Recharging problem
 

So my alternator unexpectadly burned out about a month ago, so i chech the battery and it was good it is less than a year old, and so i figured, oh well its a bad alternator. I changed the alternator.

So yesterday i started to notice the volts gage droping and today the battery is dead again, because the alternator didnt charge it back up. And im guessing the alternator is burned up again

What could be causing this

Where should i start to look?

Thanks for any help you all can give me

-Dave

bump for help

How did you check the battery?? I would have it put on a machine and tested to be sure its good. First I would check the battery cables to be sure they are not corroded, loose or shorting out anywhere. Make sure the alternator belt is tight enough. If those look good then you might have an electrical short somewhere thats draining your charge.

Like was said - check the battery on a machine that puts load to it - Adavance/Autozone do it for free. Same on the alternator, they'll check it for free. If both good, then something draining battery.

Where in NC are you?

I agree with camaronewbie if your alternator unexpectedly burned up and it literally "BURNED UP" then I would check for a short. When I worked parts at NAPA here in Texas I had a guy go through about 3 or 4 alternators in about 2 days, when he finally brought the truck up to me I found one of his alternator leads had burned on the exhaust header and was shorting out his charging system. Just something to consider, I would definitely get a parts store to "load test" your battery.

ok so i got the battery checked and it was good, then i was talking to the parts dude, and he is a third gen guy. So he was helpin me out. I went up there and he checked the alternator, and its not putinig out any charge. So he told me to check the fusable links, and i did, they were good. Then he told me to run a jumper from the hot side of the alternator to the batery and i did, and it started to recharge. So it must be some kind of problem in the harness. So now he told me to to check start the car and take off the negative battery lead, and im gonna do that and see what happens

If that guy post here, i really appriciate the help

I'm in raleigh right near NCSU

-Dave

ok so here is what happen

after i cranked the car and it started, and i pull the negative cable the thing cut off. So the alternator wasnt putting enough juice out

After talking to the thirdgen parts dude, he said that the alternator might have burned out if I had changed it when the battery was low (he seaid below 9volts)

Which brings me back to when i had changed my alternator about a month or so ago. I had driven the car about 3 hours (150 miles) and the old alternator burned up, and i charged the battery so i could make it back to my tools, another 3 hours drive. so then i have little more than 8 volts. and i changed my alternator

So i went ahead and pulled the alternator out, and took it up the parts place and had it checked. The Diodes were burned up. So i got a new alternator, and I charged the battery, and cranked it up, and took it up to the parts place, and had them check the output and everything again, and it was good

so let this be a lesson, When you replace your Alternator, ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOUR BATTERY IS CHARGED FULLY!

im an idiot

oh well at least i dont have to fix the wiring harness

I'm glad you got it solved, but FYI ....

Anytime you disconnect the battery cable while the car is running, the car will die - has nothing to do with alternator making enough juice - has to do with you cutting the circuit. It is true that a car will continue to run with a dead battery, and will also run with a dead alternator (until the battery dies) - but the circuit must remain intact - when the negative battery wire is removed, there is no longer a circuit, and thus car dies.

But at least you got there!

I'm in Cary - If you need help anytime, PM me for a phone number - I'll be glad to come over - and let's get together sometime anyway - I love to see any and all 3rd gens!

I must have had a slew of magically empowered cars running on the mystcal pawer of magic hamsters then because I used to do that a ton to older cars and trucks and they rarely died.
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On the other hand, it is possible to damage an alternator by pulling the neg cable while running. FYI.

[quote=Red Devil] I must have had a slew of magically empowered cars running on the mystcal pawer of magic hamsters then because I used to do that a ton to older cars and trucks and they rarely died. [quote]


My thoughts exactly...

If the alt is pumping out power the thing will continue to run, it should work like this on any non EFI car. Now if it was EFI then you better have a 4 figure balance in your bank account to replace all the elctronics you burnt up! :p

either way i got it working now.

I dont like nor do i much care for the electrical part of working on cars.

So im back to doing doughnuts in the rain and isnt that all that really matters