1998 Suburban 350 2WD Multiple Issues [Electric, Power Steering, Starter]

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Joe - 02 Nov 2006 16:41 GMT

Issues:
1. When starting vehicle this morning the voltage was showing 18-19+
and the battery light came on. This is the first time it has happened
and attempted a restart to no avail. The gauge is moving up/down as I
would normally expect (lights turned on, A/C, etc.) however it is
showing 4-5V too high. Seems I just need a new alternator but want to
make sure there isn't something else I should check first.
2. The power steering pump needs to be replaced but it appears that I
need to pull the entire A/C bracket to get it out, is this accurate?
Also is any special tool required to pull the pulley from the pump?
3. The starter has been acting up for a few weeks prior to #1 (spins
but does not engage) so I'll be replacing it but want to verify there
isn't something else to check first.

Are items #1 and #3 usual maintenance items that have just occurred
together or is there something else I should be looking for? I've never
had to replace any of the items since I've owned the vehicle and am not
sure if they were done before (bought at just under 100K about 3 years
ago).

Thank you in advance for your time,

Joe

1998 Suburban 1500
2WD
350 cu. in.
~148,000 miles

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phaeton - 02 Nov 2006 16:49 GMT

> Issues:
> 1. When starting vehicle this morning the voltage was showing 18-19+
> and the battery light came on.

This sounds like a voltage regulator. I'm not sure on that vehicle,
but it might be integrated with the alternator. Or it might be
seperate. Either way, that much voltage is excessive and it can cause
other electrical parts to fail. I would resolve this first.

> 2. The power steering pump needs to be replaced but it appears that I
> need to pull the entire A/C bracket to get it out, is this accurate?

Probably.

> 3. The starter has been acting up for a few weeks prior to #1 (spins
> but does not engage) so I'll be replacing it but want to verify there
> isn't something else to check first.

It is possible (but unlikely) that the excess voltage could be pushing
too much current through the solenoid, thus overheating it, or its
contacts might have been damaged. Once again, solve the regulator
problem first.

> Are items #1 and #3 usual maintenance items that have just occurred
> together or is there something else I should be looking for?

Probably.

> Thank you in advance for your time,
>
> Joe

Good luck. Let us know how it works out.

-phaeton

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Joe - 04 Nov 2006 05:47 GMT

> This sounds like a voltage regulator. I'm not sure on that vehicle,
> but it might be integrated with the alternator. Or it might be
> seperate. Either way, that much voltage is excessive and it can cause
> other electrical parts to fail. I would resolve this first.

phaeton, thanks for the information. Apparently there are three
different amp ratings of alternators and mine has the least, 105. The
VR is built in so I just picked up a whole new alternator at AutoZone
and had it in w/in 20 minutes (unfortunately the power steering won't
be as easy). Everything appears to be back to normal and I'll wait to
see what happens with the starter.

Enjoy your weekend.

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Joe - 15 Nov 2006 04:01 GMT

> > 2. The power steering pump needs to be replaced but it appears that I
> > need to pull the entire A/C bracket to get it out, is this accurate?
>
> Probably.

Actually it didn't need to be completely pulled, just pulled off a few
bolts (more like 5-8 and a couple of nuts) and the pump dropped out
from the bottom but having the bolts off gave the pump a little more
wiggle room when trying to get it out.

> > 3. The starter has been acting up for a few weeks prior to #1 (spins
> > but does not engage) so I'll be replacing it but want to verify there
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> contacts might have been damaged. Once again, solve the regulator
> problem first.

The starter has continued to have problems, picked one up tonight and
will be putting it in as time permits in the next couple of days.

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