Back in Sept. i bought a brand new Duralast Gold battery from Autozone. Ran me $75. I've been driving my Stang with no problem. Through the coldest of winter mornings it started right up. Last week my wife got a minivan so I put the Stang in the garage and was driving our Ford Focus cuz it's better on gas. This past Wed. I go into the garage to drive the Stang (after 6 days of not driving it and it won't start. I jump it...starts right up. Next day...wont start. No biggie, I know I'll have to jump it. Go out today to jump it...get the cables on the Focus, hook the cables up to the stang and the cables literally start to melt [][][]! and there is some smoke coming right off the top of my alternator!!! ****** all the cables off (burn my hand) and they are destroyed! So I borrow my buddies cables and this time use my wife's van like I did Wed. Same result but I took the cables off before they could be ruined. I just took the battery out and took it back to Autozone...they hooked it up and said I have to come back in an hour when it charges up. If it does'nt hold a charge they will give me a new one. WTF is up with my car. If the battery holds a charge OR I get a new one and bring it home and put it in and my car won't start...I'm out of answers. Anyone?

 

Just picked the battery up from AutoZone. It held the charge just fine they said. Got home and put it in the car and.....NOTHING. Not a peep from the car. No dome light...no door locks, horn, nothing. It's like there's not even a battery in the car. Tried the jump again and nothing. Not a peep. Not a damn peep.

 

Sounds like a bad alternator. You may wanna check all your wires running from the battery to the starter and the ground and make sure nothing is rubbed bare and touching something it shouldnt be rubbing.

 

I was just reading the Chilton's manual and it said if the battery shorts it could damage the alternator. But would that stop ALL power from going to the car? I don't even get dome lights now...WITH the car being jumped by another car. Man I pray it's only the alternator.

 

The car will still operate on what power is left in the battery. But once the battery is gone then you will have no power. Take the alternator off and have it tested for free at Autozone. I would say thats your problem.

 

Thanks man. Cuz I'm out of answers right now. I'm just amazed how I don't have any lights or nothin...even with the other car's battery supplying juice. It's good this is not my everyday car, though. Thanks again.

 

No problem.

 

well if your battery is charged you should still be able to get lights or any source of power. If you dont i wouldnt just point the finger at the alternator. Sounds like a ground fault or a cable. Make sure your cables off your battery is in good shape and they are not coorded on the terminals, clean with sand paper if needed. Also check for blown fuses if it was a ground fault. I made it a few blocks driving my old car with no alternator. just have to charge the battery every few blocks and dont use stereo, turn signals etc. lol.

Frayed cable grounding out would be my guess. Other wise why would the jumper cables smoke?

 

should have spent 15 bucks more and bought an optima

 

Sounds to me like you fried the alternator by hooking the cable up backwards. In other words, you put the ground cable on the positive side and the positive cable on the ground side. As mentioned, take the alternator out and have it checked. You may as well replace the voltage regulator at the same time.