Isaiah_Charles

I am well aware of the bad battery/alternator symptoms but which ONE is it? Is it both? As I am pullin from a stoplight I put the car in M1 gas it then full throttle, nothin outta the norm. Car jerks, idrive flickers, speedo stops working, x-mas tree dash etc. However the malfunctions the idrive showed the car REALLY felt like it. Felt like it didnt wanna shift, steering wheel stiff as hell. I got the x-mas tree dash once a few weeks ago but then went right away. Came home stopped and started the car a few times. Some of the malfunctions went away but not all. Anyway Im guessin one or the other is bad but what is the more probable culprit. Was the fact I was actually experiencing the malfunctions normally associated with battery/alternator failure??? Any info is appreciated as always

stoic1

Could very well be the alternator. If you're still able to start the car, the battery is still good (obviously) at least for now, won't last long though. I had the same problem back in December. Car started throwing all kinds of warnings and acting wonky, dead batter etc.

pcy

Easy to test - take the car to auto parts place (like AutoZone or Pepboys, ...) they can LOAD TEST the battery and tell you if the battery is good or not. Then, alternator can also be tested by looking at the AMPS the alternator putting out.

You can buy a battery load tester at Harbor Freight, not that expensive.

Isaiah_Charles

Yea I just went to 2 Autozone's one was bs'in other was tooo crowded maybe go a little later anyway thnks for the input I always knew abt the error msgs but I didnt know they were followed by the systems actually malfunctioning

sndohio

you can check it by your self through hidden obc , HERE

turboawd

dont our cars shut off the alternator under full throttle? maybe the battery is not holding a full charge. how old is the battery? if its original, the date is stamped on top of the negative post.

pcy

What you need to test is the voltage across the terminals DURING the starting cycle. While the starter is engaging, what is the voltage. Can OBC give you that?

Testing the voltage across terminals (either while the engine is off or while the engine is running) or via OBC doesn't tell you if one the battery cells is bad or the battery won't perform under load. LOAD TEST simulates the actual load and the results can be different [from testing the voltage across the terminals or via OBC].

545felix

and the voltmeter in the OBC won't tell you how well the alternator is outputting that voltage, there may be significant transient dips or spikes that you aren't seeing.

sndohio

OBC shows you ~12v when you turn the ignition on its should jump to ~13 to ~14v , so its mean ur alternator works normal, mine showed me ~11v ignition on, so my alternator was not working, just replaced 2 days ago

Sam I am

sndohio

How much was this alternator, and did you use a Factory or after market brand?

Thanks