hello all,
this is my first post. i really appreciate any help and advice y'all could give. I have a 99 durango 4wd slt with the 5.2 liter 318 v8. it has 116,000 miles on it (thanks to the california commute i used to have). my problem is when i start the durango it stalls unless i rev it up alittle. i noticed it does it somewhat intermittenly but when it does do it the amp guage moves up extremely slow. usually it jumps up to the middle position. I think its a charging problem. i had the battery checked and it is good. just wanted to get some other opinions. my guess would be the alternator. but whanted some input before i dish out the $150. thanks again........Ron

 

Hey Ron,

I dont have a durango but here is a little trick to check if it is your alternator:

Get a multimeter (little gadget that measures voltage, few $ from a hardware store).
With the engine off check the voltage over the battery terminals - should read about 12 - 13 volts.
Now do the same check with the engine running- if the alternator is good then your voltage will rise to around 14 - 14.5
If the alternator is shot then you your voltage will read either lower than 12 or only just higher.

Basically a bettery requires a higher input voltage to charge than it is rated for (ie, a 12V batt needs at least 13.5V going in to charge). Normally the alternator will give it a little more than the bare minimum for obvious reasons.

Hope this helps you.
Nick

 

thanks nickuk,
i checked the system, i got 12.75 to 13 with engine off. with engine on and running i got 13.5 to 13.75. is that not enough? even giving the engine a little throttle didnt change the charge rate. as i see it i need to change the alternator. got a opinion for me. thanks....ron

 

Hey,

Sorry I didn't get back sooner.

I wouldn't like to commit myself to a definate answer as systems vary from application to application. If I had a durango I would try it myself and tell you what you should expect, but unfortunately I don't have one, but I can tell you that my car gets around 14.2 - the output shouldn't change when you rev the engine as there is a regulator which stops this from happening (this makes sure that the battery doesn't get over charged).

So, if someone else out there would be kind enough to do the same test on their durango and let us know?

If I were to go out on a limb then I would consider it being the alternator. When you say its intermittent does it by any chance do it after short jurneys and not long ones?