thanks das.

so you are saying the alternator belt does not need to be retensioned? the reason i hate to go near belts is i'm afraid to mess up timing, for obvious reasons

 

True, but the voltage regulator on Neon's is not in the alternator it's part of the PCM.
One other thing, check for continuity on the BLK/GRY wire and it's fusible link, that carries the alternator output to the pos. battery cable on the starter.

 

No, pull it out and have it tested and replace as necessary.

 

where is this fuse? i looked at the wire going from starter to + battery terminal but didnt see any fuseable links.

 

The wire I'm talking about runs from the starter where the + battery cable connects on the starter to the Alternator + output, it has a fusible link spliced in at the starter end.

If you measure battery voltage on the main charge wire at the Alternator, everything can be off for this test, then it’s OK. If you don’t measure battery voltage at the alternator then the BLK/GRY or the fusible link is open.

 

I just went out and looked at mine the fusible link is not obvious, in fact it may be hidden in the wiring loom. As long as you have battery voltage at the alternator + output terminal then the wire and fusible link are OK.

 

ok i did my best, given that there's hardly any room there (even with intake out). it looks like the link is blown (high resistance).
however i also checked the battery and it shows 12.5V. There is door ajar chime sound and when i turn iginition key it attempts to crank but stops. Does it mean the battery cannot provide the load or whatever you call it, peak power?

to summarize:

car starts via jumper cables
battery shows 12.5V
door chimes / guages seem to move lazily like there ISNT enough battery power
with engine OFF, no continuity between alternator + post and battery + terminal
checked all fuses (by the battery)


neisg1, where is the fusible link located in the wire, ie by what part.? its still too cold outside for me to trace it lying under the car

thanks

 

First you need to charge the battery a fully charged battery should measure 13.2-13.5 volts.

According to the wiring diagram the fusible link is at the starter end of the wire. It goes into the wiring loom that goes up past the intake manifold. You may have to open the wiring loom to check it.

 

Fisrt off, your car WILL NOT run with a bad altenator. Not for long anyway. If the altenator is bad, it will run on battery power until the battery runs down.

If the battery is reading 12.5 on a volt meter in a static condition (just sitting) this is a surface charge. Perform a load test on the battery. If you don't know how to do this, take the battery to Autozone and they will do it for you free of charge. If your battery load test is good, charge the battery fully. Slow and steady charge is best. Trickle charge overnight.
A quick good ole boy way to check the altenator is to start the car. With it running at idle, take the positive terminal off the battery. If the car continues to run, the altenator is good. If it dies, bad altenator.
If all this checks out good, while you have the positive terminal disconnected from the battery check voltage in the positive terminal with a multimeter (voltmeter). Touch the positive leadof the meter to the positive terminal (make sure the terminal does not touch anything grounded.) and the negative leadof the meter to a grounding point on the car. The meter should red 12.8v to 13.2v. Anything less or more can indicate a bad regulator. Autozone can also check your altenator, but you will have to remove it from the car.Neisg1 is correct, the regulator on a Neon is in the PCM.He is also correct about the fusible link. The fusible link don't look like a fuse, but more like a wire.

 

Alternator OK.

Voltage was hovering around 13.06-13.46, but jumped once to 14.xx and 15.xx. Does it sound like regulator/PCM is busted?

If 2 days ago I still had enough power to crank the car, now the starter doesnt event move. With boost off another car, engine starts. I took it for a spin this evening. Battery light still on. Sounds like the battery is going down. Unfortunately, there is no Autozone here in canada.

I have an old battery lying around. I bought it prolly 5 years ago, and it has been sitting in storage for the past 4. Is there some sense to try to hook it up and drive around for 30 mins to charge it up? Or is it garbage at this point?