[ron1004]

I just took the battery to get checked. It's good. I went to take out the alternator, but it's really giving me problems. I got the belt off and both the bolts loose. Top bolt is out and alternator is loose from the top. But the bottom bolt won't come all the way out because it's blocked by body. Is there a secret to getting this thing out?

What leads you to believe that you have a bad alternator?


If the alternator was not charging, the car would still run until the battery got too low, ....... around 9 or 10 volt.


2011 sportage dies while driving, no start, no crank - a failed alternator will not prevent it from cranking IF the battery still has a charge.

 

[ckon]

I'm just taking it out to have it tested. I didn't think it would be so difficult to
remove.

The car does idle fine for about 15 min. Then the battery slowly starts to lose voltage(maybe 0.2volts per second) and it shuts down suddenly when the battery voltage goes below around 12.5v

 

[WE0H]

I'm just taking it out to have it tested. I didn't think it would be so difficult to
remove.

The car does idle fine for about 15 min. Then the battery slowly starts to lose voltage(maybe 0.2volts per second) and it shuts down suddenly when the battery voltage goes below around 12.5v

That sounds like a bad alternator to me. Hope it is that simple.

Mike

 

[ckon]

Does anyone know how to get the bottom bolt out of the alternator? It hits against the frame in the engine bay.

Then, even after that is out, I'm not sure if I have enough room to pull the alternator out.

 

[ron1004]

That sounds like a bad alternator to me. Hope it is that simple.

Mike

It sure does, but it does not explain why it cuts out with a battery voltage of 12v available.

The engine should run for many hours with the alternator disconnected, and the voltage would need to drop well below 12v before it cuts out.

Not following a diagnostic approach most often ends in a high parts and time cost.

 

[ron1004]

99% of the time issues as described are electrical in nature..

Start at the main connections of the battery, all positive and grounds.. clean (shiny and grease).

Second, find and repair/replace the main power and fuel pump relays..

Any time the main power fails, the ECU will reboot to factory fresh (NO CODES/DTC's)..

... Philip

Also check the ground straps between the engine and chassis.

What was the outcome of these suggested checks?

 

[ckon]

I only checked and cleaned the ground and main power on the battery so far. Still stalled

Because i would have to pay to replace the relays, I thought I would have the alternator checked for free at autozone first.

If the alternator is okay, I can go back and replace the relays.

 

[ron1004]

I only checked and cleaned the ground and main power on the battery so far. Still stalled

Because i would have to pay to replace the relays, I thought I would have the alternator checked for free at autozone first.

If the alternator is okay, I can go back and replace the relays.

Wouldn't cost anything to check the battery to chassis ground, and the engine to chassis ground - once that's checked, testing the alternator in the car would be far quicker and easier than taking it out for testing.

 

[ron1004]

That sounds like a bad alternator to me. Hope it is that simple.

Mike

It could well sound like an alternator problem, but there's a whole slew of tests to be done before getting into the difficult task of removing it from the car.

 

[MikDee]

Wouldn't cost anything to check the battery to chassis ground, and the engine to chassis ground - once that's checked, testing the alternator in the car would be far quicker and easier than taking it out for testing.

I agree with ron here. Plus make sure your Pos +, & Neg -, battery posts, & cables, are very clean with a battery brush, (they should be left shiny), then lubed with dielectric grease. As well as any ground connections.

 

[WE0H]

EZ alternator function test, motor off, connect DVM to battery, note voltage, start motor, voltage must increase and likely slightly above 14v. If it did not go up to or slightly over 14v, the alternator is bad. A bad alternator will not be able to increase the voltage with a running motor, voltage will decrease.

Mike

 

[ron1004]

EZ alternator function test, motor off, connect DVM to battery, note voltage, start motor, voltage must increase and likely slightly above 14v. If it did not go up to or slightly over 14v, the alternator is bad. A bad alternator will not be able to increase the voltage with a running motor, voltage will decrease.

Mike

Yes, testing the alternator on the car is far more practical compared to removal and carting it to a shop.

And those symptoms could also be due to other issues like bad connections and grounding, not necessarily/limited to a failed alternator.

 

[ckon]

Yeah, I thought taking out the alternator would be a 30 min job. It's not.

I will clean up the battery and engine block grounds today. If that doesn't solve the problem, I will have to have it towed to a mechanic.

I will update everyone on what they find. Thank you all for your help.

 

[ckon]

EZ alternator function test, motor off, connect DVM to battery, note voltage, start motor, voltage must increase and likely slightly above 14v. If it did not go up to or slightly over 14v, the alternator is bad. A bad alternator will not be able to increase the voltage with a running motor, voltage will decrease.

Mike

The voltage does go above 14v, but then after the car is warmed up, it starts to drop slowly and the car dies.

 

[WE0H]

The voltage does go above 14v, but then after the car is warmed up, it starts to drop slowly and the car dies.

Sounds like the regulator or rectifier is failing once it warms up a bit Just hope the repair isn't too crazy priced. Please keep us updated as this would be good info in the archives

Mike :beer:

 

[ron1004]

Check battery terminals are clean and tight. If you are in USA places like AutoZone and O'reilly will test your battery and alternator for free. These are easy to check and I suspect likely the cause of your problem.

Correct, and they'll do this in a running car.

 

[tom93r1]

What's your battery voltage when car is not running? I'd still get the battery tested. They will run a load test on it. If alternator is putting out 14V when running that's good, but if voltage is dropping below 12.5 that's bad, your battery should be able to hold 12.6 on its own. You could have a failing battery and a failing alternator.

 

[aquanaut20]

Anyone ever hear of an AC/DC AmpClamp meter, makes testing so much easier

... Philip

 

[ron1004]

Anyone ever hear of an AC/DC AmpClamp meter, makes testing so much easier

... Philip

DC Clip-On ammeters is a more recent technology, and so much easier than measuring in series.

I believe there's still a fair amount of diagnostics that's still outstanding here.
The cutting out is one problem, and who knows, the cause of that could also be the reason why the charging voltage drops off, but rest assured, the engine does not need the alternator to continue running if the battery voltage is sufficient, and it can run until the battery voltage drops really low, ...... so the alternator is not the cause of the cutting out in this case (OP reported it cut out with a 12v available).

 

[aquanaut20]

Ah! but a loss of main power will kill the ECU's ability to function and also decrease the charge function.

... Philip