Battery, Alternator, or Short ??? Help !!!
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Joined: Jan 2002
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From: San Diego USA
Battery, Alternator, or Short ??? Help !!!
( I erroneously posted this in another topic thread earlier. Sorry.)
First things first: I own a 1986 Ranger with a 2.9 V-6, six month old battery, and with 212,000 miles on the engine.
Well, about two weeks ago I attempted to start my truck only to receive that dreaded clicking sound associated with a dead battery from my effort to start it. Against my better intuition, and out of convenience, I immediately took it down to a nearby Mobil station mechanic who claimed it was the alternator after checking it. Being that I had never replaced the alternator in my 16 years of owning it, I went along with his diagnosis and gave him the go ahead to replace it.
Well, in the past few days, the battery has had a hard time starting the engine, and today the engine would not start at all. Not even the dome light would work as it had before. The battery was completely dead.
Today, I took it down to the Mobil mechanic who had sold me on the alternator and after checking it, he told me it was the battery, with the possibility of it being a short elsewhere in the engine. On the way back from the Mobil station, I stopped at an Autozone where the battery was purchased six months ago to have it checked. The guy brought out a big electronic contraption to check the battery out which showed it putting out about 13.25 volts with the engine on idle, but it vacillated wildly and seem to be discharging. He claimed the battery was fine blaming the problem on the regulator of this new two week alternator, while also agreeing with what the mechanic had said in that it could also be a short somewhere else. Here are my questions:
1.) If it were the battery, wouldn't this have been revealed itself earlier ? Does a bad battery or battery cell take six months to take effect ?
2.) Could the mechanic have installed the wrong alternator in it, or have installed it incorrectly shorting something ? If the regulator is bad, can I just replace the regulator in this new alternator ?
3.) What exactly is a "short" ? How are they realized ?
I can figure just about anything else that is wrong with any vehicle I own or have owned, with the exception of electrical problems. i hate electrical problems.
Thank you all in advance,
Palani4Ford
First things first: I own a 1986 Ranger with a 2.9 V-6, six month old battery, and with 212,000 miles on the engine.
Well, about two weeks ago I attempted to start my truck only to receive that dreaded clicking sound associated with a dead battery from my effort to start it. Against my better intuition, and out of convenience, I immediately took it down to a nearby Mobil station mechanic who claimed it was the alternator after checking it. Being that I had never replaced the alternator in my 16 years of owning it, I went along with his diagnosis and gave him the go ahead to replace it.
Well, in the past few days, the battery has had a hard time starting the engine, and today the engine would not start at all. Not even the dome light would work as it had before. The battery was completely dead.
Today, I took it down to the Mobil mechanic who had sold me on the alternator and after checking it, he told me it was the battery, with the possibility of it being a short elsewhere in the engine. On the way back from the Mobil station, I stopped at an Autozone where the battery was purchased six months ago to have it checked. The guy brought out a big electronic contraption to check the battery out which showed it putting out about 13.25 volts with the engine on idle, but it vacillated wildly and seem to be discharging. He claimed the battery was fine blaming the problem on the regulator of this new two week alternator, while also agreeing with what the mechanic had said in that it could also be a short somewhere else. Here are my questions:
1.) If it were the battery, wouldn't this have been revealed itself earlier ? Does a bad battery or battery cell take six months to take effect ?
2.) Could the mechanic have installed the wrong alternator in it, or have installed it incorrectly shorting something ? If the regulator is bad, can I just replace the regulator in this new alternator ?
3.) What exactly is a "short" ? How are they realized ?
I can figure just about anything else that is wrong with any vehicle I own or have owned, with the exception of electrical problems. i hate electrical problems.
Thank you all in advance,
Palani4Ford
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Joined: Jan 2008
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Battery, Alternator, or Short ??? Help !!!
I replied to this question on the other post you made.
[i][font color=blue]Dennis[/font][i]
[font color=red]Calgary,Alberta,Canada[/font]
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[i][font color=blue]Dennis[/font][i]
[font color=red]Calgary,Alberta,Canada[/font]
http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Minimorleytruck.JPG
[font color=green http://www.clubfte.com/users/mil1ion/Mil1ion.html[/font]
[font color =green] Please Don't Ask Me Any Tough Questions,
"I'm Saving My Memory For When I Develop Alzheimer's" [/font]
[font color=blue]78 F-150 429CJ,Silver,Explorer Pkg.
641/2-Mustang 260,Pre-World's Fair Car.
64-Fairlane500 S/C waiting for a 390-4spd.
68-Mustang 289-Sunlit Gold 80,892Mi
78-Buick LeSabre 403 4V
84 Volvo DL Wagon [/font]
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Joined: Apr 2002
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From: St. Petersburg USA
Battery, Alternator, or Short ??? Help !!!
Hey Palani,
1) The battery, alternator, and regulator all work together and can effect each other. Anytime you replace the alternator you should replace the regulator. And yes, a battery can have a bad cell and continue to work for some time.
2) The mechanic could have installed anything. Who knows? Refer to the first answer one for your regulator question.
3) People love to use the word "short" to describe every electrical problem they have. An electrical device needs a complete circuit to operate. Electical current always takes the easiest path. Think of it as a hose going to a sprinker. Water flows from the valve to the sprinkler and then onto the ground. This is a complete circuit. The water's only goal is to get to the ground and it doesn't care how. If you cut a slice into the hose what will happen? The water will pour out onto the ground and the sprinkler won't work. And, since there is very little resistance to the water because the hose is sliced open a lot more water will pour out of the hose. This is a short, except with electrical current when a wire shorts, usually to ground or the vehicle's chassi, it will blow a fuse due to the excess current flow. If you need more info drop me an email. Good luck - BUBBA
1) The battery, alternator, and regulator all work together and can effect each other. Anytime you replace the alternator you should replace the regulator. And yes, a battery can have a bad cell and continue to work for some time.
2) The mechanic could have installed anything. Who knows? Refer to the first answer one for your regulator question.
3) People love to use the word "short" to describe every electrical problem they have. An electrical device needs a complete circuit to operate. Electical current always takes the easiest path. Think of it as a hose going to a sprinker. Water flows from the valve to the sprinkler and then onto the ground. This is a complete circuit. The water's only goal is to get to the ground and it doesn't care how. If you cut a slice into the hose what will happen? The water will pour out onto the ground and the sprinkler won't work. And, since there is very little resistance to the water because the hose is sliced open a lot more water will pour out of the hose. This is a short, except with electrical current when a wire shorts, usually to ground or the vehicle's chassi, it will blow a fuse due to the excess current flow. If you need more info drop me an email. Good luck - BUBBA
