not my alternator so what could it be??

[talon913]

ok so i was drivin my car fine last night with no problems what so ever.then all the sudden my car starts to sputter.then i turn my blinkers on and they wouldnt turn on then my car shuts off.so i start it back up and dont turn the blinkers on and it drives but running like shit.so i check my alternator first.i take and get it tested.they say its a bad diode.so i go and buy another one from the junkyard..i get it tested and it works so i hook it all up and still doin the same thing..i take the positive off the battery and it just shuts off.could this be another bad alternatorl.cause at auto zone he told me it was a lil wierd that the voltage shot up so fast.he said usually it would charge up..can someone help please before i go spend money for a brand new alternator and not be that????

 

[ilco187]

what about the alternator fuse, is it good, its possible to get another bad alt, i have before it sucks i know, the junk yard should swap you for another atleast thats how junkyards here do it.

 

[talon913]

yea they would swap me but to bad dsms are very scarce here.i think my ecu started making a wierd noise.i think it was my ecu it was like a storm alert that come on the tv like a beeping type noise then it stops and it never ever did that.what could that b???

 

[ilco187]

sounds like the door buzzer when there is not enough power to it.

 

[talon913]

oh yea you right about that ..im just frustrated.cause it was runnin so perfect and all of the sudden this happend.my belts kinda squeled when i first started the car but it would go away after like 5 sec but other than that.no symptoms.do these go bad just out of no were??

 

[ilco187]

does what go bad?

 

[JayRolla]

Retest the alternator.

 

[talon913]

the alternator??...they guy tested it like 4 times the first time the voltage went up slowly like it was charging then he tested again and it went str8 up to a certain level..he was sayin that they dont usually do that but the diode light didnt come on on this one.when testing is it supposed to charge up or shoot up??

 

[paultheninja]

well how many volts was the alternator saying? If its under 14 volts then you need a new one.

 

[JayRolla]

It should hit 14v's and stay around there. If it shoots past that then the regulator is bad. The charging system is not complicated. It consists of a battery, wire, alternator and fuse. If the fuse and wires are good then its either the battery or alt.

It could have worked at the shop but now its not. It is a junkyard alternator which I still trust over any parts store one. If you really think its ok then have the battery tested. If I was in your shoes I would remove the battery and alternator to have them both tested again. Also make sure all charging wires are hooked up to the battery posts. When I did a motor build I forgot to hook one up and had the same issues as you. I think three cables connect to the post.

 

[talon913]

yea all three of the cables are hooked up just a little loose but that never was a problem before..the thing im not getting is why does it cut of as soon as i unplug it off the battery if the alt was supposevly good??

 

[JayRolla]

I would have them both tested.

 

[onequikdsm]

Check the fuse and the relay thats under the fuse box right behind the right headlight. the fuse has two 10mm bolts on each side that you have to pull to get the fuse out, i think its a 80a fuse.

 

[brassc2007]

i would have both the alternator and battery tested and also check the wiring it may be hooked up but have a short or something somewhere. And i used to test the alternator the same way by disconnecting the positive terminal but be aware that doing it that way can cause a power serge and fry the ecu on our cars.

 

[talon913]

oh thanks for tellin me that..hopefully my ecu is still good.but the 80 fuse still looks fine.ima probly go and get a new relay from the junkyard and a fuse while im there.cause its wierd that outta no were my alt goes bad

 

[Spoolin18]

my alternator fried my battery, I kept having problems till I changed my battery.

 

[Bluesideup]

I had a GSX that kept giving me wierd electrical problems. I had everything tested and couldn't figure it out until this guy at NAPA looked at my battery terminals and saw some really light corrosion. It was a really light white powder, I cleaned the battery terminals with a wire brush terminal tool and cleaned the terminals on the car....Problem fixed!

It came back a month later so I cleaned them again, installed the felt insulators from NAPA, sprayed the terminal sealant on each terminal, installed new terminal covers, and the problem never came back.

Loose terminal connections build corrosion fast and in the Midwest you have a lot of moisture/dry cycles this time of year with the thunderstorms.

My car acted just like it had a bad battery or dying alternator.

 

[talon913]

problem resolved thanks guys it was an 80 amp fuse all along it was blown to hell i changed it and presto.thats why i got this site as a favorite ..so much help..now lets see how long i go with out breaking somethin else