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Topic: Would a bad VR do this? (Read 2673 times) previous topic - next topic

Would a bad VR do this?

Latly my battery has been dying rather easily. My friend thinks the alt. is going but the car will run just fine. Yesterday the bird wouldnt start, it cranked, but the battery didnt have enough juice to start it. So I jumped it and it ran fine, made it all the way to school. After school it wouldnt even crank, so I jumped it again. I was able to make it home just fine. IIRC a bad alt wouldnt be able keep a car running that long with a battery thats deader than a door nail. Now doesnt the voltage regulator just tell the alt when to charge the battery? Or am I way off? Hopefully its just the VR and not the alt, because I aint got the money for a new one, and I aint going to Autozone for one that will die in a week.
85 Tbird 5.0
78 F150 351w
13 F150 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost

Re: Would a bad VR do this?

Reply #1
sounds  like the battery is the issue  ....you are running off the alt once you get a jump

Autozone can test the charging system .....just drive it over if you can get another jump

Re: Would a bad VR do this?

Reply #2
If it dies in a week you can just get another one....  But I know what you mean.  Yea it really sounds like your battery.....
One 88

Re: Would a bad VR do this?

Reply #3
Well then this means I've gotton two bad batteries in a row. Both checked out fine at autozone, oh wait, they were them cheapies, so the cold probably been f'n with them. I'll just give the battery a full charge later, and just keep charging it when it gets low. I should get my tax refund sometime soon(aint gonna be much) and just buy a nice one.
85 Tbird 5.0
78 F150 351w
13 F150 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost

 

Re: Would a bad VR do this?

Reply #4
ive got an advance auto cheapie and dont have a single problem so far

you may possibly have a bad alternator, not charging the battery
It's Gumby's fault.

Re: Would a bad VR do this?

Reply #5
when car does not start check battry volts.  They should be over 12 key off, and over 10 when trying to start  if not the battery will never start it.  Once it is running you should have a bare minimum  13.5 if not then the alt is not charging properly.  BTW my autozone alt has been fine since 1998. Battery since 2001.  I got duralast on both. I got it there since they were close and I needed one fast.  this same reson will come in handy when I need a replacement.

Re: Would a bad VR do this?

Reply #6
Yeah sometimes autozone sucks with older parts. My dad got a starter that went out after a month or two at checkers. They wouldnt warrenty it. So we went to autozone, and got the life time warrenty for like 10 more bucks, and we have gone through about 5 starters in about 2 or 3 years. But in my dads crown vic, its a 10 minute thing.
Quote from: jcassity
I honestly dont think you could exceed the cost of a new car buy installing new *stock* parts everywhere in your coug our tbird. Its just plain impossible. You could revamp the entire drivetrain/engine/suspenstion and still come out ahead.
Hooligans! 
1988 Crown Vic wagon. 120K California car. Wifes grocery getter. (junked)
1987 Ford Thunderbird LX. 5.0. s.o., sn-95 t-5 and an f-150 clutch. Driven daily and going strong.
1986 cougar.
lilsammywasapunkrocker@yahoo.com

Re: Would a bad VR do this?

Reply #7
From working at autozone i know that you can get a wrong battery.  If it isn't the write group series for your vehicle, it might not have the right ammount of CCA'S.  make sure you got a big enough battery.


i gotta 65 series.  any bigger and it would be a deep cycle.  Plenty of juice for the system though.
84 TC 302 -5.0L/t5/7.5 locking rear and a 3.45 gear, Edelbrock Intake, Aluminum Heads, Edlebrock 65mm Throttlebody, Edlebrock Cam, 24lb injectors & MAS Air Sensor calibrated via chip,  BBK headers, Catback H pipe, Magnaflow lers :evilgrin:
:pics-stfu:

 Project Thread with pics

Re: Would a bad VR do this?

Reply #8
Same battery I got. Friend told me to unhook the battery cable and see if it stays running. Last I checked that was a sure fire way to kill an alt. The thing I still dont get, the car will keep running just fine all day long, had the wipers and radio on today, nothing died down. Got home, shut it off, tried to start it back up, cranked about twice and quit. I really dont get this car.
85 Tbird 5.0
78 F150 351w
13 F150 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost

Re: Would a bad VR do this?

Reply #9
do you have a system?  It sounds like draw, or a bad battery.  If you don't have a stereo system issue, or a bad battery, i'd say check your starter, make sure it's not staying engaged or something.  Good luck
84 TC 302 -5.0L/t5/7.5 locking rear and a 3.45 gear, Edelbrock Intake, Aluminum Heads, Edlebrock 65mm Throttlebody, Edlebrock Cam, 24lb injectors & MAS Air Sensor calibrated via chip,  BBK headers, Catback H pipe, Magnaflow lers :evilgrin:
:pics-stfu:

 Project Thread with pics

Re: Would a bad VR do this?

Reply #10
check all of your ground cables. My freind had the same thing happen on his caviler(?). He bought a new alt and battery and a couple of other things, just to find that his ground wire was frayed and making a bad connection
Quote from: jcassity
I honestly dont think you could exceed the cost of a new car buy installing new *stock* parts everywhere in your coug our tbird. Its just plain impossible. You could revamp the entire drivetrain/engine/suspenstion and still come out ahead.
Hooligans! 
1988 Crown Vic wagon. 120K California car. Wifes grocery getter. (junked)
1987 Ford Thunderbird LX. 5.0. s.o., sn-95 t-5 and an f-150 clutch. Driven daily and going strong.
1986 cougar.
lilsammywasapunkrocker@yahoo.com

Re: Would a bad VR do this?

Reply #11
Quote from: 88FoxBird
Friend told me to unhook the battery cable and see if it stays running. Last I checked that was a sure fire way to kill an alt.



I'd bet the farm that it's your battery.  As for unhooking your cable, this won't kill your alternator.  Think about it ... when you boost a stone-dead battery you are running on the alternator AND charging the dead batt at the same time and in your case it doesn't even charge so you are running on the alt all the time.