Power Drain, Bad Alternater?

[ProZac]

Hey Guys,

Ive been noticeing, when i have the Head Lights on at night, and i Roll up or down my windows, the lights dim a little bit. Also today, i had the A/C on FULL and i wanted to 'test' the power, so i Rolled up and down the windows, and they FULL A/C went down in power. Now this may be normal, but if just rolling the windows up and down dim the lights, and give less power to the a/c, then whats happening to my Spark Plugs and power in my engine??? I don't notice any driveing power problems, but is there something im not seeing? Shouldn't my alternater be able to power all that stuff without hesitation or dimming?

Thanks!

ProZac

[SKperformance]

i am guessing you are doing this while at idle?

most es 300 alternators are crap

they stink at idle

mine is the same way

but not all the time

it also tests perfect when i took it out and bench tested it

but once the car is hot in the engien bay it has much less power out put

too many variables right now to play with

you can get a rebulit one

or wait until it dies

but they usually don't go dead completly

[ProZac]

Interestin.. B)

Well, im going in for oil change and to get my brakes changed next month, maybe ill have a fule cleaning while they're at it should i have them check the Alternater and battery then or not worry about it? These people have been doing the servicing on this car since 97, so they should know whats up, but its good to have a second oppinion B)

ProZac

[NeiLtYmE]

the battery gets charged as your moving forward ..cause your giving it gas.....

when your at idle... there is limited power from the battery... and so window rolling is slow ... along with some dimed lights.... this is really normal...

and actually most cars do that...

- Neil

[SKperformance]

the battery is not the problem

for what is already listed

because it would have to have a very faulty cell or cells

which would have a problem starting

the car does not use the battery to drive

only start then it is of no use

take your leads off the battery when the car is started

and you will see no change i the car

in fact it will drive the same way as with it

i was just as surprised the first time in class they took it off and tha car did not stop

i thought it was a magic car and battery :magic:

lmao

the rason real race cars don't have batteries

as after they are started they have no need for them again

and they weigh so much

dumg thing i can't figure out is why they don't have the alternator/starter combo

like so hybrids

which start the car when power is applied the create power when they are forced to turn

makes sense to me

but i think i might only qualify to be a ford engineer only though

so what so i know

[steviej]

ProZac, don't become to paranoid with your Lex.

Power windows, AC, rear window defogger, power seats, and other power options create a drastic drain on the system and you will see a dimming of light. This is accentuated when you are at idle or not moving becuase you focus on the dimming rather than the driving. Don't worry. This is normal in a Lex and 99% of all cars out there.

You have a problem when the car becomes hard to start or the voltage light stays on longer than normal after startup.

the "you" is collective and not directed at ProZac particularly so don't flame me for the verbage.

steviej