max1995

Whenever my ac is on my car would drain the battery and the car will just die ,when I jump the car with the ac off it starts right up, checked the battery @ autozone it's good my alternator is ok , I unplugged the negative from the battery and the car stays running. Anyone knows what could be wrong
thanks

01tl4tl

year miles model?

jumping a TL will fry the alternator as it works to recharge a dead battery
AC doesnt drain batt,,,,what is really on

Does the driver side fan run 15 minutes after shutdown?
thats bad fan sensor A and will kill batt

do both fans operate correctly?

max1995

it is a 1999 with 182k miles
yeah both fans operate correctly , the car was actually running when all of a sudden the light starts to flicker and the car dies when i try to restart I got the clicking sound like the battery died so i shut everything off radio , ac etc jump started it and it ran fine, now when i got home I checked my battery it was fine , disconnect the negative wire from the battery the car kept running , then I turn the ac on after 10mins or so the lights start flickering again and the car died ,dead battery jump start it again and the car runs ok ,

dreem1er

iTrader: (2)

I'm thinking your compressor is messing with the belt and your alternator isn't working right because of it, or you have a short

max1995

Should i start by just replacing the belt? or is it the alternator that cant handle the compressor load ?

hohmst1

Try popping your hood and open the fuse box located on the passenger side near the back of the engine bay. There are two fuses labeled 'cooling fan relay' and 'condenser fan relay'. try unplugging each of these and plugging them back in with your car running and your ac off. see if that helps at all. i was having issues with my ac and i checked the fuses and it fixed my problem. hope that helps.

01tl4tl

99s have prob with ignition switch back--the electrical part fries and all sorts of things happen,,

if the ac belt TENSIONER is bad,,that can mess with charging and ac!
ck it for noise, observe for smooth action with slight rpm rev

fans, driver side at stoplights goes on and off, and maybe a minute or 2 after shutdown

passenger side with ac on and with extreme temp cooling needs
Is that how yours are working?

go to another parts store and get system tested again
if BATTERIES PLUS store near you- go there for free test with good machine

01tl4tl

your coolant temp gauge stays 1-2 lines below half all the time regardless of conditions?

max1995

my coolant temp gauge is fine , I will check the relays when I get home and and check on the belt I will keep you guys posted

01tl4tl

the ac/alt/accessory belt tensioner is prone to failure
mine went at 80kmiles,,,
belt was replaced at 65 and tech failed to inspect noise from tensioner then
it finally sounded like a bad water pump banging around,, belt slack changing,,

01tl4tl

use a mechanics stethascope or a long screwdriver placed on non moving part of tensioner
if it sounds smooth --keep looking for problem
sounds like gravel = found problem

max1995

Ok this is what i found out last , tested my battery with car not running 12.7 vlts , then i started the car voltage when up to 13.5 then I turned the ac on the cooling fan came on the voltage went down to the original 12.7 after about 5 mins its started droping to about 12.0vlts

01tl4tl

what kind of amperage is the alt putting out at 2000 rpm on machine at parts store?

sure sounds like a bad cell in battery
how old is batt? more than 3 years and its life is nearly over

max1995

If it was the battery would the car just die when it is idling ? just curious!

MilwaukeeDave

iTrader: (3)

Battery has no use after the car is started. It is for starting only.

victus1

Sounds like a bad ground connection, where the excess current demand of the a/c cannot be met by the alternator. You need to disconnect and clean all the wires going from your battery and alternator to their respective connecting terminals on the engine. These wires are known for corroding very bad after 10 years.

Ultimately, it's best to remove them and make new ones out of 4-gauge copper wire and terminals.

01tl4tl

my electrical guru buddy says gets the diodes ckd in alt
thats likely prob
and possible also a dead cell in battery

with extra load- the alt isnt putting out enough to keep volts up = diode prob

he ask what it does at 2000 rpm?

the car does NOT run on the alt,,the battery provides the stable power
on demand to systems
the alt replaces the missing power immediatly

yes you can run a car at idle -no load- without batt = but thats an old school thing and doesnt apply now
modern car needs both really, batt supplies power... and in severe load use its getting refilled at max ability of alt

max1995

thanks for the replies guys I will work do more testing tonight and see if i can narrow down the problem