bad alternator?
bad alternator? noticed yesterday when i turned on my rear defroster my volt gauge dropped from 14 down to 10, then turned on front defroster it dropped to 8, turned them all off and it went back to normal, put new battery in about 2-3 months ago just wondering if anyone else has had this problem, and if the alternator is causing this, i don't have any stereo upgrades or other items that would possibly affect the alternator.
Your rear defroster does draw a lot of current but it shouldn't drop down that much. I would suggest going to someplace like autozone or advanced and having them test the alternator. They should do it for free and in the car. What you want to look at is that the voltage doesn't drop down too low when you apply a load to the system
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 598
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From: Midland, TX
Originally Posted by dschmittie1
Your rear defroster does draw a lot of current but it shouldn't drop down that much. I would suggest going to someplace like autozone or advanced and having them test the alternator. They should do it for free and in the car. What you want to look at is that the voltage doesn't drop down too low when you apply a load to the system
Originally Posted by Killrus
How fast would the battery drain if the alternator was bad?
Depends how much stuff you have turned on. IN the case above it sounds like his alternator is still working just not up to par. If it dies all together you will be able to make a short trip, but it also depends how much stuff is turned on, like your radio, headlights, heater they will drain the battery down quicker
thanks for the input guys, think i will go and have it tested, before i get a new one, also noticed it did the same thing with the a/c on so it might be time for a new one
