| Mobius |
| My old battery didn't have enough cranking power for the weather, so I replaced it with some crap I got from Part Source (I was in a hurry). I put it in, started the car then drove to Red Deer. When I got here I stopped at the mall, and when I came out the battery was stone dead. I got a boost, drove to my gf's place, but the battery wasn't holding any charge. It was still completely dead. It's not the alt, because the voltmeter tells me I have about 13V when the car's running normally, but it drops to 9 when I idle it down real low. Like barely running low. I didn't have my multimeter with me to check it properly. I called the warranty in, but they told me that it was my alt. Am I stupid, or do they just think I am? Is there any problem with me driving back to Edmonton just on the alt? |
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| n0c7 |
Sounding like the alternator. 13V seems a bit low, should be high 13's even mid 14's while running. The alternator would explain the drop to 9V. As for driving home from Red Deer, if it is the alternator you're pushing it. About 5 years ago I was driving to Red Deer with my dad and the alternator decided to start crapping out about 15 minutes away so we turned back and made it no problem but it was in the summer.
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| Mobius |
| Remember that I drive an RX7, so you can't assume that the guage is very accurate. Also, 13V is what it's always shown as normal. And if it was the alternator, why would the car run perfectly after I get a boost, yet continue to have a completely dead battery? And it only goes to 9V when I turn down the idle to the point where the engine is barely turning over, revving at 300 - 500 RPM, where the alt isn't putting out enough power to run the engine. |
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| Godzilla |
| do you have access to a load testor? check the battery out. most run of the mill service stations will be able to do it for you free of charge. what happens to your volt meter when you put loads on with the engine on/off? |
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| LeadSled |
Its very possible the battery is just a bad one. I'd try to get a replacement.
We were told that there's been an influx of shitty batteries lately. My dad bought a 06 Malibu VLX boat and it had one good battery and one that was shot right from the factory. The shot one wouldn't hold much charge at all when we tried it on the charger, it just heated up. Dealership replaced it and it worked perfectly after that. |
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| Mobius |
| Thanks for the input, I'll get a boost again tomorrow and see if any service places are open. I do belive that it is the battery. Is there any problem running the car on the alternator alone? |
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| SilverNeonRacer |
I had an alt go bad on me, the truck ran fine, but if I used any accesories it stalled, even when I was driving 100km/h I hit hte wipers and there wasn't enought juice to complete a wiper cycle so it died.
At idle, turn on your highbeams, wipers, heater on full, any accessory you can think of and see what happens. If it stalls try it while rolling(gauge says 13v), under safe conditions with a chase vehicle(to give you a boost if it dies) |
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| 2ndgenlude |
| take it into crappy tire. they have a half decent load tester at the parts counter and its free |
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| TrevorK |
What kind of condition is your alternator belt in?
When you're driving your alternator should keep the voltage well above 9V at all times. The voltage regulator ensures that the car runs between 13.5 and 14.5V. If it dips any less, it's not the battery but typically the alternator (Which has the voltage regulator as part of it). By you saying that your voltage drops to 9V while the car is running suggests that the alternator needs further inspection.
The alternator tests are free, I would advise taking advantage of them. And if you have to spring for a new alternator, consider getting a Hitachi (Brand new) rather than a rebuilt (Champion or equivalent). |
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| ChromeDragon |
Even still, the battery could be crap. Just because it's "new" doesn't mean it hasn't been sitting on a shelf for 3 or 4 years having never been intermittently recharged. A good battery store will recharge all their batteries every few months. The big box stores can't be bothered. My dad's friend runs a battery supply store in the west end (mostly RV, deep cycle, forklift, etc.) and he knows all about the problems with these sorts of things. We've purchased a couple of deep cycle batteries from him over the years and they are all still functioning perfectly because they were properly maintained before being sold.
I once bought an Interstate battery about 6 or 7 years ago. It was shot right off the shelf and the shop kept saying it was my car. I put my twelve year old battery back in the car and it was holding more charge than their brand new piece of shit. They ended up replacing it twice over the next year because they were never properly maintained before being sold. It's also the reason I'll never buy another Interstate. |
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| Mobius |
quote:
Originally posted by TrevorK
What kind of condition is your alternator belt in?
When you're driving your alternator should keep the voltage well above 9V at all times. The voltage regulator ensures that the car runs between 13.5 and 14.5V. If it dips any less, it's not the battery but typically the alternator (Which has the voltage regulator as part of it). By you saying that your voltage drops to 9V while the car is running suggests that the alternator needs further inspection.
The alternator tests are free, I would advise taking advantage of them. And if you have to spring for a new alternator, consider getting a Hitachi (Brand new) rather than a rebuilt (Champion or equivalent).
I'll go do that today. And I was saying that it runs fine (headlights on, wipers, heater fan) while I'm driving it, but as soon as the car is off there is absolutely no charge on the battery, not even enough to run a LED. Thanks for the responses. |
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| Godzilla |
| check your connections, are your teminals clean, is the ground connected to the chassis properly, with that little power i'd be leaning towards a connection problem, where are you boosting too? |
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| Mobius |
| Terminals are clean, grounds are connected. |
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