Battery draining and Alternator is warm
Thread Starter
5th Gear
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Battery draining and Alternator is warm
I have a 1980 L82 C3 vette.
The battery I have is about 5 months old and recently the car died with no power after sitting a couple of days in the garage.
I charged the battery and got the car started. I ran the car for about 10 minutes. Seemed ok.
About 8 hours later I opened up the hood and the engine was cold. However, Alternator is definitely warm to the touch. Not hot. Just warm.
I disconnected the battery, fearing that the battery is going to be drained from some sort of short again.
Anyone have any ideas? I have this feeling that the Alternator needs to be replaced since there is some sort of short in it. Could it be something else?
Something else I should be checking? I didn't do any electrical work on the car so I'm not sure where to start looking.
-Tom
The battery I have is about 5 months old and recently the car died with no power after sitting a couple of days in the garage.
I charged the battery and got the car started. I ran the car for about 10 minutes. Seemed ok.
About 8 hours later I opened up the hood and the engine was cold. However, Alternator is definitely warm to the touch. Not hot. Just warm.
I disconnected the battery, fearing that the battery is going to be drained from some sort of short again.
Anyone have any ideas? I have this feeling that the Alternator needs to be replaced since there is some sort of short in it. Could it be something else?
Something else I should be checking? I didn't do any electrical work on the car so I'm not sure where to start looking.
-Tom
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 13,082
Likes: 3,399
From: SW Florida.
Charge battery. Unhook alternator wires. See if batt goes dead. Usually you can see a small spark when you touch the wire causing the drain back to hot. Most likely diode popped in alt. Usually they die open circuit, but nothing electrical always fails the same way.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,124
Likes: 140
From: Western New York
Simple. Remove battery and alternator and take them to an Autozone or O'Reilly's. Have them load test the battery to see if it's OK, then test the alternator to see what's going on there. If you need a new battery or alternator, you're in the right place. Good luck.
Duane
Duane
Racer
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 300
Likes: 83
battery drain
I pulled my hair out a few months ago, the altenator that was in my car. burned up, went to orilleys got a rebuilt alt still ran to hot posted here and was told this is common as the engine comp is always hot. WRONG went to napa and got a brand new alt. bottom line the red wire from the battery to the alt goes threw the frame was frayed. ran the hot line from the battery to the alt (new wire) on the out side of the frame wally now alt gets warm put not really hot. also checked every ground wire i could find cleaned them up and added a new engine to frame ground . cured most of my problems. if my vette sets for days i hook up a harbor freight trickle charger
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 11,953
Likes: 4,510
From: Virginia
Something else to consider, this thread shows a popped diode in a cheap rebuilt alternator caused an internal short and burned up the charging circuit. This could have burned the entire car.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-analysis.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-analysis.html
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 971
Likes: 45
From: Middlesex NJ
I think the simple test is pull the connector with the two wires (regulator). If it cools down its the regulator. If not.. its the diode pack.
Also ... make sure the two wire connector is plugged in correctly... i think its possible to plug that in reversed.. never seen it.. but i think its possible.
Also ... make sure the two wire connector is plugged in correctly... i think its possible to plug that in reversed.. never seen it.. but i think its possible.
