ok,gunna probably think about buying another shitbox(go figure) ya,he says it starts up and dies like 2 minutes later,and has to keep recharging the battery..symptoms of a bad alternator?

 

Yes sounds like a bad alternator. Also a sign is if all your idiot lights stay on after the car is started.
You could also mesure the voltage out of the alternator

 

try this to see if its the alternator start the car take the positive cable off the battery then the negitive and if the car dies then its the alternator but if it stays on then its the batt.

good luck,
charlie....

 

no, those are the symptoms of a sulfated battery. go to the dealer and have them check you battery with a vat. and NEVER disconnect your battery while the car is running! you will fry everything in your car if the alternator is bad, the battery is there to cushion the electrical systom of the entire car.

 

riiight....never happend to me ive done it and theres no problems with it, whatever, its just an opinion....

 

He is right. Dont ever take the cable off a battery while it is running. When reconnecting the cable (if it is the battery) can damage your wallet with an electrician.

 

ive ran my car for an hr with no alternator at all....

 

just check voltage at positive terminal at the alternator should read around 12-13.5V with the car on if its at 10 or lower its bad

 

A good alternator should read around 14.6v. A little lower, to 13.5 or so at idle, is ok, too. When cruising at 2K rpm it should generate 14.6v, though.

 

dosent the battery only work while turning on the car,and the rest of the powere is generated from the alternator..like for a breif second the battery is used,and since the ALT is gone,it keeps runing directly off the battery,and he keeps on recharging it so its life shortens every time,so its like down to 1 minute life span?

thanks for the help so far guys

 

...Sort of. But if you have a properly operating alternator that generates enough voltage to charge a battery in a car, then it will charge it enough so the next time you go to crank it after letting it sit, it starts right up.

A typical battery can last like 5 years, too. That's a lot of starting and charging for one battery...

 

ive had this problem..alt was dead and while the car is runnin the lights would dim and the brake idiot light stays on.. but yea simply check batt volts and itll pretty much tell u whats wrong.