Ok heres the prob.
We noticed the car was sounding loud and a guy that my bf works with said it's the alternator.
So we got a new alternator and my bf and his friend (who knows alot about cars) changed it.
Drove a bit, and then the battery light came on.
Ok, the guy said it was a bad alternator (which it was because it turned out to be one that someone messed with and brought back) Ok..so we exchanged it and they changed it again.
The noise went away and car sounds perfect. And no battery light on the dash! woo hoo
The car ran good for a week and a half and what happens today?? Battery light came back on!!
What can be wrong? Alternator again? Or is something not hooked up right?
I am like almost broke and can't bring it to Canadian tire and pay $88/hr for them to tell me wuts wrong. If someone can give me some ideas on whats wrong, i would REALLY appreciate it!! :)
2007-08-23 09:40:04 · 11 answers · asked by *CaREbEaR* 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Also I forgot to mention, we never replaced the battery at all since we got the new alternator, even thought it did drain the battery maybe 2 or 3 times... could that be the prob too?
2007-08-23 10:11:41 · update #1
more than likely, STILL an alternator problem. my suggestion would be to check the belt and see if there is a tensioner problem or maybe your luck with alternators is just realllllly bad. but really, check the belt. a lot of times this is the basic problem. one more thing, get the battery checked because although the new alternator SHOULD charge it, the battery has been through a lot and could just need some more juice. either a battery problem or a belt problem IMO. good luck!
2007-08-23 09:46:39 · answer #1 · answered by Love my Family <3 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Since you have broken the bad luck laws of probability, here's what you need to look at:
1. Are any of the other accessories dragging causing the belt to slip or not turn and therefore makes the battery take over the alternators job?
A bearing in a water pump (most common) or a powersteering pump (less common) can do this as well as an idler pulley. If the belt tensioner is loose this will occur too. They would know this if they replaced the alternator.
Also, is the A/C (air-conditioning) on when this keeps happening? If YES, then the freon level is too low and the compressor keeps dragging or locking up and this will stop the belt from tunring the alternator and create this problem.
Likely the A/C compressor or a bearing in the water pump or other accessory is the culprit.
You can stop it temporarily by not running the A/C or defroster if the A/C compressor is the culprit due to low freon.
Good Luck!
2007-08-23 10:04:21 · answer #2 · answered by CactiJoe 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Have someone check the belt tensioner pulley. I had this problem last december. Really bad day out and was on e-way and everythign started making funny noises. Car overheated bad, battery went dead, and powere steering went out, and something with the brakes too but cant remember. Everything pointed to the alternator, but then someone noticed that my engine belt looked a little too loose.
Anyways, the belt tensioner pulley is what keeps the belt tuaght on the other pulleys. If it comes loose then the other items that your belt is connected to will not work properly (alternator, water pump, power steering pump, etc. - basically it's all the important stuff). It could be that it is just going bad and just letting out enough tension to cause the alt to stop working (the alternator might be in a location where it would get the most slack if the belt came loose).
They are ony like 40-75 USD, and take like an hour or two to replace depending on how cramped your engine bay is.
2007-08-23 09:54:32 · answer #3 · answered by Toledo Engineer 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You many have another bad alternator. You may have some crossed wires or cables. It sounds like the alternator is working against the battery - causing a discharge of the battery. Take it back to the place that did the work. They must fix the problem w/o cost to you. Make sure you get a written warranty that states the battery and alternator are guaranteed for one or two years and/or 25,000 miles.
2007-08-23 09:53:35 · answer #4 · answered by Phillip S 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If I saw that light on, I would not buy the car. There is a charging system failure of some kind. That is why the light is on. It could be simple or difficult to find. Might be a bad connection at the alternator. You should have it properly inspected by qualified people to find out what is needed.
2016-04-01 11:22:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like the alternator was bad, since the sound went away (bad bearings or bushings). Sometimes the battery can go too. Have it tested, usually free.
2007-08-23 09:47:08 · answer #6 · answered by stever002 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
check to make sure there are no loose wires, perhaps when the last person to put the alternator in didn't tighten everything down and a week later a wire came loose.
2007-08-23 09:56:35 · answer #7 · answered by Gary V 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it might be the alternator but more than likley the alternator belt has come loose tighten up the belt that should sort it out if you did not replace the belt with the alternator it needs replacing
2007-08-23 09:45:11 · answer #8 · answered by chauncey1970cam 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
take the car to autozone and get their free charging system check and quit guessing whats wrong, that gets expensive.
2007-08-23 13:23:34 · answer #9 · answered by mister ss 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Those new alternators are usually old alternators that are remanufactured in china, so their quality is not that great.
2007-08-23 09:46:23 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋