Battery or Alternator?
05-13-2011, 10:50 AM
#1
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Hi to all!
Something weird happened to my car last Wednesday morning. I started the car and I noticed that the idrive was not responding, no radio, and the knob was just turning freely. It was like that for a while and when I shut the engine off and turn it back on again, everything went back to normal. But yesterday, it won't start at first and when the car started there was a car icon and below it was the word SERVICE. I noticed that all the services were in yellow except for the spark plug and car check, and also the date and time were erased. According to the idrive the battery was disconnected. So, I set the time and date and the service were all green again after the date and time were set.I checked the battery and it was insufficient charge, according to the round clear indicator on top of the battery which is black at that moment. Is it the battery or alternator? Please, I need an advice before I go to the dealer. Thank you!
Something weird happened to my car last Wednesday morning. I started the car and I noticed that the idrive was not responding, no radio, and the knob was just turning freely. It was like that for a while and when I shut the engine off and turn it back on again, everything went back to normal. But yesterday, it won't start at first and when the car started there was a car icon and below it was the word SERVICE. I noticed that all the services were in yellow except for the spark plug and car check, and also the date and time were erased. According to the idrive the battery was disconnected. So, I set the time and date and the service were all green again after the date and time were set.I checked the battery and it was insufficient charge, according to the round clear indicator on top of the battery which is black at that moment. Is it the battery or alternator? Please, I need an advice before I go to the dealer. Thank you!
05-13-2011, 10:55 AM
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I think it's the battery. When was the last time the battery got replaced? I think you can swing by Autozone or Sears and have them check the voltage of the battery. I think good condition battery has to be above certain amount but I forgot what it was. I had to change my battery last year so it basically lasted around 4 years.
05-13-2011, 10:56 AM
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Both battery and alternator could be bad - it's possible.
You need to test one at a time. Start with ruling out the cheaper part. Take the to PepBoys or Autozone and have them test the battery with LOAD TEST. If the battery is good, go on to testing the alternator.
While the engine is running, you can test the output of the alternator, the voltage should be slightly higher than 14V. Anything less than that, alternator should be rebuilt/replaced.
You need to test one at a time. Start with ruling out the cheaper part. Take the to PepBoys or Autozone and have them test the battery with LOAD TEST. If the battery is good, go on to testing the alternator.
While the engine is running, you can test the output of the alternator, the voltage should be slightly higher than 14V. Anything less than that, alternator should be rebuilt/replaced.
05-14-2011, 07:50 AM
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Thank you guys for the input. I went to AutoZone and they told me that the battery is good and the alternator's output was at 14.4V. The gentleman from Autozone told me that the battery was just discharged. I will try to charge the battery first because i just replaced my battery 2 years ago. What kind of battery charger do I need to buy? What is the proper way to charge the battery and how long? Thanks!
05-15-2011, 01:50 PM
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If the battery is currently discharged, Autozone saying 'the battery is good' doesn't make sense. You can't do a LOADTEST on a battery that's discharged. Proper way to test a battery is do a LOADTEST.
Give the battery to AutoZone and have them trickle charge the battery. It will take at least 5 to 6 hours. After the battery is fully charged, have them LoADTEST the battery and see if it's good. If the battery is good, install it.
Give the battery to AutoZone and have them trickle charge the battery. It will take at least 5 to 6 hours. After the battery is fully charged, have them LoADTEST the battery and see if it's good. If the battery is good, install it.
05-15-2011, 05:46 PM
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My Ride: 2008 Alpine White 550i Sport, Cream Beige Interior, 6-Sp Manual - retired 9/2011
Hi to all!
Something weird happened to my car last Wednesday morning. I started the car and I noticed that the idrive was not responding, no radio, and the knob was just turning freely. It was like that for a while and when I shut the engine off and turn it back on again, everything went back to normal. But yesterday, it won't start at first and when the car started there was a car icon and below it was the word SERVICE. I noticed that all the services were in yellow except for the spark plug and car check, and also the date and time were erased. According to the idrive the battery was disconnected. So, I set the time and date and the service were all green again after the date and time were set.I checked the battery and it was insufficient charge, according to the round clear indicator on top of the battery which is black at that moment. Is it the battery or alternator? Please, I need an advice before I go to the dealer. Thank you!
Something weird happened to my car last Wednesday morning. I started the car and I noticed that the idrive was not responding, no radio, and the knob was just turning freely. It was like that for a while and when I shut the engine off and turn it back on again, everything went back to normal. But yesterday, it won't start at first and when the car started there was a car icon and below it was the word SERVICE. I noticed that all the services were in yellow except for the spark plug and car check, and also the date and time were erased. According to the idrive the battery was disconnected. So, I set the time and date and the service were all green again after the date and time were set.I checked the battery and it was insufficient charge, according to the round clear indicator on top of the battery which is black at that moment. Is it the battery or alternator? Please, I need an advice before I go to the dealer. Thank you!
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