know he did that till today) anyways it blew out again while i was driving...so i checked the fuse and sure enough it was blown, so i go to autozone and get some 20amp fuses, i put one in and my battery light is still on and my voltage is still really low like 9-10 volt but the fuse isnt blowing again.
any ideas? this sucks, hurricane katrina raped us and now i cant drive to work or anything and i work at a hotel who is SWAMPED ****ing life is a piece of ****.

 

[AznStanger3v]

fuses blow for a reason. there is possibly some short to ground going on there. there could be a number of reasons that your alternator isnt charging right. there are 4 circuits to test, but 1 is internal so you can leave it alone. the B, A, and I circuits can be tested, but the S isnt possible right now. youll need a multimeter to figure this out.

 

[sage2k]

I have a multimeter
how do i test

 

[sage2k]

bump

 

[urban96]

yuo can bringing your alt into pepboys or some place and have it tested

 

[mo_dingo]

There is a positive lead that comes off the alternator and runs to the battery junction center. Just probe the positive on the alternator, and your ground probe to the neg pole on the battery. With the engine running, you should see at least 13.6V, you may see 14.4 or 18V even. I don't remember what the alternator direct output is. So if it's lower than 13.6, your alternator is dead. replace it.
Scott

 

[RiCeBuRnErGiRl]

Yeah really what is up with the wiring of our cars, i was shifting from 2nd to 3d the other day and my car died for no reason had to have it towed to where my dad works *hes a mechanic* and all that was wrong with it was a 20 cent fuse because some wire to the fuel pump shorted out.. but seriously why do fuses blow so easy in our cars i was so mad that it was such a stupid little problem lol i think i would have been happier if it would have been the fuel pump because of the huge tow bill for pretty much nothing if i would have even thought at the time i would have checked the fuses but i was just in a hurry becaue i had somewhere to be and that was the last thing on my mind, i know kind of off topic but i had to vent.

 

[GRGT1994]

Suggestion for Sage and Riceburnergirl: Carry a few extra fuses, a small flash light and a small plyers in your glove box. It could save you a headache and a $50 tow in the future.

And if you are blowing fuses, it generally means you have a short. It's a good thing they blow out so fast, or you would have burned out components (expensive) and maybe a fire (ruining your day). The best way to track down a short may be to just move every part of the harness while it idles, and see if you can get it to short out again. Then try to narrow in on the short.

I had to track a short down recently, and they can be hard to find.

 

[bjl95mustang]

Sounds like a short or the alt in grounding out somewhere. Get a multimeter that has a ohm tone and check the cable on the alt to a ground and see if it makes noise. If it does thens it's grounding out.