I have a 2004 kia rio. I just replaced the alternator and got a brand new battery for two days the car ran great besides my stereo not working or over head lights. Then when I was driving home from work i noticed the interior lights started to dim, the check engine light came on, the passenger sea belt light came on and then boom the car just turned right off. I waited a few minutes and tried to restart it and got nothing. I got a jump that lasted a few minutes but the car died again. I’ve had the battery retested and they say the battery is good. what could be the reason for this happening?
This one may be extremely difficult to solve over the internet. Offhand, it sounds like possibly an alternator not charging for whatever reason or a problem with a fusible link…
Does the little red BATTERY light on the instrument cluster illuminate when the key is in the RUN position? (Engine not running.)
Was the reason for the alternator and battery replacement an attempt to solve this problem?
@ok4450 Yes replacing the alternator and battery was my attempt to fix the problem. the battery light does come on when in the run position. how ever i just had the brand new alternator i brought tested and they said it was reading low. its a brand new out the box alternator. could it have been put on wrong and that’s why its not giving a charge?
Something in your car’s electrics may be frying the voltage regulator in the alternator. Fried alternators may be the result, not the cause, of the problem. Someone with some electrical skill is going to have to diagnose it properly. Otherwise your “new” alternators may keep on going bad.
Sadly, faulty replacement parts are not that unusual these days. Get another alternator and buy a digital voltmeter you stick into a 12V socket so you can keep track of the voltage. It should be greater than 14V when the engine is running. (If the socket isn’t turned off by your key, remove the voltmeter when the engine is off.)