I just recently purchased a used Kia with the understanding that all it needed was a new thermostat, well since then I have had to put in a new radiator and a new battery. I was told that I will need new brakes and that the alternator when tested only had 12.4 volts or wattage of electricity and that an alternator should have a high 13 or 14 volts’ that i would have to get a new one. I have started to hear a chirping noise from above my alternator where there lies a belt opperated by a pully, well my question to you is if that is true that if my alternator only has the power to power 12.4 volts of electricity then do i need a new one or is the guy just selling me something, and my second question is is it possible for the the belt if it were the alternator belt to actually take power from the alternator therefore making it lower…
If your belt is slipping it can cause poor alternator performance, I am sad you have put so much money into this car already, never be afraid to ask another shop for an analysis and quote for repairs.
When you say it could be if the belt is slipping which could cause poor alternator performance does that mean that it entail that it could cause the alternator to lose power because since i have put in my new battery the car starts right up, but sometimes when i turn it off, it won’t start untill it i mess with the battery terminal…?
Given what you have described:
- Clean and tighten all battery cable connections, both ends. Tighten terminals as needed. Ensure the battey ground is OK and contacts clean. If you can jiggle a terminal and get the car started, you have at least one poor/intermitent battery connection.
- Tighten or replace the alternator belt.
- Test with volt meter at battery and see if your alternator output has improved. If not, you may need a new alternator, but I would not draw that conclusion until you have done the first two items.
12.4 volts is too low. You may not notice until you have a heavy rain and need to have your lights, wipers, defroster, etc. all on at once. Then your battery will slowly go dead. It could be the belt slipping or the alternator, but is probably the alternator.
Since my posting I put a new battery in and my car started everytime, untill Saturday when I went to put an inspection sticker on, and the guy in the station said that two things werent reading from the battery that i would need to drive around a little more until they did. Unfortuanletly after four hours of driving my car suddenly powered off…Luckily i was able to get a jump and when i got infront of my house the odometer i noticed was moving by itself i didnt have my foot on the gas pedal, and it was moving anyway, either way i tried putting in an alternator which only left me with a message as having no battery which was crazy since its a new battery…Does anyone out there have any ideas or suggestions…
the only reason your alternator should be drowning power of 2 volts or so could be because someone before you placed the wrong fuse in the wrong circuit board…and its fighting to find power from other places, which its causing other things to fail that arent suppose to have stress. Or it could be a bad alternator. Only way to know hat is to get a voltage reader and check for yourself.
Just because you put in a new battery doesn’t mean the issue was resolved at that point in time. Chances are, there wasn’t anything wrong with the old battery, other than it needing to be recharged fully.
The purpose of the alternator is to recharge the battery, while the engine is running.
If the alternator is not working properly, then the car is using the electricity stored in your battery to keep going. After several hours of running, the battery runs out of electricity, and you don’t go anywhere until you recharge the battery.
If you replace the alternator when the battery is out of charge, the car still won’t start.
You need to now recharge the battery, too.
You need both of these items working properly in order to get the car running.
BC.
Find a good auto electric shop. The battery and charging system is not difficult to troubleshoot but it does require the right test equipment. The shop should be able to monitor the battery voltage under the rated load of the alternator. Also they should use and oscilliscope to visualize and measure the peak to peak voltage of any AC (Alternating Current)on the DC (Direct Current) power supply system. I think your problems with passing inspection and with the odometer is related to excess AC on the DC system. Take note that the electronics in your Kia relies on a stable and noise free power supply.
Hope this helps and is not too technical for you.