Is it the alternator?

[97greenmonster]

My battery light is on, and the battery will start the car, but the needle isnt going all the way to the middle its staying by the low, is it what i fear, and a 200 buck replacement?
Clay

 

[denisb]

Kinda sounds that way. But you should check for bad grounds or broken wires before you jump the gun.

 

[briwayjones]

Sounds like it.

 

[97greenmonster]

Yea, i was planning on doing that. I mean, it was out of no where, i was on my way home from work, i parked in the street and left it running while i was moving the other car out of my way to get it in the garage, and when i came back, the battery light was on, and the needle wasnt moving. Where are the grounds for it, or will it be easy to find once i get the intake off?

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

sounds like when my alternator went out.

 

[97greenmonster]

Ok, on the way to school this morning, and the light flickered on and off, so im thinking there is a bad connection some where. Where should i start looking at for connections?

 

[denisb]

Alternator issues can be hard to pin point and can require a mechanic to trouble shoot. But if your determined to check it out yourself here's a couple of things you can check.

Look at the wires coming out of the alternator and see if there's any corrosion on the screwed on ones and pull the connectortypes off and check those out also. A bad alternator can give you aflickering light also.

Try pulling off your belt and spinning the alternator by hand and see if it makes a grinding noise. If the bearings are bad or the armature or brushes are wore out, a lot of times you will get a grinding/scrapping noise.

 

[97greenmonster]

Now my 5.0 is going the same thing, but worse. My 4.0 is keeping a charge, but its staying bearly above the line, about the width of 3 quarters stacked. And its keeping it charged ok, but bearly. The 5.0 im sitting therer watching the needle slowly drop, so i charged it with our galant for about 30 min, and it will start. I just bought it on the 15 so im gonna go ***** to the dealer cause the day we bought it, it needed a new battery, i just spent 150 on diffy fluids and an oil change, and it needs a tranny and coolent flush, and now an altenator. I dont want to spend 400 dollars on 2 new altenators? What could i do? and what should i tell the dealer??
Thanks
Clay

 

[97greenmonster]

Bump

 

[ma96782]

Come on....get under the hood.....remove the alt and battery....take them down to the auto parts place and have them bench tested......end of story (hopefully).

Aloha, Mark

 

[97greenmonster]

Ha, yea, thanks. Thats whats been done, need a new one on both. Gonna get one for the 5.0 this weekend, 4.0 going to the shop for something else. Thanks.