Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Battery problem?

well you have a new battery so it should be under warranty. this way if its the alternator and it fries the battery you're not at a total loss. keep your head up and just roll w/the punches. i think we can all relate w/you on the $ situation. i know i can. dont stress it though b/c if you do and something else goes wrong in life, it'll make it seem 10 times worse.

The alternator output volatge as measured at the battery terminals is a function of temperature and battery condition.

Normally this will be 13.8 to 14.2 volts. As the temperature gets near freezing it will go up to 15 volts.

When the RPM's are raised above idle the voltave may come up a little since charging is marginal at idle. The voltage should never continue to climb as RPM's are raised. When the voltage goes over 15.5 volts you are in danger of blowing the cars electronics.

A good battery will absorb the extra current and keep the voltage from climbing, but this will "boil" water out of the battery. Check that. If all of the cells are loosing water this is a sure sign of overcharging,

As the battery goes bad from this, it will not be able to keep the charging voltage down.

The alternator must be removed and opened to replace the regulator, sorry.

i agree w/roger 100%. you can buy alternator repair kits at your local auto store and rebuild it yourself too if you have the time.

How long do you think itd take? I can build a lawnmower engine and have it start fine so doing the mechanics part isnt a big issue with me. Its more so time being that I work mon-fri from 8-5 in an office. It kinda sucks but its how I make a living. I could do it on a weekend but most of the time Im doing odd jobs at home and for the most part I only have one day to myself on weekends really.

As far as the battery water levels and everything go I cant really check that. I have the Optima Red Top battery and its completely sealed and I dont think I can check the water level of that or anything to find out if its spilling. Unless theres a way I dont know about.

i dont know how long it takes to rebuild an alternator. i know that the kits are pretty cheap.....at least cheaper than a new alternator. it seems like it should be a pretty easy job once you break open the alternator. as for the battery b/c its sealed you cant check any levels on it. he was referencing if you have a battery that you can maintain by taking the caps off the top and adding water. you dont have that. dont stress that b/c you've got a warranty w/that battery so if it fries, get a new one for free.