skitre Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 A while back my radio died while driving. It kept happening sooner every time I drove it, then one night my lights dimmed and the next day it wouldn't start. I jumped it and let it idle for 20 minutes or so and it died again. Then it wouldn't jump. Figured it must be the alternator, because I had a similar thing happen with my last vehicle, but I took the battery to Napa under a friend's recommendation. They tested it and said it had a full charge but no "health." Bought a new battery and haven't had issue until now, two months and a couple thousand miles later. Last night the radio died, then my lights dimmed, then my engine died. Pulled over, tried to restart. Click, click, click. Turned off my headlights, radio, defroster and it started right up. Drove it around the corner to my house and parked it. This morning I started it, turned on all that electrical stuff, and drove it a block to the gym. The radio died and lights went dim. Turned the car off, went inside, came out a couple hours later. It was sluggish as I tried to start it but I revved the gas and it started. Made it home fine with everything off. Should I just get an alternator, or is there other possibilities I need to consider? Also FYI: My check engine light comes on almost every time I stop at a stop light and the idle starts going up and down but in a pretty low range. Once I start accelerating the light goes off. It has done this for a long time and when I pulled the codes a while back, there were so many (about half of all possible were showing) that I just gave up. Not sure if this could be related? Also, it's been raining a lot this week, but the battery terminals don't look corroded at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 New alternator and most likely another battery too. Alternator is most probably the culprit here. Voltage regulator has gone. Killed your last battery and will kill this new one soon too, if you don't replace the alt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 ^^ yeps, new battery probably held it out as long as it could, but, starter batteries are not meant for deep discharge, and now is probably defunct. Sometimes battery/alt/ground connections can cause issues too. If the CEL is on you need to read the codes. If you saw the battery light on please tell us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skitre Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 Put in a new alternator and everything seems fine, but... I think the l/trio plug was not connected to the old alternator--replaced the clutch in August and I think we missed plugging that back in. Stupid, I know, but I am inexperienced. Feel free to call me an idiot. I just want to know if that was likely the real problem all along? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 If the plug on the back side of the alternator isn't connected to the alternator then the battery will not be charging. You would find that out in a very short time. The clicking you talk about sounds like there was a bad connection to the battery. This can happen even if the connection looks ok. A surface layer can form on the posts that will prevent a good solid connection. It prevents the battery from getting a full charge and will cause the starter solenoid to click due to lack of enough current to drive the starter motor. Keep the battery posts clean and seal them with a spray sealer. You should be good to go now for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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