need alternator not new battery

deebo

deebo

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2005
Location
Hickory
Took the Jeep to AutoZone and they charged my battery and said it was fine. The guy told me that the alternator might be bad b/c of the low charge of the battery. I told him that I might have left the CB turned on and that could have drained the battery. The sales guy told me that leaving the CB on would not have gotten the battery to such a low level. He sudgested that I remove the alternator and bring it in have them check.
If it is the alternator not the battery what are my options? I will be adding a winch in the near future.
97 TJ 4.0
 
The sales guy is full of shit. Leaving ANYTHING on for a period of time can kill the battery. In fact, the CB in my cruiser killed my red top once after it was on for I think about a week.
 
I agree with Rich. ANything that pulls power will drain a battery in time. Also, you can check the altenator output volts and amps with it still in the Jeep, with the right meters.
 
Yeah last time I had an alternator checked they checked it without taking in out. Somebody's messing with you. Anything pulling power will drain your battery. Leave your car parked with an alarm set for a week or so.....
 
uhh dont take stuff like that to Autozone, those guys dont even know how to find parts half the time. Find a real mechanic to check your rig, It may not be free, but it will save you in the long run.....just my $.02
 
Any half ass shop worth its salt can check it with out taking it out of the vehicle. get the yellow pages out an find an auto electical shop that rebuilds alt., as stated dont listen to those idiots at those auto superstores, however there is some old timers working at some of them that are pretty sharp but few an far between.
 
Yeah, don't ask the Autozone guys about problems with your rig. They don't even know where the parts are in their stores most of the time. I had to get behind the counter one time to show them where they kept the banjo bolts & he was the manager! :D

Just wait to see if your battery dies again before buying new parts.

:beer:
 
Mavrick and Spraypaint man- great sudgestions, so far the battery has not died yet and if it does I WILL take it to a auto electrical shop and see what they tell me.

Thanks again

Peter
 
is it easy to check. put a volt meter on the battery when running and it should be 13.5-14.5 volts. then turn on you head lights, a/c and radio. and it should not drop below 12 v. This should be done with a fully charge and known good battery.

I should make it clear only stock accessory not offroad lights and stereo amps
 
If you still have problems with it, let me know and I can check it for you if you don't have the tool/equipment. I will also show you how to do it next time.:D
 
Here's a quick, easy way to check your alternator. Start your vehicle. While it is running, remove the negative battery cable. If it dies, it's the alternator. If it stays running, turn on headlights. If it dies, it's still the alternator since the voltage regulator is probably inside alternator.
 
Ray VanBuren said:
Here's a quick, easy way to check your alternator. Start your vehicle. While it is running, remove the negative battery cable. If it dies, it's the alternator. If it stays running, turn on headlights. If it dies, it's still the alternator since the voltage regulator is probably inside alternator.
Click to expand...

While that works fine for older, non-computer controlled vehicles, doing that on a newer vehicle is a seriously BAD idea. ;)
 
Rich said:
While that works fine for older, non-computer controlled vehicles, doing that on a newer vehicle is a seriously BAD idea. ;)
Click to expand...
Maybe. But I have performed this test on several computerized vehicles without any problems.
 
Still doesn't make it any less of a bad idea.
 
Back
Top