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Battery over charging??

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Old Aug 24, 2005 | 02:12 PM
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Battery over charging??

Ok i just replaced my red top optima yestureday cuz the smell of rottten eggs on the way home from school isnt nice. And less than 24 hrs i blew the replacement and its leaking. I know the cells can go bad but i think my Alt is over charging my optima, i upgraded to a 93 7;s alternator for more amps but i think its killin off expensive batteries. the terminal connections are nice and tight but the charge idiot lites still goes on while driving.

Should i get a downgrade battery ??
My optima is for my 89 should i specify year for a 93?? I dont think the year matters; mayber different terminal sizes..
Please any suggestions?? i was thinking going non optima cuz they need slow charge.. and i blowing these things.
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Old Aug 24, 2005 | 02:16 PM
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What are your voltage readings? This would be a good thing to know.
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Old Aug 24, 2005 | 02:18 PM
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Yep, you can't have too much amperage... only too much voltage.

what is the voltage???
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Old Aug 24, 2005 | 02:22 PM
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I dont got a volt guage in the TII but i checked my specs 2 weeks ago exaclty cuz i had the feeling my battery was gonna go cuz of the charge idiot light,
and the alt is going from 13 to 13.5 and checked out good my battery checked out fine but low charge.. I was thinking also if those stupid auto zone guys fast charge those batteries
when ur not suppose to and i got a dude???
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Old Aug 24, 2005 | 02:24 PM
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MAN.. my friend w/ his 7 year going red top doesnt believe that ive going through 2 optimas... he thinks its b/c i changed the alt to a 93 and its overcharging my battery but wtf its suppose to be a good battery..
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Old Aug 24, 2005 | 02:32 PM
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The new Optimas are fairly crappy. In the last few years, their quality control has gone down the pooper since they started selling in the discount stores.

You need to check the two connections on the back of the alternator to make sure they are set up properly. Do a search for "fd alternator wiring" or "3rd gen alternator wiring" and you should find a decently long thread with a good diagram posted. The wiring is different between the two generations.

You also need to verify your voltage while driving. You will likely find it way too high.
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Old Aug 24, 2005 | 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by mashing rx7
MAN.. my friend w/ his 7 year going red top doesnt believe that ive going through 2 optimas... he thinks its b/c i changed the alt to a 93 and its overcharging my battery but wtf its suppose to be a good battery..
You need to know the voltage... go run down to Home depot or the local radio shack and go buy a $20 meter and check the voltage.

The only way the FD alt can be overcharging is if either the alt is wired worng/backwards on the two small wires or if the alt itself is bad.

But then knowing the actual voltage would tell us that.

Autozone checking is about as good as me just visually looking at the battery and saying it is good or bad.

You need a digital voltmeter to show you for sure.

Last edited by Icemark; Aug 24, 2005 at 02:38 PM.
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Old Aug 24, 2005 | 03:47 PM
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Ok it was the Alt pushing a crazy 16 volts!!! thank god i took it out of the car.. but did i blow my internal regulator i thought i had my s and l cable right... the S5 alt plug and S and L connections are the same on the S6 alt. Am i wrong?? cuz the L and S connector is identical to the one on the s6.
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Old Aug 24, 2005 | 03:48 PM
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The battery was checkin out ok it still hasnt been a full 24 hrs that i just got it off the shelf but it was leeking but not badly. i took it out and letting it hang out till i get a new alt. Should i get a new battery also??
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Old Aug 24, 2005 | 03:49 PM
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No, the connections are different. 6th hit in a search for "fd alternator wiring":

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...ernator+wiring
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Old Aug 24, 2005 | 03:56 PM
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I did do a search and thats the diagram im going off of. I got an S5 turbo 2 89',
I had a s5 alt which blew and i swiched to the S6 and looking at the terminal connection - with the clip UP, the L terminal is on the right and the S terminal is on the left.. i thought it was the same?? do i just switch it around if its wrong?? or bad alt? after ... a month of use.
Attached Thumbnails Battery over charging??-intergeneration-alternator-wiring.gif  
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Old Aug 24, 2005 | 04:13 PM
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S5 connector. man im getting a brain fart and i dont wanna blow my new S6 alternator tomorrow when i get it.
Attached Thumbnails Battery over charging??-91aly.jpg  
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