battery wont hold charge!

[No Name13]

i recently bought a new battery after my old one started to spill battery acid..before changing my battery i was having the issue that my radio would randomly turn off after a while of driving.. then as time passed it got worse. My stereo and headlights would go out..and my idle would drop drastically to around 300. then my gauge cluster would turn off and then when i would turn my car off it wouldn't turn on.. i have a 3 day old battery and its still doing the same thing! any thoughts??

[coupes]

Alternator is a good possibility.

[SPLCB7]

Go out to your car....lift the pos battery term off while the cars running if it dies its your alt if it stays running have your new batt checked and if its good id say try an new ground wire

[Flatline]

there's an easier way to go about all this.

parts stores can test your electrical system with one easy tool and tell you what your possibilities are. if the alternator is charging low, it'll tell you. If the test isn't clear, you can remove the alt and have it bench tested also.

all for free my friend.

[evil_demon_01]

i recently bought a new battery after my old one started to spill battery acid..before changing my battery i was having the issue that my radio would randomly turn off after a while of driving.. then as time passed it got worse. My stereo and headlights would go out..and my idle would drop drastically to around 300. then my gauge cluster would turn off and then when i would turn my car off it wouldn't turn on.. i have a 3 day old battery and its still doing the same thing! any thoughts??

From your title, I'd assume that your battery is charging fine, but not holding charge.
From your description I'd agree with the above comments that you need to have your alternator tested.

While the engine is running, check the battery voltage and let us know what it reads

[dano28]

You can get a useable volt/ohm meter for $10 these days. Your volt readings, at the battery posts with the car running, should be around 13.5 volts.

There are two connections coming from your battery positive post. One goes to your starter the other to the underhood fuse box. Check the latter cable and it's connections. The random loss of radio, lights. etc. points to a problem with this cable. Below is my repair/replacement.

[No Name13]

what is the difference between getting a new alternator and getting it rebuilt? its 60 bucks to get it rebuilt and 120 for a new one from autozone.

[Flatline]

did you get the whole system check like i said?

there really isn't a difference per say. Autozone will sell you a re-furb so it'll be pretty much the same. but whoever rebuilds it may not offer a warranty like the parts store will.

[No Name13]

I dont have a volt meter but when i unplug my battery terminal my car doesnt die.. it seems to struggle to stay on. and once something electrical is turned on it will just shut off.

[No Name13]

*** im trying to remove my alternator followint rhe haynes instructions but the tension bolt seems to do nothing.. i can even remove it and the belt will stay the same...the alternator doenst even budge.. do i have to use force for it to come out? can i smack it with a 2x4? lol

[CBro7]

No need to double post, bro. People will get to this.

It really does sound like it's your alternator.

[No Name13]

it seems to be your altenator..easy fix there should be 2 bolts on it.. if your near the maywood area in la i can help you out on this..
email me at cookiemonsters09@live.com

thanks man but i already took it off. All that was needed was to hit it with a 4x4 nd knock it loose.

I took my alternator to go get checked out and the guy there looked at it for 10 seconds and said "its fucked" lol. He said he couldn't rebuild it because it was burnt out either due to jumpstarting the car allot or having allot of bass in my sound system (the alternator couldn't keep up with the power the amp needed and i'm running 2 10 inch subs..) either way i did both allot. Prior to getting a new battery, my old battery was spilling battery acid so the only way to get around was to get a jump start.

lesson learned! Dont have so much bass if you don't have one of those capacitor things.

Also..some of you told me to remove the POS cable from the battery as the car is running...the guy at the shop said that most alternators mess up after that..something about the alternator producing a steady 14V and when you disconnect the POS from the battery the voltage regulator in the alternator heats up and burns out.

thanks for all your help!

[199Dakord]

make sure your terminals are getting a good connection with the battery i had this problem and it turn out i was getting a bad connection with my battery

[ssondubs]

Invest in a multi-meter.

The way to check if your charging system is working properly is by checking battery voltage with the car off, it should read about 12.4 volts. With the car running check battery voltage and it should be between 13.8 to 14.4 volts anything below 13 means your alternator needs to be replaced. To test the battery charge fully it using a A/C charger so you don't overstress your alternator then let it sit for a few, connect your multi-meter and check voltage it reads below 12 volts you need to have the battery replaced.

[lilg4mdalbc]

correct me if im wrong, but isnt it true that the autozone alts are crap?
i remember reading it in a couple of posts on here