The Saga Continues...

[Stradbrother]

Well here we are again.

Full rundown of the festiva adventures thus far...

Belt broke due to a bad alternator. Alternator was old, so went ahead and bought a new one.

New alternator belt, new alternator, old battery was changed for a new one.

Car is running just fine! No squeaks, no noises, alternator is charging battery great and water pump is keeping the engine cool.

Well! Went out after work to start my car anddddd nothing. Only 1 or 2 clicks. I thought it was the starter, but when my buddy and I jumped it, it started right up! No problems! We let the battery sit running for a while. But after about 10 minutes of running the car (maybe a little less), we took of the jumpers and the car sputtered and died. No Battery light came on at any point or did the car show any signs of low voltage while driving earlier that day. Nothing on the car was left on to drain the battery, and the new belt for the alternator and water pump was spinning the pulleys well. Water pump was working well on the belt, so I am assuming the alternator is running well too.

Maybe a bad battery? Took the battery to Auto zone and they are currently charging it. It only had 120 CCA left on it! I only bought it last week! What the heck...

Hopefully we just need a charge or a battery replacement.

[Studebaker]

Sounds like a drain on the battery. Hook a amp meter up and check it when you get the battery back.

Have faith. You will get these issues fix and have a good car afterwards.

[shadetree]

Try a parasitic draw test . Disconnect neg cable and put clip on cable and probe on battery .if the test light comes on there is a draw . Make sure the doors are closed for dome light .
Sounds like bad battery to me .

[WmWatt]

If you have a volt meter then when the engine is running check the volatage across the battery terminals. Should be 14.7 to charge. If not check alternator connections. Good luck.

[bhazard]

14.7? I'd say that's about the max you should see. 13.2-14.7 is a good range.

[FestYboy]

Minimum with a load should be 13.4 VDC.

Given the discription of the problem, I'd pay close attention to the contacts at the battery posts.... Any corrosion can cause a huge voltage drop between the post and terminal. Clean those contacts!!!

[ryanprins13]

14.7? I'd say that's about the max you should see. 13.2-14.7 is a good range.

14.7 is what mine is always at unless the engine fan turns on, then it may drop to 13.9v
My 2002 civic will sometimes do 15.1volts...

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[WmWatt]

Haynes manual page 5-1 "charging voltage 14.1 to 14.7 volts"
Glad my memory didn't let me down for once.

[WmWatt]

Haynes manual page 5-1 "charging voltage 14.1 to 14.7 volts"
Glad the old memory didn't let me down.

[WmWatt]

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[Stradbrother]

Question for you guys!

I'e noticed my belt has gotten a little loose since I installed it brand new about a week ago. I'm guessing this is just the belt getting loose as it is broken in.

There is no squealing from the belt, and the water pump and alternator pulleys are both moving. Should I go ahead and tighten the belt a little bit? I'm worried about over tightening the belt and causing some bad tension.

[radi8u]

Haynes says .35 to .39 inches deflection with a used belt, which is any belt with 5 minutes run time on it. GL

[ryanprins13]

Yup, they loosen up a bit. Retighten but do not overtighten like radi8u said

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