Car wont keep charge.

[-daniel]

so my gst's battery has been going dead when i dont use the car alot and its been out of charge for 3 weeks and this morning i was going to take the car to the mechanics and after i jump started it i let it run for a couple of mintues before i got on my way and then the car slowly lost charge and died.

So my guess is that the Alt is ####d up and wont charge

if you got any other guesses please share. and if i need to buy another alt where on the internet is a good trusted reliable place to buy a new OEM alternator

thanks .

**EDIT**
RESOLVED

there was something wrong with the connection with the alternator. the alt is in fine condition and everything runs smoothly now

 

[91rsturbo]

id say the alt is bad. and i like to use rockauto.com for oem

be sure to check all your batt. wires alt wires etc...a dirty batt will discharge across the top form the dust and grime

 

[bryanwheat]

IF it goes dead while sitting than it isn't the alternator. IF the alternator is bad than it will go dead while driving the car and the car will stop running. Sounds like a bad battery or a drain. Try un hooking the battery when it is sitting and hooking it back up when you want to drive it.

 

[NHerron]

Sounds like you might have an out-of-spec amperage draw with key off. That would explain why your battery dies so quickly. Depending on how long the battery is left like that, it would likely be so discharged it can't BE recharged. The car will run once jumped if the alternator is working but not very long since all the electrical load is coming from alternator, hence why it burnt out.

Rockauto is good for lots of things but I haven't seen TRUE OEM if that's what your looking for. It will meet OEM specs though. Most people just go to their local auto parts store and get a good aftermarket alt since it comes with a lifetime warranty. Someone should chime in on that.

 

[-daniel]

i charged it unhooked the starting wires from both cars and left the car running but it died on me as i was pulling out of the driveway and now its completly dead

it ran for about 5-10 mintues before it died

Most people just go to their local auto parts store and get a good aftermarket alt since it comes with a lifetime warranty. Someone should chime in on that.

Well the thing is i live in iceland and there are at most 10 2g eclipses in the country i think and the part stores here have almost no parts for eclipse and the local dealer for mitsubishi doesnt either and has to order everything from USA and then on top of that they overcharge the shit out of you so that aint really an option since im not made of money

so the internet is my only option for now : P

 

[NHerron]

If you have a basic multimeter,

Try sticking a good battery in there, take key out ignition, shut all doors, wait 30 minutes after all that, and then check for too high current draw. A normal draw is around .05amps and anything more than .09 is worth investigating. The standard current draw is normal, its for the computer to keep it's memory among other systems.

Shoot, that blows I didn't realize anywhere else could be worse than my tiny Montana town! I've never bought an alternator online, but if you don't investigate why your battery dies so fast, then you'll be shipping off alternators once a month. You can't keep recharging and jumping batteries because the battery plates become sulfated after being discharged so many times eventually short circuiting itself. Then when you jump the battery and disconnect the jumper cables, the electrical systems are all drawing from the alternator causing alt to be at maximun output for too long and burning itself up. And like bryanwheat said, it's a good idea to unhook the battery if you let the car sit for more than a few weeks.

You could always just get a new battery new alternator and every time you park the car unhook the negative terminal on the battery so it doesn't get discharged. But that will get annoying fast!

 

[-daniel]

If you have a basic multimeter,

Try sticking a good battery in there, take key out ignition, shut all doors, wait 30 minutes after all that, and then check for too high current draw. A normal draw is around .05amps and anything more than .09 is worth investigating. The standard current draw is normal, its for the computer to keep it's memory among other systems.

Shoot, that blows I didn't realize anywhere else could be worse than my tiny Montana town! I've never bought an alternator online, but if you don't investigate why your battery dies so fast, then you'll be shipping off alternators once a month. You can't keep recharging and jumping batteries because the battery plates become sulfated after being discharged so many times eventually short circuiting itself. Then when you jump the battery and disconnect the jumper cables, the electrical systems are all drawing from the alternator causing alt to be at maximun output for too long and burning itself up. And like bryanwheat said, it's a good idea to unhook the battery if you let the car sit for more than a few weeks.

You could always just get a new battery new alternator and every time you park the car unhook the negative terminal on the battery so it doesn't get discharged. But that will get annoying fast!

Thank you so much for the advice. im taking the car to a mechanic tomorrow to check this electrical problem out. found a company here in the country that orders bunch of parts from usa for cars and they could get a rebuilt alt for about 42.000 ISK = $339,48 with all shipping included. they give out warranty for it and say there have never been any problems with rebuilt alts they sell.... not sure about this though. im also going to make the mechanic check out an oil leak that comes from the valve cover. on the right side corner there leaks oil that might explain the white exhaust smoke. blown head gasket?

 

[crazytsiawd]

^alternator

 

[95talongirl]

If it died on you when it was running, like you said... then it probably is an alternator. (no output charge to the battery) However, don't be surprised if you find that you'll need a battery, too. As mentioned, the constant draining and charging on those shorten their lives.

 

[deathindecay]

Yup I went thru 3 batteries before replacing my alt since I was to lazy to fo the work and batteries were under warranty

 

[NHerron]

Also, make sure your 02 housing has a heat shield so you can prevent future alternator failures. It's really close to the 02 housing off the turbo and the alternator can burned up from the intense heat given off the housing.