A while back my cars stock battery was completely drained, I thought it was just a old battery. I bought a redtop optima battery and the same thing happen in 4-5 months.I went back to return the redtop for a new one. Same thing happen again a few days ago. Car did not want to start up, had no cracking sound and no lights in dash or any where else. Couldn't find any one @ 3am in the morning to jump start my car so I changed to another battery and it turn on like a champ.

On sunday I was going to buy an alternator to install so just to be sure it was that I put the redtop back and tried to start the car which it did. When to Autozone to get them to check it at and they said that alternator passed and the battery was at 70%. Took the cables off the battery and the car was still running. Any one had this problem? I was thinking of installing a grounding kit and changing the old negative and positive cables also.

 

Alternator would not drain your battery. Only thing it would do is not charge it. Autozone will tests them for free.

 

Alternators technically don't charge a battery. They keep it and the charging system in a full state of charge. If a battery begins to fail the whole system will be effected. The alternator needs a battery in proper working condition to produce the constant 14 volts to keep the cars electrical system working properly. You need to take the battery to a shop or store to get it tested. In comparison (tho its a ***** to take out the alternator on the 6th gen) you should get the alternator bench tested seperately to see if its good as well.

 

the alternator does charge a battery. You are right in stating it keeps the cars voltage at around 14volts, which in turn charges the battery. Unless our cars come with some other battery charger I am unaware of. That is why when your battery dies and you get a jump you are supposed to let it idle for abour 30 minutes, to charge the battery. If you honestly think your alternator is bad, start the car and disconnect the battery. If the car is still running then it's good. Take a multimeter and check the output. A lot easier than pulling for a bench test.

 

Mu33rto, I’m sorry to hear about the problems you’ve been having and I’d like to help. Fully-charged, with the engine not running, your RedTop should measure over 12.6 volts. A voltage measurement of the battery when the engine is running is the output of your alternator. This measurement should be approximately 13.7-14.7 volts.

If you don’t have a multimeter you can test this by starting your vehicle and turning on the headlights. If they are dim, it indicates the lights are running off the battery and that little or no juice is being produced by the alternator. If the lights get brighter as you rev the engine, it means the alternator is producing some current, but may not be producing enough at idle to keep the battery properly charged. If the lights have normal brightness and don't change intensity as the engine is revved, your charging system is probably functioning normally.

If this checks out okay, you should check whether or not the battery is holding a charge, or if something on the vehicle is discharging the battery.

There are two likely scenarios to explain the problems you're having:

1) A high parasitic draw ("key off" load). This can quickly discharge a battery and decrease its service life. This may be caused by an aftermarket stereo or alarm system, glovebox light or any other electrical device. A vehicle can be tested for a high key-off load with an ammeter or DMM on the DC amps setting. With the ignition off, disconnect one of the battery cables. Connect one ammeter lead to the battery and the other to the cable. It may be necessary to wait several minutes after first starting your measurement for some items to “go to sleep”. The normal current drain on most vehicles is about 25 milliamps or less. If your key-off load exceeds 100 milliamps, you can isolate the problem by pulling one fuse at a time from the fuse panel until the ammeter reading drops.

2) A problem with your battery is causing it to not hold a charge. To check this, wait 12-24 hours after charging to the full voltage, keep the battery out of the vehicle and measure its voltage (another faster but less preferable way to do this is to turn on the high beam headlights for 15 seconds, turn them off, wait 5-10 minutes, then check the voltage). If you measure the voltage of the battery the next day, week, or even a month later, the voltage should be close to the maximum voltages listed above. If the voltage holds when not installed in your truck but drops when it is in your vehicle, see #1 above.

The one other thing I wanted to mention is that we encounter a lot of people who have problems after they have jump-started their battery. Any battery that is jump-started should be fully recharged with a battery charger as soon as possible. An alternator may not be able to fully charge a deeply-discharged battery and relying on one to do that could lead to a cycle of dead battery/jump/dead battery/jump until either the alternator or battery fails. This video also helps explain the procedures I described above- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yPlx4MBNRU

Lastly, there is no such things as grounds that are “too good.” One-wire alternators are especially sensitive to good, quality grounds.

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

 

I was having issues with my car not starting. Charged mbattery with my battery charger over night and then the next day, it was dead again. Took it to my local Autozone, they charged it so they could test it. The test said GOOD BATTERY. Took the alternator to them, checked fine. Took the battery from my other car and left it in the Maxima or about a week. It started every time. In conclusion, the battery test said it was good but the battery wasn't. Bought a new battery and haven't had issues since.

 

Wrong, like po8pimp said. The alternator generates direct current for recharging the battery and for powering vehicle electrical loads. How do you think the battery stays at 14V? By being charged and kept at that state.

 

Is there any place on the web where i can find pics on how to change the alternator on my 04?

 

Thanks, OptimaJim, for the clear explanation.

 

Its a pain in the *** but not hard to do. Radiator must be at least moved if not taken out all together. I got by with just moving the radiator since i didn't want to disconnect the transmission cooler lines. Worst part i think was pulling the alternator out after both of the bolts were removed.

 

OK here is some information for OP- charging system is a 2 piece design as we all know: battery and alternator. The truth is that bad battery can kill alternator and bad alternator can kill battery. Failure of any of these two components can be instant or gradual and once first component starts failing, it will most likely cause another component to fail. Again, it is a 2-piece design and one component is overloaded when another fails.
Mind you, that gismo they hook up at auto parts stores when they check your battery and/or alternator is NOT 100% accurate. Alternators sometimes give you seemingly good voltage but still do not perform up to specs or giving intermittent problems that do not always show on voltmeter. Same refers to battery with a weak cell. Battery can show good voltage but is not recharging fast enough to keep constant juice.

SOLUTION- when you start to experience charging issues, replace BOTH components, thus eliminating guesswork. You will be glad you saved time and energy trying to pinpoint bad component.

 

Are you trying to advertise Optima batteries? (just asking). Ok we got it, optima all the way, go optima, okay, yea. Well, anyway, your post is very informative, thank you, yet unnecessary complicated after all. OEM and aftermarket stereos, clocks and alarms are already rated and designed to draw low current, aka standby voltage and there is no need for research for the reasearch that is already done for you, Einstein. About testing the charging system by watching headlights dim or not dim- it is totally normal for headlights go just a bit brighter when engine is revved and is NOT a sign of failing charging system. And even then, with voltmeter, even if readings are within specs, system STILL can give intermittent problems (alternator brushes wearing out, thus, alternator not producing constant juice, battery bad cell and so forth).
**bottom line** my advice is replacing both components (battery and alternator) and getting it over with. ps it does not have to be an optima

 

Yeah, just replace crap and see if it works...that is sweet advice there, professor. I love your statement and its negative tone: "yet unnecessary complicated after all," "Einstein," and using the caps, i.e., yelling, "STILL." I also love your question: "Are you trying to advertise Optima batteries?" Can you not read that well? I am confused because when I read his post I do not get the feeling that he is trying to jam his product down my throat. Yet, it appears that you do. Do you just get that from his signature-block????

I'll tell you what I get. I get a guy trying to give us some info on how to narrow down the problem. What I get from you is nothing but negative tone, sarcasm, and a level of insincerity that is quite uncommon in this forum.

You should sort yourself out before beaking off at people, and learn to play well with others.

 

Dude, his post was so-called guesswork. In theory, you can replace the alternator, while battery is failing, or replace a battery having a failing alternator and this cycle will never end because bad component kills the healthy component in a very short period of time.
What you get from him is a complicated explanation of standby current draw (no need to complicate the matter, simply turn off all lights outside and inside the vehicle every time you get out of car, thus avoiding drainage), watching your headlights dim or not to dim (amateurish approach, what you do is invest 10 bucks in multimeter and check voltage proper way, there are no if's or but's, you just buy damn thing or borrow from you neighboor and do it)
He also mentions that battery that has been jump-started once, should be recharged asap. The truth is, that battery that was jump-started even once, is not going to last long and will never perform 100%, it should be simply replaced with a brand new battery. Yes, along with the alternator to eliminate guesswork. Disregard the mileage on the part, alternators and batteris do fail quickly sometimes. Aternators due to poor rebuild or batteries with a weak cell.

 

Much better post, Acercomp71, and I thank you for that. I actually learned something from your 2nd post.

Cheers.

 

acercomp71, as much as we (and other companies) would benefit by people trouble-shooting their problems away by buying new parts until they find the source of their issues, that can get very expensive and is often simply not necessary. One of our sponsored truck owners approached me at SEMA a few weeks back, claiming his batteries were failing and needed to be replaced. I happened to have my multimeter with me and even though you claim OEM and aftermarket equipment was designed to draw low current, his had a parasitic draw of 85 milliamps. While that draw won't kill a battery overnight, it can gradually discharge a battery over time if the battery is not properly maintained, which was also the case in his situation.

Although I did suggest using a multimeter to check battery voltage and alternator output in my original post, checking for dimming headlights is a simplistic way for someone to check their alternator output if they don't have a multimeter. I did not state that dimming headlights is a sign of a failing charging system, but that the alternator may not be producing enough current at idle to keep the battery properly charged. Someone could install a brand-new alternator in their vehicle, but if they have a 5,000-watt stereo and their new alternator isn't up to the task, their lights will dim.

Your suggestion that the simple act of remembering to turn off all interior and exterior lights will eliminate battery drainage is overly simplistic and fails to consider other sources of electrical draws. Satellite navigation systems, cell phone chargers, ipods and anything else that can be plugged into cigarette lighters can continue to draw current after the vehicle has been turned off, as well as car alarms and a multitude of aftermarket audio and video components. As the OEMs pack more gadgets into new vehicles, the electrical demands placed on batteries continues to increase. GM engineers have conceded that the parasitic draw on some of their new vehicles can discharge a battery in a matter of weeks and some vehicles imported into the US come with solar chargers, so the batteries can survive the trip from the factory.

I would also disagree with your suggestion that any jump-started battery should be replaced with a brand-new battery and this is coming from the guy you accused of advertising for a battery company. Deeply-discharging a battery to the point where it needs to be jump-started can negatively impact both battery performance and lifespan, but it doesn't necessarily mean the battery should be replaced after one deep-discharge cycle. Each deep-discharge cycle will reduce performance and lifespan, but most batteries can continue to function properly for many years after a deep-discharge cycle, provided they are properly recharged and maintained.

Even though batteries and alternators are key components to an electrical system, they are only as good as their weakest link and every one of our batteries is linked in a charging system by wiring. That is why I mentioned the importance of checking wiring (especially grounds), when trouble-shooting an electrical system.


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries

 

I too hate people pushing their products on me but he did none of that at all. Just becuase his company info is on his sig line means nothing.
If anything, it might give peeps the idea he that he may know a bit of the relevant subject. You may know it all though...
Stop trying to make an issue of something thats not there.

There are people out there that have no freakin clue on how to trouble shoot and would like to get an idea on where to start and how. He gives good info as to the why's and how's. There is nothing wrong with being thurough and knowing why your doing something. Knowledge is power right?
People that are inexperienced in an area sometimes want to know why they are doing this or that instead of just doing as its written thus the detailed explanation.


Why do you think forums are so helpful and so many people become members? To learn from those that care to share usefull info.

 

First off I want to thank Jim for his input. Very good info and I did not feel as if he was trying to sell anything. Also would like to say that I have had a battery that I had to jump and used the battery another 3 years after that, no problem. If you have to jump a bad battery, do replace it asap.

Moving on... A friend of mine has a '08 Maxi that was dead at Home Depot when I seen him. I helped him jump it and he told me that it was the 2nd battery that had died in the car. Pretty bad for a 3 year old car. A battery should last 3 years easy, especially a car as new as an '08. So I told him that I would guess that it has some kind of slight draw that is slowly killing his batteries.

Maybe I can help him track the draw down with the tips above, pulling fuses one at a time. It wasn't a trunk light, often times a glove box light. The problem is that the batteries last about 14 months before they finally give up.