I suspect my $350 PA-Performance alternator is toast

[BigDuke6 17]

I went to pull the car out today and the battery was as dead as a doornail. I hooked up my 1 gauge jumper cables to my DD and the mustang started right up in just a few seconds. However, the car died just after disconnecting the cables. Once the car is going, the alt. should be providing all the juice so if the mustang dies out when I disconnect the jumper cables, this leads me to suspect that the alt is toast. I cannot find my voltmeter since the move from the NL but I will check it out Friday (holiday tomorrow). The good news is that PA-Performance has a lifetime warranty. The bad news is that the really spendy 3G small case HO alt that I have is only warranted for one year. Sigh. It is always something. I have the battery on the accumat charger/maintainer. It should take 37 hours for the battery to fully charge. I will test the battery and alt. on Friday but I have a bad feeling. ON the plus side, when the car started up, it was idling perfectly, which is great considering it had not been started since last September.

[69droptopgt 10]

Alternators do not go bad so often. If the battery is shorting do to being discharged during winter, the plates could be shorting out. This could cause you car to die. SO see if it takes a charge or not. Or put a different battery on it and see what happens.

[EastYorkStang 63]

Or while its running disconnect the battery. Alternator supplies the juice while running, battery just starts it.

[69droptopgt 10]

Or while its running disconnect the battery. Alternator supplies the juice while running, battery just starts it.

If battery is bad and shorting out it will stall. Thats why I said what I said. Short could take over 100 amps+ so car will cutout.

[prayers1 153]

I have a F350 V-10 that I drove 4 hours one way. After I got back into the truck it would not start. I was able to get a jump and drove right to Walmart and replaced the battery. After that there was no problem and that was 8 months ago.

 

The battery was toast not the Alternator. The battery was not strong enough to hold a charge from the alternator. Maybe in your case, the battery drained too far to allow it to hold a charge. Hopefully your alternator is still good.

[ashleesmach1 28]

alternators are not hard to rebuild. give it shot. Have autozone or advance check the Alt before you do anything else and have them check the battery as well

[BigDuke6 17]

After 48 hours on the trickle charger (37 should have completely charged it up), the battery is still dead. I just ordered a new one and will have it monday. Thanks for the tips guys.

[69droptopgt 10]

Cool! Hopefully you will be on the road on monday!

[BigDuke6 17]

not til Wednesday. It rains here in Bavaria like it rains back in the Netherlands, where the only time it's not raining is when it's REALLY raining. :-(

Edited May 10, 2013 by BigDuke6

[BigDuke6 17]

I noticed that the alt was only putting out 10-11 volts at idle but about 12.5 or so at high rpm. I did some cipherin and some figgerin' and found that my march performance serpentine kit has a 4 3/8 crank pulley and a 2 3/8 alt pulley. This gives me a ratio of 1.842:1 when 2:1 is desired. I need to get a 57 mm pulley on there to get the ratio up 1.94:1.

[jholmes217 65]

not til Wednesday. It rains here in Bavaria like it rains back in the Netherlands, where the only time it's not raining is when it's REALLY raining. :-(

 

I remember that weather well from when I was stationed in Bamberg. I must be a glutton for punishment, because I live close to Seattle now!