knuckless

So my 68 mustang wont get going for me. Id always have to jump the car with cables to get it started and within 1 minute for taking the cables off the car the car would die and there would be no power in the battery to even turn my door lights on. I got my alternator tested and its 100% fine. Just put it a brand new battery and I have to jump it to get it going and then again when I took off the cables it died after I tried turning the head lights on. What could be the problem? Is my battery not getting a charge from the alternator?

JamesW

voltage regulator

Nick.Simonds

So you have a brand new battery from the store, put it in and it would not start?

Was this happening to the old battery? I would take it to where you got the battery and have them check it.

knuckless

sorry i didnt clarify. yes this was happening with the old battery and old battery was olddddd so it was time for a new one regardless.

i thought it might be the voltage regulator but could it also be the wires? Or does the fact that I can jump it show the wires are good?

Nick.Simonds

It could be a wire somewhere, but probably not as likely. I would go through and tighten every connection you can find. As some are probably loose anyways from years of use.

knuckless

so i jumped the battery, drove it around for 10 minutes, parked it and then turned the headlights on and it died. tried starting it again but the battery wouldn't even turn on the door lights. Jumped the battery, let it run for 5 minutes, turned it off. then tried turning it on again and it again the battery was completely dead.

also i replaced the voltage regulator this morning

JamesW

Jump it, drive it up to Autozone or Napa and let them hook up their machine to tell you what's not working.

Oxnard Montalvo

+1.

Just be ready to buy an alternator. You're running completely off the battery. Electrical problems can run in a circle, one component wipes another out through overwork, that kind of schit. Charge the battery before you go. If you don't have a charger leave only the jumper car running with the cables hooked up for a good half hour or so. Beg, borrow or steal a voltmeter and look for 14.5vdc across the battery.

knuckless

the alternator is fine, i was hoping that was the problem, easy $35 fix. i got like 4 battery jumpers so I'll make it to the autoparts store. what do they have to test my car with? i mean will it cost anything? they already tested my alternator when I brought it in monday.

Nabster

It's either the Alt, the voltage regulator or the battery. If you replaced the battery with a new one and now the new one is dead it's either the voltage regulator or the alt. If you just replaced the voltage regulator chances are that's not it; which leads to the alt. It's either bad or not connected up to the system properly. Go to a different place and have someone else test it after you double check the connections on the alt- make sure the wires are in the right spots.