[Richard68]

Alt went out replaced it all was well had this truck 2 years never let me down I started it up ran perfect 2 min truck quit battery light on started right back up not charging checked all connection don't see any problems is the new alternator bad or is there an underlying issue ? Any help would be appreciated

 

[ColinWalls]

Alt went out replaced it all was well had this truck 2 years never let me down I started it up ran perfect 2 min truck quit battery light on started right back up not charging checked all connection don't see any problems is the new alternator bad or is there an underlying issue ? Any help would be appreciated

i wouldnt be surprised if the alternator you put on is junk. It sesems to be a 50/50 shot that the new alternator i put on at work is going to work or not. I got 5 bad alternators for a nissan in a row one day. I just did a jeep that we put 3 on in the matter of 2 months. The parts just seem to get junkier and junkier.

 

[Rebel n Dirt]

So if you went economy 1 yr warranty alternator, yes it is prolly junk. Lifetime remanned from most places (Advance and O'Reilly's I know for sure) will be completely rewound and new electronics all around. The 1yr ones, not so much.

DO NOT use the alternator to charge the battery. It is designed to maintain a charge not do the charging from a low battery. That alone can destroy an alternator by over heating it. Most auto part stores offer a free service to charge your battery for you, they will also test it to make sure the battery is not what is killing the alternators. A bad battery can kill an alternator as well as a bad alternator can kill a good battery.

 

[Richard68]

It's a lifetime warranty from advance battery is new less than 2 months old I don't know what else to do but change it again hopefully it's bad I've heard the pcm can cause this ? I looked over the wiring and I had already cleaned the terminals when I changed the alt the other day

 

[Rebel n Dirt]

The PCM is not in play with a GM alternator. That is a Chrylser thing, putting the regulator in the computer. With GM the regulator is inside the alternator. Just because the battery is 2 months old, dont think it is still good. There is a reason the warranty starts the day you buy it, not 6 months later.

With a GM the charging system is usually just the Alternator, battery and the ignition switch. With the newer trucks though there are fuses and relays that may come into play as well. I do not have the schematics in front of me to tell for sure.

 

[Richard68]

What I find strange is the truck quit all lights in dash went off just like you turned the key off I was sitting in it letting it warm up it was 20deg this morning ... flipped key off and right back on fired right up and bam battery light is on and showing around 11v on gauge

 

[Rhotpursuit]

When did we switch to a Twitter format?

 

[CruisinS10]

Any vehicle details?

 

[Richard68]

2000 2.2 5 speed

 

[CruisinS10]

You can start easy and make sure the RDO Batt Fuse #19 in the dash isn't blown
That powers the voltage regulator for the alternator which is inside the instrument cluster.
There's also a fusible link on the Battery positive cable going to the alternator, you can make sure you have continuity from the battery to the alternator there.

I haven't had very good luck with Advanced parts lately, so it is completely possible the alternator just failed and needs to be warrantied out, they should at least be able to test that in the store.

Here's a diagram

 

[DougE]

Just saying, I always have the store run the alternator on their test stand before I take it home. Hate to install and then find it doesn't work. Yours may have been bad from the start and it just took a while to completely suck the charge out of your battery.

 

[Richard68]

Batt is still good I didn't drive it after it wasn't charging it quit I started it wasn't charging so I switched vehicles and went on to work