stupid charging system :@

[turbo elk]

Is it possible for a rebuilt or new alternator to go bad and drain the battery's?
Two days ago I replaced my alternator, last night I got up for another 12hr night shift... drive to fuel up, shut the truck off at the pump and it didn't have enuff juice to start..
Amy help would be great.. thanks

 

[sassyrel]

Is it possible for a rebuilt or new alternator to go bad and drain the battery's?
Two days ago I replaced my alternator, last night I got up for another 12hr night shift... drive to fuel up, shut the truck off at the pump and it didn't have enuff juice to start..
Amy help would be great.. thanks

rebuilt,,doesnt mean good,,and neither does brand new...been there once toooo many times. take the alt,,to a place that can check it...even then,,it may not tell you,,about a bad diode...diodes can go bad three ways,,burn open,,burn to grd,,orrrrrrrr,,beleive it or not,,they burn to reverse.. meaning, they will charge just fine when running,and as soon as shut off,,it will drain current in reverse....ive replaced.. a FEWWWWWW,, that have burned in reverse..

 

[chris142]

Anything is possible with car parts. Did you replace the regulater? What's the voltage at the batteries? Knowing amp output at idle and say 2000 rpm would be usefull info

 

[turbo elk]

I'm getting off work in a few....but have to work tonight, so I won't be looking at it till after Christmas ... no I didn't replace the voltage regulator.... should I have?
I've replaced quite a few alt.s... one after another (all new ones)...but my buddy did 7 new one's before he got a good one.
I've had better luck with the rebuilt one's.

 

[Dzlnut]

I'm fighting a charging system issue as well, mine is only putting out 12.6v. I changed the voltage regulator but that was no help.

 

[whiteboyslo]

When I worked auto parts, there was a common theme when we saw a remanufactured (not rebuilt) alternators come back bad right after install. The battery in the system was low when the alternator was fired up for the first time. I honestly don't know what it is or whether its just some strange coincidence, but I'd always recommend people either have us charge up the battery real quick or throw in a new one, and those customers never came back.

Mike

 

[OLDBULL8]

NEVER, NEVER EVER TRY TO CHARGE DEAD BATTERIES WITH THE ALTERNATOR. All alternators, no matter what the amp output size is, is regulated to just replace the current load on the batteries. Trying to charge dead batteries, is likened to chargeing a dead short.

 

[f-two-fiddy]

I agree with trying to charge low batts with the alt. I'll add, I usually get 5-7 years out of a set of batteries. Considering my truck sits in the garage (no heat) all winter. I don't fuss with my batteries either. I usually put the charger on for 24 hrs every other month or so. And, again when I get ready to take her out for the summer. I've upgraded the charge wire to the solenoid, and have a 3G Alt.

Take the batts in, and have them load tested.

 

[turbo elk]

Yep... the battery's were all charged up when I changed out the alternator ...
Some times this truck tries real hard to just **** me off....
well of f to sleep gotta get up at 4pm...for my last 12hr. shift till the 3rd....hope I have time to fix the problem.

 

[Dave 001]

Yes. So will a bad voltage regulator.

The quality of remanufactured, rebuilt, and new knockoff alternators is so low these days, I just rebuild my own and get much better results. I realise this can be a problem when rebuild parts usually have to be ordered but you need your truck fixed now and the store has an alternator already sitting on the shelf.

Is it possible for a rebuilt or new alternator to go bad and drain the battery's?

Not to steal your thread but what year did the 3G replace the 1G?

 

[turbo elk]

So what does 3G stand for, and what vehicle and year does it come off of?...
Is it a hard upgrade?

 

[MUDKICKR]

I'm getting off work in a few....but have to work tonight, so I won't be looking at it till after Christmas ... no I didn't replace the voltage regulator.... should I have?
I've replaced quite a few alt.s... one after another (all new ones)...but my buddy did 7 new one's before he got a good one.
I've had better luck with the rebuilt one's.

ive seen people do that as well, throw parts one after the other and it still dont fix it, i always ask, what did you do different the 7th time to fix it right? best thing to do when you have any electrical issue is to get a wiring diagram, and go through it and and correctly diagnosis it the first time, or just take it somewhere to have that done for you. but other then that, you really need to get a wiring diagram, and follow the current til it stops. something as simple as a broken wire at a connector could be the reason its not charging. wont know whts going on til you do that, and anything else is throwing parts at it.

 

[turbo elk]

My alternator has a lifetime warranty , so to replace it won't cost me anything.. and so did my buddy's.... all failed rather quickly.......so... no... I'm not just throwing parts at it.

 

[Dave 001]

What's your time and aggrevation worth?? My experience has overwhelmingly been any part that comes with a lifetime warranty is a piece of junk and you will be needing that lifetime warranty much sooner then you expected.

It is getting very, very difficult to buy good automotive parts these days....at any cost. Sometimes they are simply not made (good parts). There is so much worthless crap coming from China these days and the general public just keeps buying it. What fools!

My alternator has a lifetime warranty , so to replace it won't cost me anything.. and so did my buddy's.... all failed rather quickly.......so... no... I'm not just throwing parts at it.

 

[turbo elk]

Hence the lifetime warranty. =)