Bad Alternator?
11-05-2011, 12:12 AM
#11
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Nevada
Posts: 641
Not necessarily true, a battery can show 12 volts and have 0 amps and that could be the cause. Voltage is the flow of electrons, something like 6.6 billion through a given point, and amps are pressure. But I have watched low voltage batteries start cars
Does your battery light come on while driving? If not, does it light up the self test when turning the ignition on? If it does and stays off while driving chances are the alt is pumping juice. Now with that said, it is possible the voltage regulator which would be overcharging the battery causing premature failure.
My suggestion, starting and charging is such a gray area you can't ask a forum and get a direct solution. Do the smart thing and take the car in to be tested, its usually free to have done.
Does your battery light come on while driving? If not, does it light up the self test when turning the ignition on? If it does and stays off while driving chances are the alt is pumping juice. Now with that said, it is possible the voltage regulator which would be overcharging the battery causing premature failure.
My suggestion, starting and charging is such a gray area you can't ask a forum and get a direct solution. Do the smart thing and take the car in to be tested, its usually free to have done.
11-05-2011, 01:37 AM
#12
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: OH
Posts: 829
No, amps is NOT over complicating it, its what allows your electronics to work. Look at it like this, you have a given amount of amps, well they need to be ate up by a load(s) by the time they hit the battery. When they aren't, that is what causes fuses to blow or otherwise. Voltage is merely a measurement of flow, in otherwords how quickly it can deliver.
Think of electricity as a water system, surprisingly they are nearly identical. Say a sprinkler, you can't opperate one properly without pressure. You can have a flow of water through it, but without pressure all that water will do is flow out, not spray.
This is coming from a certified ford electrical tech, btw, so it may sound like im over complicating it. Thing is, as I mentioned this is a gray area, just because you can say oh yeah a battery is bad doesn't mean that's the real issue. You can't test a battery based on volts, its there ability to supply amps. An 8 volt battery can still be good, may just need charged to provide a proper supply.
Im rambling, but if you want to attempt diagnostics, you gotta know what you're talking about. No offense, but it sounds like you have a lot to learn. Trust me it takes a lot lol
Think of electricity as a water system, surprisingly they are nearly identical. Say a sprinkler, you can't opperate one properly without pressure. You can have a flow of water through it, but without pressure all that water will do is flow out, not spray.
This is coming from a certified ford electrical tech, btw, so it may sound like im over complicating it. Thing is, as I mentioned this is a gray area, just because you can say oh yeah a battery is bad doesn't mean that's the real issue. You can't test a battery based on volts, its there ability to supply amps. An 8 volt battery can still be good, may just need charged to provide a proper supply.
Im rambling, but if you want to attempt diagnostics, you gotta know what you're talking about. No offense, but it sounds like you have a lot to learn. Trust me it takes a lot lol
11-05-2011, 12:14 PM
#13
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: California
Posts: 4
It was the starter. Just swapped it out and it's starting up fine now. I shoulve known it was gonna need a new starter when I first started it... It kinda struggled a little bit but I thought nothing of it since it had been sitting for so long.
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