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I have some questions regarding the alternator testing procedure outlined in the 98 US work shop manual ( this is related to my battery warning light question ), my car has the FS engine:

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When it says to test voltage at terminals S and L, is it correct to assume it means to disconnect "Connector 2" and then test between those pins on the alternator side and the negative battery terminal? But if they're disconnected there won't be any current flow because voltage is tested in parallel to the circuit, so that doesn't seem like it'll work. So maybe I need to probe where the wires insert at the back of the connector and the negative battery terminal?

Another problem is that the 97 European WSM lists different voltages on these pins:

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The problem here is that my car is a 98 GF, which is the European / International model, so I'm not sure which voltages to go with.

EDIT July 3, 2016

The European GF models ( or at least mine ) use a Mitsubishi alternator FP34 A2TB0191 and voltage regulation is done by the ECU via the two pin DP connector.

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You'd backprobe the S and L terminals with the connector plugged in. So attach one end to a ground point and the other to the S or L terminal. Basically the S terminal is the Field terminal. The S wire gets power from the eng inj fuse and should have 14+V while the engine is running. The alternator grounds the L terminal when voltage is below threshold and turns on the battery light.

As to the Euro voltage chart I'm unsure.

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  • It doesn't matter what ground point? What does "Field Terminal" mean?
    – Robert S. Barnes
    Apr 10, 2016 at 12:30
  • @RobertS.Barnes The best ground point is always the engine battery, but unless the engine to body or engine to battery ground is bad it doesn't really matter. The Field terminal or Sense terminal in this case, tells the alternator what the ignition voltage is so it can respond to voltage drop.
    – Ben
    Apr 10, 2016 at 12:33
  • So I figured out that my alternator is the DP type which is controlled by the ecu, not by a dedicated voltage regulator.
    – Robert S. Barnes
    Jul 1, 2016 at 10:20

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