not starting..new alternator

[mastaBO]

What can be the problem? I just finished putting in the alternator this morn and hoped that it would start up like a champ. I jump started it and waited till it would get going and then tarted with no results...

The power all goes off when I unhook the jumper cable. And when i try to start the car up with the jump cables, the car dosent start smoothy. It tries to start, and dosent. So i had to give it some GAS pedal to make it start. I checked all the fuses and they are fine.
I cleaned the battery tips with coke and its clean.

before the car stalling(this was when ma alternator went dead with the battery on the road) I had ma stereo on and i was playing around with he dimmer(the one that makes da panel bright and stuff)then all of sudden the car dims out. and that is when ma car died on the road......

Also.. on the alternator, there is only 2 wires attatched to the alternator right? just making sure.

Sorry for the long post~ but help would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks~

 

[dave99gst]

1 wire and 1 plug attached to the alt.

have the battery tested.

 

[mastaBO]

wouldnt the car still run even though the battery is dead and alternator is giving it power?

 

[Jason84]

you should charge the battery not just jumpstart a dead battery...

 

[mastaBO]

okay i went to auto zone and charged the battery. came home and started and it worked like a champ. i turn it off on and again couple of times and it worked. Then i went out for a drive.. for about 5min. and i came home and turned the engine off. I turned it on again and the whole power just went off. Now ma car is out there with a halp from a jumpstart. Im letting it charge hoping it would work again.

Any suggestions?

oh and thanks for the replies

 

[poppyseed]

Let me help you out a dead battery in a car with a good alternator will cause the alternator to increase the stator field to raise the ouput voltage and current. This in turn would cause the battery to charge, and quicker.

You problem lies in with hooking it up right, or you flat out got a newer bad alternator.

So keep jump starting away and save yourself gas and time instead of going to get the battery charged.

You may want to try a different alternator and check the wiring.

If you keep charging the battery it will take you longer to find out that the alternator is not working and then you are cycling the battery even more which will kill it faster. If it is dead let it be dead for the short time it will, if you keep charging it and discharging it, you will be on your way to buying a battery soon to.

 

[DSM_shop]

am i missing something here? it really just sounds like a bad battery. i vote to go to a junkyard that sells batteries and pick up a used one for like $10, see if that works. its possible that the alternator you just put in is bad, but thats not as likely as just having a bad battery. i think.

 

[Jason84]

take the alt in and get it tested... hopefully you bought the autozone lifetime warranty one

i went through about 4 in my 1g with a stereo... (regulators blow out allll the time)


id say try a new battery or something... my optima runs my car for about an hour or 2.

where do you live???
maybe somebody lives close by and has a spare bat.. ive got about 4 laying around if you live in wisconsin heh.

 

[poppyseed]

am i missing something here? it really just sounds like a bad battery. i vote to go to a junkyard that sells batteries and pick up a used one for like $10, see if that works. its possible that the alternator you just put in is bad, but thats not as likely as just having a bad battery. i think.

Ok enough with the battery, tell you what after the car is running disconnect the battery, the car should still run. Yes, with no battery. If it dies its an alternator problem.

He drove the car for 5 min because he was drawing the power from the fully charged battery.

Yes it is very likely that a new alternator was bad. I worked at a major parts store and half of the alternator and even more than half optima batteries came back as defective, the next day. The mechanics also were sending the stuff back defective from the garages we supplied, newer bad parts are not that uncommon.

 

[asexton6969]

Take the battery to an Autozone, Advance Auto parts, etc. Have them test the battery. Your battery may just be shit now. When they get to a certain point they just wont hold a charge anymore. PLUS its easier to take the battery out than the altenator. Check the battery first.

 

[poppyseed]

If he runs the car and disconnects the battery as it is running(no battery connected), revs the gas and put a load like lights and vents, and the car still runs with no battery hooked up, the alternator is good.

If he runs the car and disconnects the battery as it is running, and then it dies out, the alternator is dead.

If he can't start the car the battery is dead.

Thats it i give up

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink it.

 

[ddavisaf]

If he runs the car and disconnects the battery as it is running(no battery connected), revs the gas and put a load like lights and vents, and the car still runs with no battery hooked up, the alternator is good.

If he runs the car and disconnects the battery as it is running, and then it dies out, the alternator is dead.

If he can't start the car the battery is dead.

Thats it i give up

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink it.

What he said.

However... your battery more than likely has a bad cell, thus it's not holding a charge. No matter how hard the alternator is working, the battery won't hold the charge.
Get the car running, drive it to autozone and tell them to start testing Take money and tools with you.

 

[DSM_shop]

If he runs the car and disconnects the battery as it is running(no battery connected), revs the gas and put a load like lights and vents, and the car still runs with no battery hooked up, the alternator is good.

If he runs the car and disconnects the battery as it is running, and then it dies out, the alternator is dead.

If he can't start the car the battery is dead.

Thats it i give up

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink it.

everything poppyseed said is right, but from mastaBO's posts it sounded like a bad battery to me. whatever the situation, try what poppyseed said and you'll figure it out.

 

[mastaBO]

wow.. alot of posts in such a short time. Thanks for the input.

I let it charge and then same thing happend. Well now.. it just clicks over and over and sometimes turns over.

Some times.. the battery would just go all out and nothing would power on. THen i would unhook the battery and put it back, then it would be powered again. but wont start the car.

Iam about to jump start the car and see if the car would still run w.o the battery wire.( the battery)

I got ma alternator rebuilt at a local shop. They use OEM parts and got 1 year waranty with it.

 

[ddavisaf]

No need. Your battery is dead.

 

[mastaBO]

so im guessin autozone's test was a faulty one? They let it charge for an hour and it said it was good. I guess i will need a new battery.

 

[DSM_shop]

you know you wanna do the test... good peace of mind afterwards.

 

[mastaBO]

okay.. i jumped the car.. and let it start. unhooked the jumper cables. then i went to the battery. i tried to take off the positive wire. When i moved it/turn it a lil bit, the car just shut off. so that means its the alternator thats bad...

 

[mastaBO]

okay i tested the voltage output. the voltage is lower with the engine turned on. If i turn off the engine and measure the battery, its higher. I cant tell how much voltage it is cause my multimeter is pretty cheap and i cant really tell the numbers(dont think its accurate)
I gues i have to take out the alternator again...