i have a 96 neon sport with a 2.0 sohc and i have been having a problem as described in my post "what the heck do power steering fluid and voltage have in common?!" i checked my engine codes by flipping the ignition three times and i got codes 12 47 and 55. i remember that codes 12 and 55 are pretty normal for a car like this, but code 47 is troubling me. the code description is charging system voltage too low, but when i measure the voltage of the charging system it is around 14 volts. note: i have not tested the voltage when the light has been on, it is intermittent. any ideas for me besides check the voltage when the light is on? what would that indicate? i know that the belt is not slipping, and i know that it is at the proper tension, so that means that this problem is in the alternator, right? is there an external regulator or anything that i should look into before i spend $100+ on a new alternator? thanks for the advice, any new information would be appreciated. would it be cheaper to get the alternator rewound? just a thought. thanks again.

 

once a code is set it stays in there.
it doesnt mean its low all the time, it just means its been low at one time or another ( when the light is on)
when the alt light is on, smack it with a hammer ( with it running) and see if it starts charging again
if thats the case, its tired, get a new one.
start by checking the wire connections andfuse connections for corrosion, loose wires, anything of that sort.

 

the voltage regulater is internal to the alternator. i would say that you have a bad wire somewhere

 

voltage regulator is actually in the pcm

 

You can try resetting the code but if the alt. light is coming on it will probably set the code again. As others have said, check all the electrical connections. The suggestion of smacking the alt. with a hammer, generally if this makes it charge again it usually indicates bad/sticky brushes. (but, good luck I can hardly see the alt. on my 95 let alone hit it with anything).
Unfortunately the regulator is in the PCM so is not easily swapped out for testing and alternator parts are not readily available, although the rebuild shops have them for their own use. This means a $5.00 set of brushes = buying a $100-200 rebuild unless you can fine a rebuild shop that will sell you the parts.

 

when i got my work ar the alt. light would stay on and the batery wouldnt charge....but then i found out that it was becasue the clip on the big plug was was broken so the plug would start to slide out after a few minuites

 

so what's the verdict... do you guys think its an alternator or the pcm? i assume its the alternator, because i can hear the bearings chatter ever so slightly kind of like its not lubricated or something. thanks again.