Charging Problem...Alternator?

Blue89SC

Registered User
Ok so my car died all of the sudden. So I charge the battery and clean up the terminals. I took it to autozone to run the charging system test. My voltage with the car runnning is right around 14volts but the amps are fluctuating and are really low (around .5 amps)

Is this definetly a bad alternator?
 
14 amps is what the guage is saying or whats going into the battery?
if its going into the battery but the car is dying you have a bad battery
if its not making 14 volts to the battery the altenator is bad
 
ok ill clearify...

the car died all of a sudden ... it was very tough to jump... when i finally got it started it was missing really bad and my gauges were going crazy... so i charged the battery and cleaned the terminals... the car started fine and runs now. I took the car to autozone and the battery had around 12volts when the car was not running. When i started the car the volts went up to about 14 but the Amps were only around .5 and not very steady.
 
Those autozone testers are junk. I can go to 4 different autozones on the same day and get different readings from all of them and different levels of knowledge from the guys doing the test. Pull one of the cables off the battery while the car is running. If the car dies the alternator is shot. You can also pull the alternator out and have it bench tested. Check your grounds on the driver and pass. side. Bad grounds cause lots of mysterious problems.
 
ok nevermind, went to an advanced auto to check it again and volts are at 14 and it is reading about 75 AMPs. So i dont know whats going on.

The car is running terrible now. Idle is low, vacuum is at like 10. not sure whats going on.

sometimes the idle will climb up to 2-3k rpms and stay there...

anyone have any ideas what i can check?? Which grounds should i check?
 
Blue89SC said:
anyone have any ideas what i can check?? Which grounds should i check?
Check the straps that go from the engine to the frame. They should be bolted to the engine mounts. Make sure they are clean and snug on both ends.
 
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