ok car has been doing fine since my T56 instal and now almost a week later i drive home from work and stop at BK for a little bit, when i go back to start my car it does one slow crank over and stops. eventually the car just stopped cranking at all. i get it jumped and car turns back on fine but my voltage meter at this time reads about 1/4 of the way and very very slowly got less. i gety home, retry starting the car and doesnt even crank but the clicking from the starter solenoid works. its as if there isnt enough juice for the starter to crank over. all conections are tight and fine. i hook the car up to my friends van and jumps right up but repeats the same process.

i came to the conclusion that maybe its time for a new battery? possibly mine doesnt have any more cranking amps or something?
so i buy a nice Optima Red cap 910 CA 800 CCA battery and now the car starts like it used to BUT....my voltage meter is only reading about 1/3 of the way up WTF? when car is off and i put the key in accessory mode it goes right to 12.3 volts or around there like it should but when the car is on its just barely higher if at all.

what could have randomly happened to cause this? a draw? how would i test for a draw? should i get my alt tested? or maybe the new battery needs a higher voltage alt in order to charge back to 14-15 volts? could i get a smaller pulley? if so how much do they run and is there a part number? i have the serpentine 91 camaro set up.

 

Sounds like a weak alternator to me. Pull it out and bring it to a parts store and get it tested. You old battery may have been overloading it for some time, wearing it out. Now with the new battery it can't keep it charged.

 

explain overloading? im lost when it come to electronics.

also if my alt is now weak...would i still be able to drive? for how long?

 

ok well i took the chances and disconnected a battery cable...the car DIED right when i got the bolt loose. is it a bad alt? im gonna go get it checked tomorow but would like to know. also how much do Reman ones run for?

 

remans are cheap. i just picked mine up for 30 bux wit ha core from autozone.

 

rebuilt is the way to go. depending on what style year your using, you can get it rebuilt with more amps. the early styles can be built to 125 and im not sure on the newer ones. i have one that throws 175 amps at 2200 RPM just sittin in the front seat of my GTA project. i had mine done at a local shop, took 3 hours and charged me 70 bucks. well worth it.

i believe what happened is your alternator died and you sucked the juice out of your battery, inturn killing it. with the new battery installed your still reading the volts of the alternator. if it is the alternator acting up, you will kill that optima also. that line about overloading or whatever is false. an alternator can over charge and cook the battery, if thats what was trying to be said.

 

ya my alt was shot only puttin out 2 volts... so i got a new one w/ lifetime warranty. everythings back to normal now

 

That pulling the battery cable trick is an old one, that normally works to diagnose a bad alternator. Although with some of today's cars electronics, it might not been such a good idea, computer-wise.
Save your receipt for the lifetime alternator, my former 77 T/A went through 3 in like 2 days before I got a good one. I shall not mention the name of the auto parts store that I got it from. Manny, Moe, and Jack might not like that.

 

the alternator trick doesn't work on most cars now. thing of the past. kinda like water in batteries...

 

yeah you can really f-up your car if you disconnect the battery while the car is running. burns out your computer.

 

i'm not sure if that is totaly true for the 3rd gens because of the primitave computer they have (compaired to a new one or a lexus ETC...) they are simpler since they were fairly new technology for the time. i'm not saying its ok to go and do the trick, lol just incase i'm totaly wrong here...