Since the battery went dead on my four year old car last winter, I bought a couple of those $10 voltage testers that plug into the accessory (cigarette lighter) socket. So then any time I’m driving I can plug it in and see what the alternator is putting out. When the car is shut off, I can read what the battery voltage is. Its just a quick way to see if there is a problem developing or not or to isolate whether its battery or alternator. Never needed it since but still I do check it once in a while since volt meters are not commonly included in the information packages any more. You can see how many miles to go to an empty tank but not what the alternator is doing. Guess people just don’t want to be bothered.
Ironically, the only reason my MR2 has a voltmeter is because it’s naturally aspirated, and Toyota needed something to fill the hole where the boost gauge was on the turbo version. I don’t understand why people wouldn’t want to be able to determine the health of their electrical system from inside the car considering that the whole car depends on that system to work at all.
there is a NAPA store in Green River. They probably have batteries
OK, latest Mechanic says it was a bad rebuild on the alternator…ordered
new one… done tomorrow… I mentioned many of the ideas you folkes pointed
out. I also purchased new battery…going to ask them to do a long
exhaustive test drive as well. Planning on buying voltage tester and
heading east on I-70 to Grand Junction Honda in 100°heat with no air
conditioning, radio, etc…wish me luck…Thanks…will post results…
That is true, but for those who think that this is a recent phenomenon, or that this trend toward less information for the driver began in–perhaps–the 1960s, I can tell you that I learned an interesting factoid from a couple of recent issues of Hemmings Classic Car magazine.
Two different articles, about two different Hudson models, and written by two different authors, mentioned that Hudson–which made very good cars with excellent engines–began using “idiot lights” instead of gauges for the charging system and for oil pressure in…Are you ready?..The 1930s!
Granted I’m not hands on with this problem but I tend to not buy into the bad rebuild diagnosis. If the alternator is indeed fried then I would suspect is is fried for any one of several reasons that are not due to rebuild quality.
You’re now about to go with alternator No. 3 and repeat failures usually means something is missing in the diagnosis.
In other words, the failed alternator (if so…) is a symptom; not the cause.
Operating the engine as mentioned with a weak battery as mentioned by Nevada, poor battery cable connection, poor connection between the alternator and battery (the Fuse 22…), and so on are potential reasons why an alternator will die.
T
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Have the mechanic look for a loose belt.
As a shop owner, I would say 90% of the time the issue is going to be a bad alternator. There are high quality remanufactured alternators and there are poor quality ones. The reality is that sometimes you simply get a bad part (whether high or low quality).
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In this particular case though they have repeated failure of the same part. Granted, it’s always possible to get a faulty part or one that fails soon after installation but once the total hits two the odds of it being a parts problem go way, way down.
What I’m curious about is whether these alternators are actually even bad. The fact the battery light is on and the alternator is not charging does not mean the alternator is bad.
As mentioned, maybe the belt is not getting a bit on the pulley and once heated up the belt loses all grip.
The alternator is also controlled by a load control module and the PCM which adds another fly to the ointment.
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I purchased a new Interstate battery, 2nd new alternator working well…no
issues after 900 miles…one more day of travel to get home…“knock on
wood”, 1st shop owner in Moab Utah, called 2nd shop in Green River to cover
all expenses…nice to see Honor and integrity alive and well in the
West…They charged me nothing to install new battery in Green River…
thanks to all for valuable advice…We salvaged the trip by heading home via
Grand Teton Mountain’s and Yellowstone…
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Sincere thanks for the update. I’ve been wondering how this was playing out for you.
Sorry to hear you had to go through this. I’ve been stuck on the road a few times myself and it’s not pleasant; especially when you have others depending upon you.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the mechanic in Moab is Mormon. They are decent, honest folks. I spent 3 months in Logan for work last winter, and I was impressed with what really great people they are. I had a conversation with a sub shop owner (Irani expat) that had lived there for 20 years and he agreed.
@Garyfran60
"I purchased a new Interstate battery, 2nd new alternator working well…no
issues after 900 miles…one more day of travel to get home…"
Gary, that’s great news.
Four days ago, you said, "Planning on buying voltage tester and heading east on I-70 to Grand Junction Honda in 100°heat with no airconditioning, radio, etc…wish me luck…Thanks…will post results…"
I’m a little confused… I reread, but did you drive on a new battery (with a bad alternator) for a hundred miles and then have another alternator installed?
You never got towed?
CSA