Ranger stalled, alternator replaced - need new battery too?

[nadsab]

OK I just picked up the ranger, mechanic did say that he load tested it and the battery was bad and to replace it as soon as I could afford one. He did charge it up though and it starts and runs fine.

So I went over to sears they had a sale going on, they load tested the battery there in front of me. They needed to know the Cold cranking amps of the old battery to dial it in to his tester we could not read the label on the batt for the amps, but I told him i thought it was around 590. So he dialed that in to the tester and it read about 460 cold cranking amps. He did say that was low and it would not hurt to buy a new battery. I do plan on buying a new one before the winter at the latest...

I asked him then if using this old battery for a while would actually damage the alternator though, and he said no, even if the battery is putting out just 20 percent lower amps than expected - this would not burn out the alternator - he said alternators fail if the diodes go bad and that the current battery would not fry it out just because it is not putting out the full cold cranking amps it was when new.

Anyone agree? Dis agree?

 

[bobbywalter]

if your trucks running and there is over 9 volts at the battery, unless you have some serious draw somewhere the alternator will run it fine...and generally the starter will not start the truck with voltage that low. i push start my car because a cell popped and wont crank it over....runs great though when it starts


the fact you are starting the truck fine yet having some running issues can point to bad connections etc

could be fuel pump laying down, ignition module...or just a crappy computer ground.


find the computer grounds and powers, if they look even a bit iffy make some stout new connections.

 

[doorgunner]

and double check those battery cables.....corrosion can get under the plastic coating and into the copper wires.....you won't be able to see it easily...

 

[nadsab]

if your trucks running and there is over 9 volts at the battery, unless you have some serious draw somewhere the alternator will run it fine...and generally the starter will not start the truck with voltage that low. i push start my car because a cell popped and wont crank it over....runs great though when it starts


the fact you are starting the truck fine yet having some running issues can point to bad connections etc

could be fuel pump laying down, ignition module...or just a crappy computer ground.


find the computer grounds and powers, if they look even a bit iffy make some stout new connections.

Thanks, I do know for a fact that the batt under the load test was putting out 12.8 volts.

Also we had mechanic install a brand new fuel pump about two months ago.

Could either the ignition module or a bad computer ground fry out the alternator?

 

[nadsab]

and double check those battery cables.....corrosion can get under the plastic coating and into the copper wires.....you won't be able to see it easily...

OK will do.

 

[nadsab]

OK great....now the battery light on the dash is coming on. I think the electric gauge on the dash reads OK though - reads in center.

Does battery light mean it's a bad battery or could that mean something else like bad or corroded cable?

Come to think of it, it was coming on a lot last year but the truck still ran fine...

 

[Markchip]

They did not actually say the battery was dead, they told my wife that if the battery was also not replaced asap that the so called bad battery could fry out the new alternator they just installed....

Could this be possible?

Customer service is very important especially for an online based business. Good customer service can make a company really stand out from the crowd. I am officially dissapointed with most of the online retailers except from zappos just because of their customer support.

 

[nadsab]

Ah...forgot to post that the battery light seemed to come on last year when it was very damp out, or raining, as it was yesterday - when it rained the batt dash light came on...

 

[bobbywalter]

the small single wire on the alt probably needs a new connection....though i am not sure which alt you have.


shorts can damage the alternator ect....and a fresh pump can have a bad connection regardless. those fuel pump connectors can be a horrendous pia at times.