burb not charging....HELP!!!

[arodvw]

Okay, heres the story......Alternator goes out so I replace it with one from Pep Boys ( I know, bad decision). Anyway, new alternator is only putting out 11.7 volts on my meter while its hooked up to the battery. I take it back and the guy says its putting out 15V on his machine. I demand a new one anyway and they replace it. This one is doing the same thing.

Could there be some sort of short causing it not to charge?

Could the alternator not have enough amperage to charge the battery?

Any help would be great, thanks.

[soleeagle]

if it were me I would start replacing wires and see if it would help. Im just a poor boy that tries all the inexspensive things first.

[Frank-id]

An alternator should be called an amplifier. Alternators cannot make electrical power with out some excitation voltage...
A little needed electrical information.
A fully charged battery will reflect 12.6 volts on a digital multimeter. A battery voltage of 12.0 indicates the battery is discharged 75%. Any alternator will only make current if the battery has a voltage of at least 12.3. The alternator must be excited.... An alternator can be turned 25,000 RPM with a low battery and no current produced.
A generator will produce voltage and current after reaching about 100 rpm, as permanent internal magnets begin the charging. A multimeter is a valuable electrical tool. Alternators should produce about 14.6 volts at the highest demand. Higher voltage begins to boil the battery and acid/water is lost. The single biggest reason for alternator failure is Poor battery connections and second reason is poor grounds......

[arodvw]

Thanks frank, I did forget to mention that I put a brand new Optima "red top" battery in it too. I guess I will be checking the grounds next. Thanks.

[Frank-id]

But they are very spendy. Unless there some very special reasons, a standard wallmart, cosco, sears battery will doa great job. The important issue to make a alternator charge is the static condition. If the voltage is not at least 12.3 volts....
NO CHARGE.....
To get the potential from a Optima battery, some wire sizes should be changed. In wiring... bigger is almost always better.....