Electrical Guru's please... Keep going through alternators.

[kittay]

Keep going through alternators.

At first thought it was just the battery had only a surface charge and killed it. But it just took out my brand new 90amp after one night of driving.

On the freeway lights were nice and bright, coming off got dull. We were out about an hour and were just cruising, got jolty feeling. Came up to the light to slow down and car died. Won't turn over.

So any suggestions? The battery ended up testing to be just fine. So Idk what else to look for?

I just talked to the previous owner and I guess him and the previous owner before him also had an issue with going through alternators..

 

[kevingst]

Check all your grounds, and also check your power wires and make sure none of them are grounding out. If you have a multimeter, disconnect all the power wires and read to see if you have any shorts to ground.

 

[kittay]

No shorts. The power wire from the alt. to the battery looks pretty gnarly.. so going to put power to the alternator and see if it sends power to the battery.

 

[wishihadatalon]

No shorts. The power wire from the alt. to the battery looks pretty gnarly.. so going to put power to the alternator and see if it sends power to the battery.

If that wire becomes corroded or gnarly you could have major issues there. Have you checked to see if the alt is even bad? It is possible that it just can not charge the battery. A good sign that your alternator is going bad is the 3 dreaded lights that come up on the dash. Check engine, radiator, and one other (can't remember and I know it is obvious, probably the battery or alt light .)

 

[assault187]

Replace the alt you have now (assuming its still under warranty) Clean all corrosion at the conections and run a ground strap from the alt tesion bolt to a good clean chasis ground.

 

[game-hunter]

Also be sure to fix any leaks that may be dripping oil/power steering fluid on your alternator.

 

[DougR]

Bro. I have a Friend who had a Similar problem. with a nissan maxima.. He would kill alternators almost every 2 months or so... And his battery "tested fine" All the time Im saying replace the #$@% battery! And he wouldnt.. Finally after the 4th alternator. He did just that, Buy a new battery at the same time I did the 5th ALT swap (BTW I changed them all! ) Guess what...... NO MORE DEAD ALT'S! car has been running fine for months!

I dont care what those @%$TY testers say. If that ALT keeps going Dead, GET A NEW BATTERY! Sometimes those shorted cells dont show on a Semi working battery..

Sorry Rant off.. BTW while your buying a Batt, Get a Optima ... you will LOVE IT!.

My 2 red tops are straight WHORES!. They get used for testing everyones vehicals when they think ALT or BATT problems....

Its the only Batt I will Ever Buy Till I die!

 

[BoostedTalonTS]

"...My 2 red tops are straight WHORES!. They get used for testing everyones vehicals when they think ALT or BATT problems....

Its the only Batt I will Ever Buy Till I die! "

^^^ I couldn't have said it any better -I got a single Optima Red top and it likes double featured Drive-In movies + a BIG sound system


OP,
Go with a Saturn alternator and NEVER look back

 

[link16]

I go with Mitsubishi OEM batteries.....60 mo warantee can't be beat.