armin922 Posted January 3, 2010 Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 so i have a 02 pontiac bonneville wiht 97000 miles. Took the car to pepboys to have them take a look at it before i went out for a road trip this week to NC and they told me 1) the battery was bad and 2)alternator was going bad So they told me the cost for both with labor would be 500 out the door. Of course i declined because the alternator on this car 3800 series 2 motor is cake as well as the battery. I didnt believe them so i went to autozone and had both tested. Of course the battery was bad so i had it replaced. The alternator is good. Well i just wanted to make sure the battery after i installed it read fine. I bought the battery at walmart. Went to autozone again and said the alternator was good and the battery was bad. Hmnm, idk what to do now. So i went to walmart service center and had them check it. Did it for free and they said the cranking amp was around 600 and supposed to be at 770 CCA. So they recharged it and now its reading 15.07. But i dont know why they need to recharge it if th ebattery is only a day old. Well im leaving to go out of town and this concerned me because i dont want the alternator to go bad when im going down to NC. I trust the tester i guess saying the alternator is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted January 3, 2010 Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 buy an alternator and take with you. if its charging @ 15.07v its over charging and should be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Removed Posted January 3, 2010 Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 those little hand held testers, are hit or miss due to the end user, and how it is setup. IMO, best way to test a battery is load testing it. yes most batterys can use a charge to bring them up to full potential. 15.07 is too high IMO. they must not have pulled the surface charge off the battery after charging. and how did they go from saying the cranking amps are low, to giving you a battery voltage reading that is above normal? that makes no sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armin922 Posted January 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 yeah i know. Thats what got me there. So do u think the voltage regulator in the alternator may be bad? Ive had the alternator tested by that little handheld tester 3 times and all said its ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Removed Posted January 3, 2010 Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 did it read 15.07 on the tester with it running, after they charged the battery? i would turn the headlights on for 10 seconds, and have them retest the charging system. this will pull the surface charge off the battery and give you a more accurate reading. i still dont trust them little hand held testers. i'll stand by a vat-40 till i die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armin922 Posted January 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 hmmm. Would i be able to bring it up to u and have it checked out possibly? I plan on leaving weds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armin922 Posted January 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 so how would i test both using a multimeter? And what should the voltage be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armin922 Posted January 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 and when i turn the headlights on, should i do it with teh car on or off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 614Streets Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 so how would i test both using a multimeter? And what should the voltage be? The only type of tests you should be running with a multimeter on a battery is cell to cell or voltage drop on the cable. You need to load test it with a load tester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armin922 Posted January 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 i think it may be the alternator. im just gonna replace it. i dont wanna take a chance driving down there and it malfunctioning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicksredline Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 advanced does not ue a hand held tester they have a full electrical system tester so if i was u i would bring it there they test it ( under a load, free charging, and load on and off). it will test every posabilty for a failing battery or alternator... get it tested at advamced and see what the pringout they give u says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armin922 Posted January 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 i just went ahead and ordered a new alternator. I didnt want to deal with breaking down while driving down there. THANKS ALOT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.