Okay so I got my car started, got it on the road.. Drives AWESOME..

BUT... The battery keeps getting drained, now everyone is going to be like short!.. Which it may very well be but no its my alternator it almost has to be. Its a 1988 camaro used to be TBI, swapped it back to a carb.. So when the battery dies I can still drive it..

Heres what happens.


Ill drive it newly charged and it sat forever at my work, I go out and start it up fine, perfect, no problems.. Drive it home then I was like damm I need to take my dog for a ride.. About 10 mins driving all my lights dim to barely nothing and the turn signals stop working I barely have any electrical crap.

I have a HEI Distributor and was wandering if this would cause this to happens because my alternator is a REMAN 100 amp... My brother in law said I may need a 130 amp.

Let me see if I have this set up right first. The wire that screws into the back of the alternator goes to the starter, then the one red wire coming from the pigtail goes to the battery... If that's right then my alternator has to be bad.. Can someone give me some insight on this.. Im almost positive its the alternator because when I'm driving is when this stuff is happening I could let it sit for days and start it up and be good.

Please help, need to go to work tomorrow lol.

 

Sure sounds like it might be your alternator not recharging the battery while driving.
Charge up the battery overnight and you can have the alternator tested tomorrow at any car parts store for free.

 

99/100 you're gonna go to the store like Lou said, get it tested, find out it's bad, and then, unless you're rocking some serious extra equipment, you're gonna get a new (not reman) alternator at factory amperage or better, because let me tell you, double the radiator fans, a 40,000 volt coil on an HEI distrubutor, and a carb w/ and electric choke isn't making my car act like this.

 

Yeah I work at an Advanced auto parts store.. So I got it tested and they said it was fine, but I know its def that. If it was a short It would def at least charge while driving not die completely.. I got home parked tried to start it immediately didn't even attempt to turn over..

The battery in there is A LOT bigger than the original.. so maybe thats the problem, anyway ill chuck this one off a cliff im tired of Fng around I just went and got this one lol..

http://www.jegs.com/i/Powermaster/713/67861/10002/-1 ... Now if this doesn't work ill go with a short then :P..

I appreciate the help guys, at least Im insured and on the road after a year and a half

 

you can have a big battery you just don't want a small one. the big battery just takes a touch longer to charge but not really noticeable. sounds like its a alternator to me also

 

My bet is on the alternator.

 

Thanks guys, Ill tell you how it goes when it gets here. Should be here tomorrow!

 

Don't you just love jegs? They sent me the right but wrong part because if you click that link it clearly says single wire connector... even if you scroll down they go on to tell you how simple it is. Good thing these people understand I have to work because they sent me a new one for tomorrow and ill have to give them this one back.. so Ill tell you how it goes when I drive it tomorrow.

 

Easy way to test your alternator is to start the car and remove the positive battery cable. If the car dies then the alt is not doing its job(charge the battery and keeping the car running). If it does keep the car running it may be an intermittent problem with the energizer in the alt that signals for it to come on. But my bets are with the alt......

 

Did we find out the problem.

 

Yes sir! It was infact the alternator, car runs and starts up perfectly now.. Well except for the un tuned carb.. Ill have to tune it tomorrow.

Plus my manager took my alternator back and I asked for store credit so yup everything worked out in the end Thanks for all your help guys, its appreciated greatly!