Jump to content

  • GUESTS

    If you want access to members only forums on HSO, you will gain access only when you Sign-in or Sign-Up .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member. ?

Alternator

nofishfisherman
 Share

Recommended Posts

nofishfisherman Grand Master

nofishfisherman

Posted
Posted

Are there any easy ways of checking to see if an alternator is going bad?

 

My Mazda 3 would not start yesterday morning but I was able to jump it when I got home from work.  I removed the battery and brought it in for testing and it tested bad so made the replacement. 

 

The car has 107,000+ miles on it which seems to be around the time alternators have gone bad in other vehicles I've owned. I drove the car to work this morning (only 2-3 miles) and I started wondering about the alternator and if there is a way to test it before it goes bad and leaves me stranded somewhere. 

 

I saw elsewhere some saying you can start your car and remove the negative cable from the battery and if the car still runs the alternator should be good, although I saw else where that you should absolutely not do this because of potential electrical issues.

 

I'm just wondering if there are any reliable ways to check the alternator at home with limited auto skills. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
pikestabber Mentor

pikestabber

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, nofishfisherman said:

I saw elsewhere some saying you can start your car and remove the negative cable from the battery and if the car still runs the alternator should be ...

 

Yeah, don't do that... You can end up doing some serious damage to your car. Lots more computer "stuff" in newer cars to fry out.

 

Bring it to a part store...almost all of them can grab a voltmeter and test your alternator. Most will do it for free. I just replaced my battery a couple days ago for a similar problem and it turns out the alternator was shot, too. One can kill the other, and vice-versa, too. Their fates aren't always tied together, but I agree you'd be wise to get your alternator tested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
PurpleFloyd Grand Master

PurpleFloyd

Posted
Posted

The old timer trick was to touch the center of the back side with a screwdriver. If the alternator was charging it would have a magnetic charge and pull the tip towards it  if it wasn't charging there would be no magnetic charge. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
delcecchi Grand Master

delcecchi

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, nofishfisherman said:

I think my neighbor may have a volt meter that I could borrow, I can try testing it that way before escalating further. 

 

 

Watch for the the harbor freight coupons.  Periodically they will have one for a free voltmeter with any purchase.   Then go buy some screwdrivers or a tape measure (can never have too many of either) and get a free voltmeter.  

 

Then, measure the voltage across the battery with the car running.  If it is more than like 13 volts (anyone know what it is actually supposed to be?) at least the alternator is putting out something.  

 

My experience with modern cars is that if the battery is more than about 4 years old, you are on borrowed time.  

Edited by delcecchi
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jeremy airjer W Grand Master

Jeremy airjer W

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, delcecchi said:

Watch for the the harbor freight coupons.  Periodically they will have one for a free voltmeter with any purchase.   Then go buy some screwdrivers or a tape measure (can never have too many of either) and get a free voltmeter.  

 

Then, measure the voltage across the battery with the car running.  If it is more than like 13 volts (anyone know what it is actually supposed to be?) at least the alternator is putting out something.  

 

My experience with modern cars is that if the battery is more than about 4 years old, you are on borrowed time.  

13.75 is good

14.25 is great

14.5 is really good.

Roughly......

 

Ill second the remove the cables with the vehicle running. Not a good idea.

 

As far as getting a heads up on an alternator failure. Think of it as a light bulb. Can you tell when a light bulb is ready to fail. Probably not. It will work great one minute and you go to turn it on the next and it is done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
nofishfisherman Grand Master

nofishfisherman

Posted
  • Author
Posted
16 hours ago, Jeremy airjer W said:

 

As far as getting a heads up on an alternator failure. Think of it as a light bulb. Can you tell when a light bulb is ready to fail. Probably not. It will work great one minute and you go to turn it on the next and it is done.

 

Thats always been my experience.  The alternator failed in my other vehicle awhile back and left me stranded with a 3 year old and our new born baby in the car, not an ideal situation.  That's what I was hoping to avoid by getting a heads up on if the alternator was on its last legs.

 

I did take the car to an auto part store last night and they tested the battery, alternator, and starter and all passed so it looks like the culprit likely was just the old battery that I replaced.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now ↓↓↓ or ask your question and then register. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      By The way that didn't work either!! Screw it I'll just use the cellular. 
    • Wanderer
      Just Food and Drink

      By Wanderer · Posted

      It’s done automatically.  You might need an actual person to clear that log in stuff up.   Trash your laptop history if you haven’t tried that already.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      😂 yea pretty amazing how b o o b i e s gets flagged, but they can't respond or tell me why I  can't get logged in here on my laptop but I can on my cellular  😪
    • Mike89
      Just Food and Drink

      By Mike89 · Posted

      I grilled some brats yesterday, maybe next weekend will the next round...  
    • Wanderer
      Just Food and Drink

      By Wanderer · Posted

      You got word censored cuz you said        B o o b ies….. haha.   Yeah, no… grilling is on hiatus for a bit.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      Chicken mine,  melded in Mccormick poultry seasoning for 24 hours.  Grill will get a break till the frigid temps go away!
    • Mike89
      Problems with Yetti

      By Mike89 · Posted

      good luck!!!   
    • rundrave
      Problems with Yetti

      By rundrave · Posted

      we had some nice weather yesterday and this conundrum was driving me crazy  so I drove up to the house to take another look. I got a bunch of goodies via ups yesterday (cables,  winch ratchet parts, handles, leaf springs etc).   I wanted to make sure the new leaf springs I got fit. I got everything laid out and ready to go. Will be busy this weekend with kids stuff and too cold to fish anyway, but I will try to get back up there again next weekend and get it done. I don't think it will be bad once I get it lifted up.    For anyone in the google verse, the leaf springs are 4 leafs and measure 25 1/4" eye  to eye per Yetti. I didnt want to pay their markup so just got something else comparable rated for the same weight.   I am a first time wheel house owner, this is all new to me. My house didn't come with any handles for the rear cables? I was told this week by someone in the industry that cordless drills do not have enough brake to lower it slow enough and it can damage the cables and the ratchets in the winches.  I put on a handle last night and it is 100% better than using a drill, unfortatenly I found out the hard way lol and will only use the ICNutz to raise the house now.
    • Wanderer
      Problems with Yetti

      By Wanderer · Posted

      I haven’t done any leaf springs for a long time and I can’t completely see the connections in your pics BUT I I’d be rounding up: PB Blaster, torch, 3 lb hammer, chisel, cut off tool, breaker bar, Jack stands or blocks.   This kind of stuff usually isn’t the easiest.   I would think you would be able to get at what you need by keeping the house up with Jack stands and getting the pressure off that suspension, then attack the hardware.  But again, I don’t feel like I can see everything going on there.
    • rundrave
      Problems with Yetti

      By rundrave · Posted

      reviving an old thread due to running into the same issue with the same year of house. not expecting anything from yetti and I already have replacement parts ordered and on the way.   I am looking for some input or feedback on how to replace the leaf springs themselves.    If I jack the house up and remove the tire, is it possible to pivot the axel assembly low enough to get to the other end of the leaf spring and remove that one bolt?   Or do I have to remove the entire pivot arm to get to it? Then I also have to factor in brake wire as well then. What a mess   My house is currently an hour away from my home at a relatives, going to go back up and look it over again and try to figure out a game plan.           Above pic is with house lowered on ice, the other end of that leaf is what I need to get to.   above pic is side that middle bolt broke and bottom 2 leafs fell out here is other side that didnt break but you can see bottom half of leaf already did but atleast bolt is still in there here is hub assembly in my garage with house lowered and tires off when I put new tires on it a couple months ago. hopefully I can raise house high enough that it can drop down far enough and not snap brake cable there so I can get to that other end of the leaf spring.

  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

  I accept