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Went to start the car, battery was dead. Had it jumped and let it charge up. Called my mechanic and he said bring it in and he'd check it for free. He called and said the alternator was only putting out 13.35 volts and I needed a new one. I don't know if he did any tests on any other parts of the system, and I don't know what that alternator is supposed to put out. I do know that alternators put out anywhere from 13.5 - 15.3 depending on what type of car/truck. This doesn't explain why the battery would be dead when nothing was left on. He wants me to buy a new alternator for $460.00. What do you think I should do?
I'd get a 2nd opinion before laying out 460 for a new alternator....and check the alternator price at pepboys while you are at it.
If it is putting out 13.35 volts and you load it and it stays at 13.3 volts, then the alternator is fine.
Alternators are designed to maintain the charge of the battery.
Your alternator is a 100 Amp alternator. Standard output for it is 13.2 to 14.8 V
So your alternator's out put is well with in that range.
My first impression would be to go get your car, pay him what ever diagnostic fee he is charging you and find someone more qualified.
This doesn't explain why the battery would be dead when nothing was left on.
How long did it take for the battery to go dead?
What aftermarket junk do you have? Alarm, remote starter, navigation system, DVD player and that sort.
Has the battery been load tested?
If not, that should have been the first test.
If a battery had a dead short, dead cell or is junk, no alternator will keep it charged.
Just my opinion.
batteries should last about 4 years, but in particularly hot climates or in hot/cold climates, they may not.
i suggest you take it to an Autozone or other as was suggested. Generally they will load-test both the battery and also the alternator. if the battery is bad, i think they have to replace that before getting a good reading from the alternator test.
FWIW: $460 for an alternator seems pretty pricy to me. Calling an independant that services that car could help calibrate the expected cost to repair if the alternator is bad.
But, there are remans available for less.
I would caution a person that remans can often become a scheduled replacement.
What I mean is, like some lifetime warranties, you spend a lifetime replacing them.
In the case of alternators, if they are tough to get to, then quality should be your first thought.
i've had to replace an alternator in a toyota corolla at about the 7yr mark, and my wife had a cheap remanufactured unit put in that worked for about 1.5 yrs and we had to replace it again with an OEM.
so i agree, quality is important. that can be a false economy to go with something cheap. it just seems crazy that an alternator replacement in any relatively inexpensive economy vehicle would cost nearly half a grand.
It used to be that the average rating for an alternator was 60 Amps and a high output was 90-100 Amps.
Todays alternators are regularly 100 amps, because of all the electronics.
I had a customer that once replaced his alternator 8 times in 2 years. He had purchase a lifetime warranty alternator from a national chain store. After the 8th time, he was convinced to purchase a quality remanufactured alternator from a shop that specializes in autmotive electrical rebuilding. That was 5 years ago. The cost of the quality reman was $40 more than the cheap unit.
If you bring your vehicle in for service to an independant, what's the likelyhood they are going to use OEM parts on an alternator or a gasket? :surprise:
I just went out and checked my old Suburban, and that replacement alternator is a Delco. That was replaced in the middle of a 9 hour trip, was able to pull off and find an auto chain before the battery totally died. Swapped it out right in their parking lot. (Thank goodness for GPS and Microsoft Streets&Trips).
In my area, that likelihood would be pretty high.
You see, the smart independants realize that on a lot of parts, especially electrical (sensors, switches, starters and alternators), the OEM parts are almost always the best bet. These guys don't want to take a chance on an aftermarket part making the customer come back.
And as far as gaskets, there are some OEM gaskets that have been updated to correct known problems, so if you use an aftermarket gasket, you may run into the same problem.
But......... some aftermarket gasket companies like Victor and Fel-Pro do make updated gaskets that are superior to OEM, so you have to know when to go with OEM and when not to.
But the indie shops that worked on my Porsche would sometimes use a high quality gasket that wasn't OEM. But they knew the brand quite well.
On my older small blocks, I use gaskets from a company called Corteco.
Their intake gaskets for older small block Chevy engines are second to none.
I've started using their head gaskets for small blocks on the last 10 small blocks I've built and not one has had any problems.
Anyway, my question is what makes an engine capable of higher rpm before the redline. In general is an engine with a higher redline a bit better built and engineered?
Thanks.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Your right though. Today high HP and torque numbers are touted as a big selling point. They don't tell you though that with todays smaller DOHC engines you have to wind it up real tight to get that power. The HP and torque curve graphs tell the story if you can find them.
I remember at one point comparing the Accord and TSX (I was looking at both). Same basic 2.4L engine, but the Acura had a fancier head/valve set up IIRC.
Anyway, the Accord had only 160 HP, but the TSX had a shopping 200! However, when you looked at the output graph, they were pretty much the same up to around 5K IIRC, where the fancy CTEC kicked in.
The Accord I think had a bit more torque down low.
So basically, on paper the TSX looked like it blew the Accord engine away, but for the majority of normal use, the Accord was probably more effective! And geared taller, even though the TSX had 6 speeds.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
My question is this: I am about to have a tune up done for the first time. What will this involve for this car? ie...what parts should I purchase to take to the mechanic?
I have already purchased plugs, oil filter, and Mobile One oil. I can't seem to find plug wires. Do I need them? What else?
There probably isn't that much more you can do, other than changing fluids (tranny, brake, etc.). Maybe do a coolant flush and change.
PVC valve isn't a bad idea. Check the belts, they could be in need (preventive maintenance).
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Lower the window into the door. Look in the middle section of the door panel for any screws, a lot of times kind of hidden in trim areas (like underneath a handle that gets pulled up, or in an ashtray area, etc). Take off any handles on the inside. Once you get any those out, then start at one of the lower corners and get something like a putty knife that you can slide between the door panel and the underlying metal frame. Pry gently, and if you look in the edge while you are prying you may see a little plastic expansion plug. Move your tool over real close to that, so when you pry you are prying near the plug. Pry it out, taking care not to bend/break the cardboard in the door panel, and move all the way around the edge prying it out. When you get the door panel bottom and side edges loose, it will usually lift up out of the window slot, and out.
When putting back together, make sure the expansion plug is centered in the hole, and begin pressing the door panel together. I usually find it easier to only push it part way in, until I go around the edge to get all of the plugs lined up in their holes. Then you can press the door panel all of the way in to the door frame.
I tried waxing the seals along the bottom of the opening (along the window sill), and that has made a little improvement, but I'd like to come up with a fix.
Ideas?
Thanks.
-ss4
With A/C take 5.6 hours book time, so figure at least 8 hours.
Without A/C is 4.1 hours book time, so figure about 6-7 hours.
If it has A/C, the A/C system will have to be disconnected, so if you don't have a recovery system, it is best to have a shop do it.
So to give a better idea of what is involved, we need to know if it has A/C or not.
That job will have to be done, as you say you need the heat. But also in the winter, you need the heater to take the humidity out of the air (from your breathing), else it fogs up and freezes on the inside of your windows. I wouldn't buy the car, without a definite plan to fix it....actually I would pass on the car, and go find something else.
I've only done a heater core change once, on an old Corvette (where everything is soo jammed in to begin with). I'd rather have all my teeth pulled out, before I did it again.
must not have been good for my lungs. :surprise:
i believe there was a recall for a range of years because it was a common defect. might be worth having the new owner do some research.
anyway, does a heater core replacement involve removing the dash?
So maybe you can partially strip off the trim around the core and then hook it up and observe what's what. Wouldn't you feel bad if you took out the heater core only to find a cracked hose or hairline crack in the inlet tube or a leaky heater valve?
Can't you just buy a beater '92 VW for $1,500 and save all this trouble? This car almost doesn't sound worth it.
No dealerships or service stations around here are open on Sundays, and of course, I wouldn't be able to get to anything outside of a couple mile's walk in the first place. Any ideas on how I can get in my car?
A shop can recover the refrigerant and do the work.
This job will have you cussing up a storm, throwing tools and generally not make you a happy person.
If you try and do the job, figure it will take you at least 8 hours and b>if everything goes right.
You say however that you lost your 'tail' lights. Do you mean that your parking lights (come on when you turn on your headlights), are out as well?
Try some wd-40 spray in the lock, and put the key in and out a couple of times, to see if you can get the pins in the cylinder lock to free up.
Once again, sage advice from this site will keep me out of trouble.
The brake light circuit and the parking light circuit, as I'm sure you are aware, are two totally different circuits.....and you've lost both of them. You didn't mention that you lost the parking light circuit in the front of the car, so I'm assuming that the front 1/2 of the parking light circuit is working, and the back half isn't.
I don't have your schematics to look at, so the only thing I can think of is some cable that runs to the back got cut, or pinched, or ?? Are the lights in the trunk mounted in the trunk lid by any chance, where the wiring flexes back and forth when you open the trunk?
You might have a relay in the circuit, with two sets of points (one parking light circuit goes to the front, one to the back)....but without a set of electrical schematics for your year and model that is only speculation.
The other thing that comes to mind is you might have lost a ground to the back (the +13 volts is there, but lost the - ground path back). You could check this with your voltmeter measuring from the back parking light +, to the - on the battery.
If you try those two things and still no dice, you will probably have to get a set of electrical schematics for your year and model to trouble shoot this. Can't imagine what else would be in the circuit, since both the brake light circuit and parking light circuits normally always have power to the switches.
You could potentially try alldatadiy and/or helminc to see if they have schematics and service manuals for your vehicle.
If you have friends into repairing their Impalas someone might have the Monte Carlo/Impala manual already. I have an H-body LeSabre version but I'm sure wiring will be different, e.g.
I've bought factory service manuals for almost every car I bought since 67 Mustang. I felt they paid for themselves.
Also some are on Ebay, if you want the hassle of buying and sometimes waiting. The Helm company's GM service manuals look like this
link title
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I have also used alldatadiy, they have online access for 25 bucks a car, a year.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,