Alternator Problem??? Help Please!!!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
From: Southeast Missouri
Alternator Problem??? Help Please!!!
I've been having a lot of trouble with my battery going dead, to begin with. Today I was driving home and I noticed that my radio would kind of go out all of a sudden (just for a split second). It would make kind of a scratchy/popping sound. When I looked down at it, I noticed that the clock was flickering, not completely going on and off but more fading in and out without completely going off. I then noticed that when I turned my blinker on, the MPH light, climate control, and radio would fade at the same time, just like the radio was doing. When I got home and shut the car off I had no juice whatsoever. I'm assuming that this is an alternator problem. Does anyone have any insight? I just put a brand new battery in this morning before all of this happened. 
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,378
Likes: 4
From: I don't deserve this car, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either. Bay Point, FL
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
Same thing happened on my Camaro. It was the alternator and it didn't take long for it to completely quit.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
If it was your alternator, you would get a charging system fault warning on your DIC...you can test battery , you can test alternator...many places do both for free,,, You seem to have grounding issues...
Here is some of the best advice on electrical problem found in a Cr buy one of our resident experts in the field.,..Bill Curlee
Not only is he the guru of "Juice" he is a nice guy...Bill will walk you though this, and be your personal electrical mentor...
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...al+information
Good Luck
Bill aka ET
Here is some of the best advice on electrical problem found in a Cr buy one of our resident experts in the field.,..Bill Curlee
Not only is he the guru of "Juice" he is a nice guy...Bill will walk you though this, and be your personal electrical mentor...
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...al+information
Good Luck
Bill aka ET
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
From: Southeast Missouri
Thanks for the info. I'll talk to Bill about it. I really don't think it's the battery because I've had about 5 different batteries in the past few months. The battery has a warranty on it and the first couple I got were actually bad batteries. I would put them in and nothing. But the others have been fine at first and after a couple weeks would be dead. I would charge them and they would keep going dead. So I would take them back figuring it was the battery. I don't think that's the case anymore. If anyone else can help, please do.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
The very first thing that comes to mind and is the easiest thing to check would be the battery cables and connections. They frequently get loose and corrode causing all sort of funky things like that,
Remove both cables. I sprayed mine out with brake parts cleaner and then WD-40. I used a wire brush and got all of the corrosion off the cables and terminals and flushed them out again. Once they are clean, torque them in place using a torque wrenck to 11 ft /lbs.
You could also have a loose ground or power connect down at the starter. The main battery ground connection is on the engine block below #3 cylinder. Check for tight 12 VDC connections on the sarter solenoid.
There is a ground terminal on the frame just inboard of the battery. Follow the small ground wire on the battery cable down to the frame.
There is a very small chance that your battery could have a shorted cell. If all of the above mentioned solutions fail, consider that as a possibility.
Please let me know how you make out.
Bill
Remove both cables. I sprayed mine out with brake parts cleaner and then WD-40. I used a wire brush and got all of the corrosion off the cables and terminals and flushed them out again. Once they are clean, torque them in place using a torque wrenck to 11 ft /lbs.
You could also have a loose ground or power connect down at the starter. The main battery ground connection is on the engine block below #3 cylinder. Check for tight 12 VDC connections on the sarter solenoid.
There is a ground terminal on the frame just inboard of the battery. Follow the small ground wire on the battery cable down to the frame.
There is a very small chance that your battery could have a shorted cell. If all of the above mentioned solutions fail, consider that as a possibility.
Please let me know how you make out.
Bill
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,138
Likes: 37
From: Burbank. CA.
My wife's Corvette had the same problems. I cleaned the positive terminal and retighted it. No more problems. The bolt was barely tight when I took it off. I couldn't believe it when I hook up everything and had no more problems.
Steve
Steve
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
From: Southeast Missouri
I had just put the battery in this morning so im positive the cables were tight and clean. I am still leaning toward the alternator. I'm going to take it to a local shop tomorrow and have them test it. Hopefully, they will have some answers.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 58,551
Likes: 95
From: The warm part of Anger Island
St. Jude Donor '09
You said you changed the battery before this happened, right? Did it have a full charge? I see you've put in many batteries. You didn't perhaps test them before installing them in the car? That drains a lot of juice when you do that. A good alternator can be shot to hell rather quick if you don't install a fully charged battery. See if you can take the alterantor to the auto store and check it under load.
Also, put a charge on the battery and see what the DIC says. Just my $.02. Good luck
Also, put a charge on the battery and see what the DIC says. Just my $.02. Good luck
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
From: Southeast Missouri
I would take the battery straight from the store and put it in my car, no testing. When I would go out and try to start it and it would be dead, I would take then charge it and usually the car still wouldn't start. It would just click, so I tried to jump it and it still wouldn't start. So then I assumed it was the battery. But every time I put a new battery in it, it does just fine for a few days (with the exception of today) and then dead again. I was sitting at a stoplight with my turn signal on today and watching it on the DIC and the voltage was all over the place....12-15 jumping around like crazy.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,587
Likes: 1,352
From: Home of the VOLS ! Knoxville, TN. Tennessee
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '15, '16-'17-'18-'19
you should not have to charge a new battery when you buy it from the store . If it does not get a full charge from the alternator , it will slowly drain out , even if it's new . check your alternator , it is probably the voltage regulator that needs replaced . If you have an alternator rebuilt shop , most will do it as you wait . 
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 58,551
Likes: 95
From: The warm part of Anger Island
St. Jude Donor '09
Originally Posted by corvettezman
you should not have to charge a new battery when you buy it from the store . If it does not get a full charge from the alternator , it will slowly drain out , even if it's new . check your alternator , it is probably the voltage regulator that needs replaced . If you have an alternator rebuilt shop , most will do it as you wait .
Or jsut go get a new one with a lifetime warranty. It casts a bit more but replacement is always free if you keep the receipt.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 12
From: Vancouver
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10
If you have a volt meter I would check the battery voltage before you try and start. It should be above 11.75 volts. Then start the car and re-check the voltage it should jump to around 14 volts. As long as the voltage goes up you know the alternator is doing it's job. But if the voltage stays the same this is indication that the alternator isn't putting out any voltage. You could also put the meter right on the alternator to see if you have an output voltage coming out but maybe not going anywhere. If that connection is bad this could be your problem. Keep us posted. 
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 58,551
Likes: 95
From: The warm part of Anger Island
St. Jude Donor '09
Originally Posted by schtick
I took the alternator in this morning, had it tested, and the guy said it's working just fine. So there's one thing ruled out.
Good luck again
Cruising
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Burlington NJ
Originally Posted by Stock Man
If you have a volt meter I would check the battery voltage before you try and start. It should be above 11.75 volts. Then start the car and re-check the voltage it should jump to around 14 volts. As long as the voltage goes up you know the alternator is doing it's job. But if the voltage stays the same this is indication that the alternator isn't putting out any voltage. You could also put the meter right on the alternator to see if you have an output voltage coming out but maybe not going anywhere. If that connection is bad this could be your problem. Keep us posted.
That is great advice.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,024
Likes: 18
From: DFW Texas
Not battery or Alternator problem..
Clearly something not completing a circuit - either high or low current flow. Solenoid maybe? With multiple grounding points all over the place, would tend to think something from the red + side no making it all the way thru - meeting some sort of resistance or lacking good connection somewhere - likley close from bat cable to next connection in-line - the starter? Not sure what path it takes.
Clearly something not completing a circuit - either high or low current flow. Solenoid maybe? With multiple grounding points all over the place, would tend to think something from the red + side no making it all the way thru - meeting some sort of resistance or lacking good connection somewhere - likley close from bat cable to next connection in-line - the starter? Not sure what path it takes.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 11,945
Likes: 12
From: Vancouver
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10
There have been lots of guys here that have had their batteries leak, and cause all sorts of problems underneath the battery area. Worth checking this out. A load test on the battery and if that's OK and the alternator is OK. Well it's down to grounds and good connections on those. Do a search on grounds and you'll find lots of these. There are some big connectors on either side near the headlights. They are bolted to the frame. Open these up and see if there is corrosion in them. If so clean them out and see if this makes the difference. Keep us posted we would really like to know what the cause of your problems are. Good luck!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
From: Southeast Missouri
The thing that keeps getting me is that my battery is going dead every time. This is like the 6th battery I have put in it. I wouldn't think that a corroded ground would make my battery go dead, would it? The whole battery going dead thing is why I figured it was the alternator. Is the regulator inside the alternator on vettes?
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,737
Likes: 349
From: Layton Utah
Originally Posted by schtick
The thing that keeps getting me is that my battery is going dead every time. This is like the 6th battery I have put in it. I wouldn't think that a corroded ground would make my battery go dead, would it? The whole battery going dead thing is why I figured it was the alternator. Is the regulator inside the alternator on vettes?
