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by contour on January 2nd, 2007

contour

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My battery light went on one day. The next day I was driving and the car radio would not turn on. I drove for a little while and t came back up. All interior lights and the headlights started to dim. The car then shut off.
IS this my alternotor?

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Answers. 10 helpful answers below.

  • by hershey_squirter_ on January 2nd, 2007

    hershey_squirter_

    It could be, it may even be the alternator, but most likely it is gremlins.

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  • by tris992000 on January 2nd, 2007

    tris992000

    I would say it certainly is your alternator. A simple test..engine running, headlights on.. when the engine is at idle are the lights dim, when you rev the engine do the lights brighten? If so - it's your alternator. Best I can do from here, sorry! You can buy a cheap but good one from an auto dismantellers. Happy hunting.

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  • by allikatzpop on October 18th, 2007

    allikatzpop

    the best test for an alternator is:
    with the engine running,disconnect the negative(black) wire from the battery. if the engine stops...its time for a new alternator!!!

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  • by Andy Is Wicked Married to Penal Colony on January 2nd, 2007

    Andy Is Wicked Married to Penal Colony

    It probably is the alternator or a related part. I had this exact same thing happen, there was a crack in the alternator arm.

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  • by Anonymous on January 2nd, 2007

    Anonymous

    highly likely it happend to my car last year

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  • by tigueron on January 2nd, 2007

    tigueron

    most probably

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  • by Mr_Natural Abstractor of the Quintessence on October 7th, 2008

    Mr_Natural Abstractor of the Quintessence

    It could be the alternator or the diodes inside it. A much less expensive possibility is a loose fan belt. To check the fan belt, STOP the engine. Put your hands on the finned pulley of the alternator and try to turn it. If you can turn it by hand, the belt is too loose (or needs to be replaced). You should not be able to turn the alternator pulley if the fan belt is tight enough.

    In the Old Days (pre-alternators), all you had to do was look and see if the generator was spinning when the engine ran. Nowadays, the alternator might be spinning but not fast enough. If it is slipping inside the fan belt it will fail to provide enough charging current to keep the battery charged.

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  • by allikatzpop on October 18th, 2007

    allikatzpop

    the best test for an alternator is:
    with the engine running,disconnect the negative(black) wire from the battery. if the engine stops...its time for a new alternator!!!

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  • by my_prerogative on October 18th, 2007

    my_prerogative

    I'm not good at it, but I guess it's the battery... I'm not so sure though but when my car shut off the first thing I usually check is the battery.

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  • by Master Of Kings on May 19th, 2010

    Master Of Kings

    Not necessarily. Your alternator may be working extra hard to keep your battery charged while driving. Check the condition of your battery.
    Do a load test on the battery if it fails then buy a new battery. Hence your battery wont HOLD a charge because it dissipates too quickly.

    The only other possibility would be the drive belt is loose or too tight, or you have a bunch of aftermarket crap hooked to your vehicle thats draining even more amperage from your alternator than it should be while driving.

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You're reading My battery light went on one day. The next day I was driving and the car radio would not turn on. I drove for a little while and t came back up. All interior lights and the headlights started to dim. The car then shut off. IS this my alternotor?

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