Oh Crud!! Cont'd Whats wrong with my electrical VIDEO!

[jrwalte 10+ year member]

FYI, in your video you asked why would the car keep running with the power wire to the trunk connected and the front bat neg disconnected.

This is because the rear bats are providing the power to keep your engine running. They're grounded to the chassis and are finding a common ground to at least the primary electrical equipment (computer) to keep the car running. Once you removed that power wire, you broke the connection and the car no longer had electricity. This doesn't indicate a bad alternator. You just didn't have any completed circuit (pos and neg) going to your electrical components.

The fact that the voltage went up when you rev'd the engine does mean the alternator is giving some power, but it may be some instead of more than enough because it has gone bad. Did you get the chance to trickle charge all your bats so we can see the resting voltage of the alt without it trying to deep charge your batteries, which would fudge it's real resting voltage?

 

[jrwalte 10+ year member]

My other question is...my Optima Blue Top is at like 12.3V right now and slowwwwwly charging... Does that sound like it is shot, and if so, does this mean my 2 batcaps in the trunk may be shot as well
Also right now the power is disconnected to the back, but I still have the ground in the trunk hooked up to the 2 batteries back there, do I need to take that off??

By slowly charging do you mean you have a trickle charger connected to it? It's not 'slowly charging' on its own. It's chemical reaction is just bringing it to a resting voltage after you placed a heavy load on it. That's just an indicator of a dead battery, not a bad battery. All your batteries need to be charged by a trickle charger, even after you resolve this issue. The alt is not good for charging dead batteries, which all 3 of yours are due to this electrical issue.

As long as the pos wire to the rear bats is removed they won't give or take power from your elec system. So you're fine leaving the ground connected during these tests.

 

[ThatChevyGuy 5,000+ posts]

did you reconnect your alt to the regulator or computer.

When i got a new alt, i wired it up, but left the computer plug undone and it acted the same.

But jrwalte pretty much nailed it.

 

[jrwalte 10+ year member]

did you reconnect your alt to the regulator or computer.When i got a new alt, i wired it up, but left the computer plug undone and it acted the same.

I did the exact same thing. Ran for over 2 days before I started stalling and figured out I left the regulator harness disconnected //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[snb778 5,000+ posts]

alright, well with THAT battery... AutoZone said it seems like the voltage regulator is bad
So I came home... disconnected EVERYTHING at the battery... put in my stock battery which had a resting voltage of 12.54 with the car off, everything connected... I turn the car on and it dropped to 11.9, BUT....... it was slowly charging from there...where-as my other battery was slowly discharging.... so now that makes me think it was the wiring afterall

Here's my issue now... if the ALT is bad, I have to know WHY it went bad, and that is what the place that built it for me is going to ask...

My other question is...my Optima Blue Top is at like 12.3V right now and slowwwwwly charging... Does that sound like it is shot, and if so, does this mean my 2 batcaps in the trunk may be shot as well

Also right now the power is disconnected to the back, but I still have the ground in the trunk hooked up to the 2 batteries back there, do I need to take that off??

FYI, in your video you asked why would the car keep running with the power wire to the trunk connected and the front bat neg disconnected.
This is because the rear bats are providing the power to keep your engine running. They're grounded to the chassis and are finding a common ground to at least the primary electrical equipment (computer) to keep the car running. Once you removed that power wire, you broke the connection and the car no longer had electricity. This doesn't indicate a bad alternator. You just didn't have any completed circuit (pos and neg) going to your electrical components.

The fact that the voltage went up when you rev'd the engine does mean the alternator is giving some power, but it may be some instead of more than enough because it has gone bad. Did you get the chance to trickle charge all your bats so we can see the resting voltage of the alt without it trying to deep charge your batteries, which would fudge it's real resting voltage?

I trickle charged the Optima in front out of the car... the trickle charger only tested out at 12.25 itself though... Optima is resting at like 12.15 right now...doesnt seem like its takin any more.

Is this trickle charger crap to then!?!? Cause if so I don't want to TRY and charge the batteries in the back with it as well

By slowly charging do you mean you have a trickle charger connected to it? It's not 'slowly charging' on its own. It's chemical reaction is just bringing it to a resting voltage after you placed a heavy load on it. That's just an indicator of a dead battery, not a bad battery. All your batteries need to be charged by a trickle charger, even after you resolve this issue. The alt is not good for charging dead batteries, which all 3 of yours are due to this electrical issue.
As long as the pos wire to the rear bats is removed they won't give or take power from your elec system. So you're fine leaving the ground connected during these tests.

did you reconnect your alt to the regulator or computer.When i got a new alt, i wired it up, but left the computer plug undone and it acted the same.

But jrwalte pretty much nailed it.

yes, I checked the wire.. it seemed to be plugged in

Also some new info.. I just jacked up my car and took a look underneath... Turns out from the ALT, they only ran a + wire, and not a - to battery. The other GND is goin from bat - to ***** casing, NOT Engine like I told them to... so there are 2 GND that arent there, that are supposed to be there.. Obviously gonna have to re=wire once I get this thing fixed.

 

[jrwalte 10+ year member]

I forget if AGM (dry cell like you have) need a different setting to trickle charge than your typical wet cell. It's possible your charger doesn't have this option and it is not properly charging the bat (I think most wet cells sit at 12.2-12.4 whereas the AGMs rest at 12.6-12.8). It's possible the charger isn't giving enough voltage to the AGM to charge it to 12.6+.

Someone else with more experience with trickle charging AGMs chime in?

 

[jrwalte 10+ year member]

I'd rewire first. It isn't going to cause more problems than you already have and it may help with the issue you currently have.

 

[fbi90909 5,000+ posts]

pretty weird. all i can think of is to unhook everychange/upgrade that you have made in the wiring and revert it back to it's stock like position. when done see if the issue still exist. if it does than it's an issue deeper into the cars electrical. possible something grounding out somewhere in the car.

 

[Korn4Life 5,000+ posts]

Your alt is bad and your car is running off the rear batteries/ Thread

 

[snb778 5,000+ posts]

well the rear batts arent even hooked up anymore... I just REALLY REALLY hope I can save these batteries now..

When I refer to "trickle charger" guys, im just talkin about one of these emergency jumper packs...dunno if thats what you guys thought I was talkin about or not... BUT.. The one I had only charged to like 12.5V anyways... I went and got my uncles... was at 12.9V and still charging, so once the jumper pack is charged, I will throw it on the batt and see if it takes a charge.. If not, no biggie for the Optima cause I can return it and exchange it....as for the 2 in the trunk....hopefully I can save those, or else I will have to file a claim and make these people who built the ALT pay for em....along with ANY labor fees of install/uninstall

Edit: just went and tested the other jumper pack... still right at 12.97V... I would like it to get to about 13.5, but I dunn if thats going to happen...any suggestions, or is that ok?

 

[snb778 5,000+ posts]

bump... anybody on the "trickle charger" same as a battery pack??

 

[jrwalte 10+ year member]

You need something like this to charge your batteries:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=196733-37266-VEC1097A&lpage=none

Is that what you are using? You can't use a quick jump battery pack to charge a battery.

 

[Yeah Toast 10+ year member]

Its the voltage regulator. if you have some money or can borrow some buy a new alt and put it there and see if it dose the same. if so then you ruled out that. Then just take the alt back. But if it dosn't then you know. other ideal is do you have a ground from the engine to chassis?

 

[snb778 5,000+ posts]

You need something like this to charge your batteries:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=196733-37266-VEC1097A&lpage=none

Is that what you are using? You can't use a quick jump battery pack to charge a battery.

ahhh ok... see i am just using a jumper pack... whats the difference?? seems to be slowly charging it

 

[snb778 5,000+ posts]

Its the voltage regulator. if you have some money or can borrow some buy a new alt and put it there and see if it dose the same. if so then you ruled out that. Then just take the alt back. But if it dosn't then you know. other ideal is do you have a ground from the engine to chassis?

if a new alt doesnt do the job...then what would that suggest?