All the sudden car is just dead?

**Black87GT** · 02-10-2008, 04:02 PM

Ok, well like 3-4 days ago i hooked up my 2 gauges and ran the wires to my corner light, so when i turned my headlights on, my gauge lights would come on, yesterday i finally got my water temp. gauge hooked up, went to work, came out of work, car started fine, then by the time i got home the gauge for the batt. read it was almost dead, so i shut car off, tried to restart and it wont start.... so i charged the battery enough to get it to start, then let it run for 10-20 minutes, went outside, and the gauge said the batt. was COMPLETELY dead... wtf is going on?

**2001GTTT** · 02-10-2008, 04:04 PM

wow you really dont have good luck with your car.....obviously theres a draw on the batt. somewhere....check your wiring...

**Black87GT** · 02-10-2008, 04:21 PM

lol all the sudden everything has been going wrong.. finally i get shit sorted out, and now it keeps ****ing dieing...few people have told me it sounds like the alt or battery went to shit...

**J-rod** · 02-10-2008, 04:36 PM

running stock alt?

running fog lights?

ever had head lights flicker?

**Black87GT** · 02-10-2008, 04:44 PM

Yes its stock alt but just got it brand new like 3 months ago, yes i have fog lights, no never had lights flicker..

**INSANELY CRAZY** · 02-10-2008, 06:27 PM

where do you have the 12volt power for the gauges goin too?

**SV1000s** · 02-10-2008, 06:35 PM

Kinda sounds like a bad alt to me

**J-rod** · 02-10-2008, 08:02 PM

Originally Posted by SV1000s

Kinda sounds like a bad alt to me

me too. just cuz its new dont mean anything. i had to replace my 'new' alt after 3 weeks.

also if you havent done so already look into wiring your fogs independantly asap.

**eddmann55** · 02-10-2008, 08:35 PM

Do you have a volt meter? charge battery, check voltage, then start car when car is running voltage should read about 14 + or - at battery

**eddmann55** · 02-10-2008, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by eddmann55

Do you have a volt meter? charge battery, check voltage, then start car when car is running voltage should read about 14 + or - at battery

or just look at gauge and see what it says while car is running

**Black87GT** · 02-10-2008, 10:40 PM

well i dont think its bad alt, because we had a bad alt before, and it took a lil while for the car to die, not 10-20 min...

im thinking the batt went to shit or something, but both the batt and alt are less than 6 months old.... ****ing advanced auto...

**Cam99** · 02-11-2008, 10:56 AM

Redneck way I've checked altenators is to start car up and take positive battery cable off. If the car still runs alt is charging

**eddmann55** · 02-11-2008, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by Cam99

Redneck way I've checked altenators is to start car up and take positive battery cable off. If the car still runs alt is charging

**PaxtonShelby** · 02-11-2008, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by eddmann55

Do you have a volt meter? charge battery, check voltage, then start car when car is running voltage should read about 14 + or - at battery

I agree - get a voltmeter and check the battery and alternator.

With a healthy battery, you should get a reading very close to 12.6 volts with the motor OFF. If it reads lower than 12.3 or so your battery is dead. This could be due to the battery failing, or because the alternator has stopped working, thereby letting the battery go dead.

Then, with the car running, check the battery again. At this time you should get a reading of approximately 14.2 - 14.5 volts. If the reading is much lower than that you're alternator is not at full strength. Like the others said - just because it is a new alternator doesn't mean it's good. Most of the aftermarket ones are JUNK. Double check all the connections on the back of the alternator - maybe whoever put it on didn't get things snugged up enough.

One other possibility ( probably not the cause, but you never know ) is that your belt tension might be too loose. Your belt could be ready to fail, or maybe your tensioner has crapped the bed. Probably not the problem, but it only takes a sec to check...

Good luck!

**White5.0** · 02-11-2008, 01:55 PM

check all fuse links....the same one went bad on my car 3 times in one year. I had a bad ground that kept shorting out the wires

**Black87GT** · 02-11-2008, 03:49 PM

had batt checked, battery was shit, hooked new up, starts great, but now my battery meter in dash is like almost at the read.. its pretty low... and the alt is good i also had that checked, its like the alt is not charging the battery... ugh..

**PaxtonShelby** · 02-11-2008, 04:00 PM

Maybe your positive cable has corroded inside. In that case, the alternator could still be working, but the charge just isn't making it back to the battery. Sometimes those cables look fine on the outside, but the inside is badly corroded. Not to make you spend money for nothing, but if you can't figure this out it might be worth the $15 for a new positive cable, especially if your old one doesn't look so hot...

Keep us posted. Car trouble sucks - especially when it's your driver - and even more when it's REALLY F_ _ _ ING cold outside!!! I changed a battery in my mother-in-law's Buick last night - outside - and let me tell ya - THAT SUCKED!!!!!!!!!

**Black87GT** · 02-11-2008, 04:17 PM

ive been outside all day today trying to figure this out... im ****ing freezing, but yeah the pos. cable is practicly brand new, no signs of corrosion ANYWHERE on it.. so yeah... idk wtf is wrong... it kinda did this before and i had a mechanic "fix" it, but idk what he did...

**Black87GT** · 02-11-2008, 04:19 PM

also, how many prongs are supposed to be in the alternator plug hole, (the Long plug on the top of the alt) because the plug has 3 places, but inside the alt only has 2 prongs, and it looks like there used to be 3, but the one in the middle... is gone, or was never there.. idk...