Battery and alternator keep going out!!
07-30-2014, 07:16 PM
#11
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Jasper, IN
Posts: 772
Please make sure the battery is charged fully before installing your alt. If you use your Alt to fully charge a dead battery it will end up cooking it. Alternators are designed to maintain a charge in a battery, not maintain a charge and charge the battery fully at the same time. They can do it, but they will get ruined.
Well at least I am assuming that when jumping you give it enough juice to start the car and then driving it after that is what recharges the battery. No?
Anyway, back to the topic....
OP, I am shocked that you waiting until after buying 8 alternators because asking for some help. I think I would have been done on the second one. But what makes you think the alternators went bad. That seems like a much bigger issues if you replaced that many in 3 years. That is almost 3 alts a year.
I agree with norm on the things to do. As for the performance alt, I really have no opinion. I have had my v6 pony package since 2009 and have yet to replace the alternator. I have changed the battery once.
Last edited by LordRipberger; 07-30-2014 at 07:18 PM.
07-31-2014, 12:49 AM
#12
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: California
Posts: 1,495
Please make sure the battery is charged fully before installing your alt. If you use your Alt to fully charge a dead battery it will end up cooking it. Alternators are designed to maintain a charge in a battery, not maintain a charge and charge the battery fully at the same time. They can do it, but they will get ruined.
This seems a bit over the top. This would indicate that every time someone in the world leaves their cabin light on and the battery dies, they should not get a jump.
Well at least I am assuming that when jumping you give it enough juice to start the car and then driving it after that is what recharges the battery. No?
Well at least I am assuming that when jumping you give it enough juice to start the car and then driving it after that is what recharges the battery. No?
Ford differentiates between batteries that are deeply discharged and those that have a shallow discharge. Leaving an accessory on for several hours or a few days will generally result in a battery with a very low charge, but it will not be completely dead.
In any event, Ford says that batteries with either deep or shallow discharge should be charged using an external charger.
If you're jump starting a car, I would heed the advice from Ford, rather than those who say to turn off all accessories. Ford says to leave the fan on, with all other accessories off, to minimize damage from electrical surges. This should be done on both the jumper and jumpee vehicles. There can be surges when you start the car, and also when you unhook the battery cables after both cars are running. Again, electrical surges may not be evident immediately, but you may weaken the electrical system and have problems in the future.
Back to our regularly scheduled show.
07-31-2014, 02:08 PM
#13
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Redding, CA
Posts: 4,552
Simon1 is essentially correct. The alternator may not fail immediately, but it will probably be weakened somewhat and fail earlier than it would have had it not been used to charge a battery with low charge.
Ford differentiates between batteries that are deeply discharged and those that have a shallow discharge. Leaving an accessory on for several hours or a few days will generally result in a battery with a very low charge, but it will not be completely dead.
In any event, Ford says that batteries with either deep or shallow discharge should be charged using an external charger.
If you're jump starting a car, I would heed the advice from Ford, rather than those who say to turn off all accessories. Ford says to leave the fan on, with all other accessories off, to minimize damage from electrical surges. This should be done on both the jumper and jumpee vehicles. There can be surges when you start the car, and also when you unhook the battery cables after both cars are running. Again, electrical surges may not be evident immediately, but you may weaken the electrical system and have problems in the future.
Back to our regularly scheduled show.
Ford differentiates between batteries that are deeply discharged and those that have a shallow discharge. Leaving an accessory on for several hours or a few days will generally result in a battery with a very low charge, but it will not be completely dead.
In any event, Ford says that batteries with either deep or shallow discharge should be charged using an external charger.
If you're jump starting a car, I would heed the advice from Ford, rather than those who say to turn off all accessories. Ford says to leave the fan on, with all other accessories off, to minimize damage from electrical surges. This should be done on both the jumper and jumpee vehicles. There can be surges when you start the car, and also when you unhook the battery cables after both cars are running. Again, electrical surges may not be evident immediately, but you may weaken the electrical system and have problems in the future.
Back to our regularly scheduled show.
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