Altenator Gone Bad

I have been having a problem with my car starting up lately. At first I thought it was the battery, it had some corrosion around it so I cleaned it thoroughly. But I am still having the same problem. The battery has a green light that indicates that it is fully charged and it is on. I was told that it may be my altenator. My system has been disconnected for about 6mths. Oh and everytime it dies it makes a clicking sound. HELP ME GUYS PLEASE...I am so frustrated. What else can cause an altenator to go?? Oh and I was also told that it may be my solenoids but I don't know what those are. HELP

 

i'm assuming they mean your *starter* solenoid. which is on the starter (at least for most cars it is). an alternator usually doesn't go out unless it experiences mechanical failure or if your battery is so drained it's straining to recharge it. it's not a tough thing to replace if you need to, but i would imagine it may be under your warranty (if you still have one). you can have both the solenoid and the alternator tested.

here's the thing though, you say "every time it dies it makes a clicking noise". does the car die when you're driving? if you turn the key and hear the clicking from the engine bay then you're starter solenoid is fine. you're starter could have a dead spot or just be periodically 'freezing', which is not completely uncommon. a starter is also easy to replace. let me know what the conditions are.

SSTS

 

 

 

Before i spent any money, i would go to a sears or a batteries plus (or any parts store that does it) and have teh battery loead tested. it may be the battery thats just not holding charge. bring it to be tested and see what they say.

 

Alternator has nothing to do with starting the car. You can disconnect the alternator on a perfectly good car and still start it. But the battery will be drained in a few minutes and the car will die, because the alternator is disconnected and it can't recharge the battery.

Now if you're having trouble starting the car, then you can basically rule out the alternator. It could be the battery, the starter, or the starter solenoid. Starter solenoids usually die more often than the starters themselves.

However, if the car starts, but it dies on you after a bit, then it could very well be the alternator. So it really depends on what exactly you're having trouble with -- unable to start the car at all, or the car dying on you after starting.

You can go to just about any auto parts store, and they can test the battery and the alternator for you at no charge. Go from there. Good luck.

 

Thank you all for your help and input so far....

What happens is when I start the car it sounds as if it is struggling to start...it doesn't cut off me when I am driving, it's actually happens when I turn the car off then it doesn't turn back on, it sounds as if it is going to start then it just stops and then I hear a "click click click" sound...at first I thought it was beacause I left my lights on and let them go off automatically then I was like you know that can't be it.

I think based on the information you guys have posted it may either be my solenoids that I need to have checked or my battery...which I think it may be ( damn green light is on which led me to believe it wasn't it ) Tell me what you guys think....oh and what kind of battery should I get...I hear optima is good but

thanks Dwight

 

The clicking noise indicates that the starter is alright. It's trying to crank.

It sounds like a ground issue now. Check your ground wire on the battery to the ground location. But get the battery checked, anyway. Those indicators aren't 100% correct.

My friend had the same problem on his ITR and it turned out to be a bad battery terminal (the part that hooks up to the battery). He replaced it and the problem went away.

 

well the clicking only says the solenoid is ok. the starter motor itself could possibly be shot. but it sounds like its ok. if the starter is whirring and then stops and just clicks then there are two options really: your battery or your cables. there is a slim possibility your starter motor is worn out, but it's probably unlikely.

have your battery load tested or just go buy a new one and have it done with. or even just borrow a friend's battery for testing purposes. if that doesn't solve it i would recommend checking your cables. i had degraded cables in my taurus once and the car would not start because of it. once i put in new cables everything was fine. odd but true. good luck.

SSTS

 

Thanks alot guys ... I am going to do everything you all told me to and post the results tomorrow. Thanks again

Dwight

 

Hey guys I just wanted to thank all of you for your help....it was my battery so I got the yellow top optima battery and I really like it ....it seems as if my car is running faster,speakers are louder etc. I think I may also invest in a grounding kit as well . THANKS AGAIN

Dwight

 

Sweet, glad to hear that you fixed the problem. I'm running Yellow Top, as well, and it's a great battery. Hasn't failed me once yet, with underdrive pulleys and a big system. Solid choice, although a bit pricey.. but it's worth it.

 

Kinda like i said The battery!

 

from a battery, could that be true????

 

Yeah man I think it was money well spent so far ....fsttyms1 thanks bro for your help too man

bkzjimmy- I think since my battery was low on power it affected the performance of the car ....it may just be running like it is supposed to and I am not used to it because I had that bad battery for a while ...ahah but it could just be me