DIM headlights, interior lights, very slow blinkers, and cd deck turns off
05-12-2003, 11:14 PM
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DIM headlights, interior lights, very slow blinkers, and cd deck turns off
When I drove it tonight, the headlights and guage lights were very dim. When I gave it gas...still DIM...didn't get brighter. The blinkers were extremely slow and eventually the cd deck turned off and the blinkers wouldn't even blink...just stayed on.
Is it my battery, alternator, or anything else? I noticed some sort of liquid on top of the battery and it has been leaking underneath the car the last few days.
Thanks.
Is it my battery, alternator, or anything else? I noticed some sort of liquid on top of the battery and it has been leaking underneath the car the last few days.
Thanks.
05-13-2003, 06:28 AM
#2
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Battery or Alternator
It is hard to say which but it sounds like it is either your battery or your alternator. I would lean towards it being the alternator as it sounds like it is not charging. A very shorted battery could also do this but if it was so shorted that it was keeping your alternator from charging it then it would probably get real hot.
Sam's Club will test your charging system for nothing. At least the ones around here will. If you remove your alternator most Advance Auto Parts stores and their like have a machine to put it on to see if it works.
There is also the small possibility that it is a broken wire or a wire with a real bad connection.
One question, did you use your car to give someone a jump to start their car recently? That is the most common way for alternators to get damaged.
If you have a voltmeter you can measure the voltage across the battery. It should be about 13.2 volts when it is fully charged. Each of the 6 cells in the battery is about 2.2 volts. If the battery is very discharged then the voltage will be lower. If you put the battery on a good charger for about an hour and it has not come up to 13.2 volts then there is probably something wrong with the battery.
The voltmeter can also tell you if the alternator is working, though it can not really tell if the alternator is partially damaged. Most good alternators will charge at around 15 volts when the RPM is above 1200 or so. If the voltage is a lot lower then the alternator is not working right. If the voltage is above 17 volts then the alternator is also not working right. Rarely an alternator will overcharge and that can kill a battery but your symptoms do NOT sound like an overcharge situation.
I almost forgot, a loose alternator belt will also cause these kinds of symptoms. You usually hear them squealing but sometimes they slip without squealing. I would check the tension on the alternator belt. If, with the engine turned off, you can turn the alternator by hand so it's pully slips under the belt then the alternator belt is loose. An alternator belt could also slip if it gets oil, radiator fluid, brake fluid, or power stearing fluid on it.
I would be very surprised if your car starts with the symptoms you described. I hope you have another car or a battery charger available.
Good Luck,
dzimmerm
Sam's Club will test your charging system for nothing. At least the ones around here will. If you remove your alternator most Advance Auto Parts stores and their like have a machine to put it on to see if it works.
There is also the small possibility that it is a broken wire or a wire with a real bad connection.
One question, did you use your car to give someone a jump to start their car recently? That is the most common way for alternators to get damaged.
If you have a voltmeter you can measure the voltage across the battery. It should be about 13.2 volts when it is fully charged. Each of the 6 cells in the battery is about 2.2 volts. If the battery is very discharged then the voltage will be lower. If you put the battery on a good charger for about an hour and it has not come up to 13.2 volts then there is probably something wrong with the battery.
The voltmeter can also tell you if the alternator is working, though it can not really tell if the alternator is partially damaged. Most good alternators will charge at around 15 volts when the RPM is above 1200 or so. If the voltage is a lot lower then the alternator is not working right. If the voltage is above 17 volts then the alternator is also not working right. Rarely an alternator will overcharge and that can kill a battery but your symptoms do NOT sound like an overcharge situation.
I almost forgot, a loose alternator belt will also cause these kinds of symptoms. You usually hear them squealing but sometimes they slip without squealing. I would check the tension on the alternator belt. If, with the engine turned off, you can turn the alternator by hand so it's pully slips under the belt then the alternator belt is loose. An alternator belt could also slip if it gets oil, radiator fluid, brake fluid, or power stearing fluid on it.
I would be very surprised if your car starts with the symptoms you described. I hope you have another car or a battery charger available.
Good Luck,
dzimmerm
05-13-2003, 02:22 PM
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Re: Battery or Alternator
Got the battery checked and it was just a little low at 11.6V so I got it charged up. The alternator bearings were "whining" when I was spinning it so I replaced it and everything seems to be working again.
Thanks for the info dzimmerm.
Thanks for the info dzimmerm.
Originally posted by dzimmerm
It is hard to say which but it sounds like it is either your battery or your alternator. I would lean towards it being the alternator as it sounds like it is not charging. A very shorted battery could also do this but if it was so shorted that it was keeping your alternator from charging it then it would probably get real hot.
Sam's Club will test your charging system for nothing. At least the ones around here will. If you remove your alternator most Advance Auto Parts stores and their like have a machine to put it on to see if it works.
There is also the small possibility that it is a broken wire or a wire with a real bad connection.
One question, did you use your car to give someone a jump to start their car recently? That is the most common way for alternators to get damaged.
If you have a voltmeter you can measure the voltage across the battery. It should be about 13.2 volts when it is fully charged. Each of the 6 cells in the battery is about 2.2 volts. If the battery is very discharged then the voltage will be lower. If you put the battery on a good charger for about an hour and it has not come up to 13.2 volts then there is probably something wrong with the battery.
The voltmeter can also tell you if the alternator is working, though it can not really tell if the alternator is partially damaged. Most good alternators will charge at around 15 volts when the RPM is above 1200 or so. If the voltage is a lot lower then the alternator is not working right. If the voltage is above 17 volts then the alternator is also not working right. Rarely an alternator will overcharge and that can kill a battery but your symptoms do NOT sound like an overcharge situation.
I almost forgot, a loose alternator belt will also cause these kinds of symptoms. You usually hear them squealing but sometimes they slip without squealing. I would check the tension on the alternator belt. If, with the engine turned off, you can turn the alternator by hand so it's pully slips under the belt then the alternator belt is loose. An alternator belt could also slip if it gets oil, radiator fluid, brake fluid, or power stearing fluid on it.
I would be very surprised if your car starts with the symptoms you described. I hope you have another car or a battery charger available.
Good Luck,
dzimmerm
It is hard to say which but it sounds like it is either your battery or your alternator. I would lean towards it being the alternator as it sounds like it is not charging. A very shorted battery could also do this but if it was so shorted that it was keeping your alternator from charging it then it would probably get real hot.
Sam's Club will test your charging system for nothing. At least the ones around here will. If you remove your alternator most Advance Auto Parts stores and their like have a machine to put it on to see if it works.
There is also the small possibility that it is a broken wire or a wire with a real bad connection.
One question, did you use your car to give someone a jump to start their car recently? That is the most common way for alternators to get damaged.
If you have a voltmeter you can measure the voltage across the battery. It should be about 13.2 volts when it is fully charged. Each of the 6 cells in the battery is about 2.2 volts. If the battery is very discharged then the voltage will be lower. If you put the battery on a good charger for about an hour and it has not come up to 13.2 volts then there is probably something wrong with the battery.
The voltmeter can also tell you if the alternator is working, though it can not really tell if the alternator is partially damaged. Most good alternators will charge at around 15 volts when the RPM is above 1200 or so. If the voltage is a lot lower then the alternator is not working right. If the voltage is above 17 volts then the alternator is also not working right. Rarely an alternator will overcharge and that can kill a battery but your symptoms do NOT sound like an overcharge situation.
I almost forgot, a loose alternator belt will also cause these kinds of symptoms. You usually hear them squealing but sometimes they slip without squealing. I would check the tension on the alternator belt. If, with the engine turned off, you can turn the alternator by hand so it's pully slips under the belt then the alternator belt is loose. An alternator belt could also slip if it gets oil, radiator fluid, brake fluid, or power stearing fluid on it.
I would be very surprised if your car starts with the symptoms you described. I hope you have another car or a battery charger available.
Good Luck,
dzimmerm
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