ok so i thought i had a bad cell in my old battery. the car would drive for about 20min sit go to start again and would be dead. once in a while the battery charge light would flash. so went to Autozone today bought new battery. get home from work try to start the car again after JUST driving it battery is dead wont start the car, but the radio/lights all work. WHAT SHOULD I REPLACE NEXT? im thinking the Alt. or should i be looking at something more simple?
I am confused, does it die when driving?
If it just wont start, get your starter checked.
i think he’s saying he drove it, got home. shut it off, went to start again, and nothing. check alt. belt? check alt.
alt
yea thx thats what im saying. car sputtered once while driving from the battery being dead
alternator
have autozone run their diagnostic tool on it. is the battery dead or it wont start? two totally different things
its probably a corroded wire going from the battery to starter.
well that would suck since the battery is in the trunk and the Alt in the front 
likely culprit then. check the resistance with an ammeter, should be less than a milliohm or so(.001 ohms) if its not corroded/broken. or just look at the connection at the starter. probably has nothing to do with the alternator as that wire goes from the alt to the fuse box, while the wire from the battery goes straight to the starter then to the fuse box.
but first, is the battery actually dead? lights dim etc?
dont just throw parts at the car unless you have spares. check voltage at the positive post on the alternator (where the thicker wire bolts to the alternator) and ground while the car is running, should be 14.7 volts if the alternator is charging correctly.
quick google search found it might be the ground wire going from the battery to the vehicle.
thx but that dosent sound like my problem, and i think the meter should read 14.1 if the Alt is working
eh close enough. it will vary
and i was trying to say check all connections. the guy in that link didnt say what his symptoms were so how do you know it doesnt sound like your problem?
just trying to save you time and money mang, if you want to throw parts at it that it doesnt need go right ahead.
easy alternator test.
start the car, let it idle, pull the battery terminal, if the car dies, you need an alternator.
I had a simlar problem.
I just replaced the battery/alternator but it was still dying.
come to doing some troubleshooting it was the 80A fuse for the alternator under the hood.
It could be as small as that.
GL with the fix.
this.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90899 this should work fine right?
And probably a new ECM because you just fried it. Not a good test on any modern car.
yep. just turn it to 20 dcv and go for it.
LOL just replace your damn alternator. It’s toast.
Nah. You should be able to do this with no problems, I did it with my lotus. :gotme: