SSWhitechapel Posted November 14, 2014 Report Share Posted November 14, 2014 So last night I accidentally left my interior lights on running till the next day. The next morning I went to turn on my truck and it didn't turn on...I noticed my lights were left on so I called a buddy of mine and told him to jump me. I thought nothing of it because my truck started right up after a while of waiting. I got to work and turned it off and tried to turn it on without getting jumped and it didn't... I left from work around 4:30 pm and called my buddy again to jump me and turned on all right. I took my truck to autoOne and had the battery tested and it was putting out 80%....my question is: did my alternator go bad or could it be another reason why it won't start without being jumped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link2603 Posted November 14, 2014 Report Share Posted November 14, 2014 So did they do a load test on the battery? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desrtrat Posted November 14, 2014 Report Share Posted November 14, 2014 put a good charge on the battery using a battery charger. then have the battery load tested. you may not driven it long enough to put a good charge on it..check your alternator, should be putting out 13.5-14.5V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSWhitechapel Posted November 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2014 So did they do a load test on the battery? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk The guy tested it and told me the battery was putting out a good voltage put a good charge on the battery using a battery charger. then have the battery load tested. you may not driven it long enough to put a good charge on it..check your alternator, should be putting out 13.5-14.5V What's a good voltage tester? So I can go buy one tomorrow instead of investing in a new alternator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawnss Posted November 14, 2014 Report Share Posted November 14, 2014 yeah but a battery cant put out a good voltage but still have a bad cell. I would load test it. most auto parts store should do it for free. might take 30 mins to a hour. but it will tell you rather its good or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSWhitechapel Posted November 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2014 I'll get my battery and alternator tested tomorrow when I have more time. For the mean time I unplugged my battery. What are good Vs? For both the battery and the alternator to put out? And how long should I drive my truck to put a good charge on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90zxdriver Posted November 14, 2014 Report Share Posted November 14, 2014 If your battery was drained as much as is sounds (provided it is still good) then you are going to need to put a charger on it to salvage it. It is going to take the factory alternator a very long time to charge the battery back to full capacity while also running your truck. As stated above, the battery needs to be load tested. Just curious, how old is your battery? I spent a week fighting with a standby generator and almost bought a new starter. My volt meter said it was putting out 12 volts, my battery charger said it was 97% charged as did the one at Autozone. Load tested it and it very quickly dropped to the teens. New battery and the generator started right up without a hick-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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