Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Alternator or Battery issue?

Hello All, I tried starting my car last week and it wouldn't start. Car battery was 3 years old and i saw green deposits on the top. I tried jump starting the car (connected to the other car for more than 5 to 6 minutes) and still it wouldn't start. Whenever I started my car, the battery red indicator on the dashboard came on . The indicator was blinking yellow before jump starting, but then the yellow blinking went away after charging for 5 to 6 minutes (during jump start).



Changed the battery and cleaned the cables and it ran fine for 2 days. Today, it wouldn't start again.



1. Please let me know if the problem is with the battery or alternator or any other part?



2. How much does it cost to change the alternator (or if there is any other broken part)?



3. In this hard economic time, I wouldn't be able to spend a lot of money. Sp please let me know the cheapest place where I could take it to fix it or could I do this myself?



Appreciate your answers!!



Car is 95 Honda accord - 4cylinder.Alternator or Battery issue?
if it ran fine for 2 days and then wouldnt start again its a good possibility its the alt. take it to autozone or oriellys and they will check the alt for you free of charge and tell you if its bad or not. they can check it while on the car too.Alternator or Battery issue?
well when the battery gets low on power, your alternator is forced to work extra hard. so i would recommend replacing both. i would go to the junkyard and pull an alternator and install it on your car or go on craigslist and search for one. there are tons of honda parts on there for cheap. you could also look on there for a battery. but you'll probably have to go to an auto shop for that.Alternator or Battery issue?
I'd guess it's your battery that's shot, not your alternator. The easiest way to tell would be to get a multimeter and measure the output of the battery vs alternator. If while running the car gives an output of around 14 volts, the alternator is fine.



A battery (depending on quality an brand) will run anywhere from 60-150 bucks depending on what you get.



If you go to Autozone or any other major parts store or garage chain they will usually be more than happy to test your battery and alternator for you for free if you don't have a multimeter.



Another option is to start the car, and while it's running remove the negative battery cable terminal from the battery. If the car continues to run, your alternator is fine.



bottom line, i fyour car ran for several days on a charge, you're alternator is most likely fine. It's much more likely that the battery is just no good or your electrical system may have a slow drain on it that you need to repair.Alternator or Battery issue?
If your alternator is bad, you would see some problems after running it for a while, the alternator recharges your battery as well as run your electrical system while the motor is running...so if your alternator was bad, your motor would run until your ignition system used all the energy left in the battery.



You should be able to change out the alternator yourself, shouldn't cost more that $100 for a new one. Also: make sure all of your grounds are in good conditionAlternator or Battery issue?
Remove the battery, give it a full charge, have it tested by somewhere you trust.



If you need a battery, you'll know it right there.



This is a good place to start. If you want, and can ? remove

the alternator and have that tested.



Because of the cold weather approaching, I would imagine it is

your battery, but there are many, many variables here. It could

be a combination of components.



So eliminate the possibilites what you can first.



Good Luck to You...



Try to work with one place on this issue rather than run here and there for the best battery price.



ie. A Local Trusted Autozone ? or Auto Parts Store.

Make sure you have the battery charged, then tested.Alternator or Battery issue?
A voltmeter and some basic charging system knowledge can help to diagnose your problem. I'm not going to spell it out for you. You can help yourself through this hard economic time by doing some homework.Alternator or Battery issue?
What happens when you try and start the car?