battery problem?

Question

i posted earlier about this so i got it to turn over and drove it for about 15 minutes i noticed that the interior lights flickered alittle even my speedometer dident work not sure why fuse? i come back and shut off the van and it wouldent start back up is this bad connections at the battery or something else im replacing the connectors today and will go from there

Answer 1

sounds like the alternator. Could be it and the battery. An autoparts store like autozone, Advanced, Oreilly's can check it for free. Also make sure there is no corrosion between the battery cable and the battery. Check the cable from the battery to the alternator also.
Make sure there are no frayed strands from the cable. That could cause a poor connection also.

If you have a voltmeter then you can remove one battery cable while the vehicle is running and chack the voltage coming from the alternator. By the way if the car dies while attempting to do this then it is definetily the alternator. (Cars won't run without either the battery or alternator providing power)

Answer 2

I'm sure we all would recommend that you should invest in an inexpensive volt meter from Sears or any auto parts store. Set it @ 20 volts and touch both battery terminals with the motor off. You should see a minimum of 12.5 volts. If not charge the battery with an automatic leveling charger @ 2 amps for 4 hrs. If your battery is new you should see 12.5 volts. Start your car and check the posts with the volt meter. If the alternator is working properly the meter should read 13.5 - 14.0 volts. If not, it's time for a new or re-manufactured alternator with a lifetime warranty.

Answer 3

Could be a bad connection, but I would have your alternator checked out.

Answer 4

Sounds like your alternator is about shot.