Battery or alternator??

[Black331Stang]

im almost positive its the battery but b4 i go spend money on one and its the alternator i figured id ask u guys first. the batteries pretty new but its been sitting since september and ever since mid decembers it HAS NOT been above liek 28 degrees out. finally got it started last night (jump) and had it going, but then i turned on the lights and after about 10 secs it just turned off. the car was on for about 10-12 mins b4 turning off. then when i went to restart it, nothing, not even interior door light. battery? alternator?

not to mention, i couldnt get it up the driveway, so me and 2 friends had to push it while on ice. slipped, fell, pulled my already sore groin, got pissed kicked the car (slightly not hard) and the whole god damn rear bumper extender shattered. i guess it wasnt in its rubbery (urethane) state because its been so damn cold

 

[50Dreamer]

I think its the altenator. The reason for choosing it is because I dont believe that your battery would have gone bad and yes it may have needed a jump after all that sitting. If the altenator was good your car wouldnt have died and when you went to start it the battery was dead because your car wasnt charging it but instead your battery got drained. If you want to be certain charge the battery and start the car, put a volt meter on the altenator hot wire and im sure it wont be doin much.
Just my .02 Good luck

 

[wishihadastang125]

take the batt. & alternater to o'reilly's & test them

 

[PonyGrl420]

Another vote for the alternater. If you have a volt meter try that. Otherwise I think Autozone will do it.

 

[TheUser]

the same thing happened to me, jumped it, let it run for like 10 min to warm up and went out, the lights got dim and it died right there..ended up being the alternator. Took the alt. from my non-running GT and threw it on the LX and it was fine for about 4 days until the bearings screwed up and I had to buy a rebuilt alt and I also got a nice Powermaster 140 amp alt for the GT Nothing like spending $250 on alternators in a week!

 

[Michael Yount]

Take 'em out and have 'em tested. Maybe you ought to get someone else to help given your 'success' working on it thus far. Go slow.

 

[plastic_cow]

Easiest way I've found to test batt or alt is to start your car, rev it up, have your headlights on your garage door at night and drop the rev's, look to see if you lights stay very illuminated or if after a few moments they dull... if they dull, rev her back up and see if she gets bright...

it might be the idots way of doing it, but it's worked for me.

 

[Black331Stang]

good ldea and ill also try my voltmeter. how do i do that? just put both probes on the output terminal?

 

[TIMMY2734]

make sure its on the correct setting firts, then put the red wire to the terminal on the back of the alternator and the black to a ground

 

[gt50stang89]

Same exact thing happened to me, went through two batteries before i put a new alternator in. Was fine after that, check out PA performance for an alternator-good stuff

 

[TIMMY2734]

i along with many others have had great luck with the aterstart alternators

 

[Saleen4971]

def. your alternator.

 

[Tstang90]

You know my vote already Alternator. He forgot to mention the load of abuse hes puttin on that little alternator. Hes tryin to power the damn city w/a 65 amp alternator lol. Just for good measure Autozone will test it for free. Good luck

 

[Michael Yount]

Black331 - you've got to do what's called a "load test" on both the battery and the alternator to really tell much about their working condition. If the car will start with a jump or charged battery, drive it to AutoZone. They can load test both with them in the car. If it won't - take them out (you're probably gonna have to replace them anyhow) and take them to AutoZone - they can bench load-test them. If what the previous poster says is correct, simply replacing the alternator if it's bad won't accomplish anything. You'll have to replace it with an upgraded, higher output model. At least the 95A, perhaps the 130A. Good luck.

 

[Nitracity]

I would suggest getting a 130 amp. I got mine from autozone with a Lifetime warranty here are there specs

DURALAST ALTERNATOR for a 1995 FORD MUSTANG COBRA

Unit Price: $124.99
Core Value*: $40.00
Part No.: DL7734-6-11
Weight: 15.15 lbs.
Warranty: LLT
Availability: Online: Ships within 2 business days

 

[Black331Stang]

Hes tryin to power the damn city w/a 65 amp alternator lol.

HAHA damn straight tom, and it did its job for quite some time

thanks for all the help, i was just basically seeing what u guys thought it would be just so i can some insight on which i should favor. I know what im gonna do if eithers bad. Without a doubt im getting a 130A if the alternators bad, not a replacement.

Timmy, whast te correct setting for the alt test? i know my friend tried to tet his and he got sparks flying lol.
And how do u liek the A-S alt? it looks the same as the PA, just made by AS, right? i think its like half the price too and still have a lifetime war. on it.

anyone got views on Alterstart?

 

[Black331Stang]

ok, i got another question...origianlly my top starter bolt hole on teh bellhousing was stripped so they put a nut and bolt thru it tokeep it in....before that the starter was hanging a little and would grind when it hung a littel to much....car started fine since they bolted it in. but now when starting-- (after 5 months outide, not running, and cery cold for teh last month, under 25degrees)-- its grinds reaaallll bad, bnuit eventually starts. this is while jumping the car and when it doesnt have enough juice it sounds normal. Anyone ever have this problem after having the car sit??
Could the starter be liek frozen and not engaging all the way? any other reasons y it sonds liek its slipping when it cranks faster? (new flywheel by the way, well resurfaced, but it wasnt MY originalk one). thanks

 

[Mustang5L5]

I'm gonna say battery here....

Only because the same thing happened to me twice this winter.

Once you deep cycle a battery (especially in the cold) it will never hold a charge the same way again. Also, 10 seconds of running is nowhere near long enough to charge a battery.

If it was the alternator...the car would not run very long...if at all.

Another thing is when the car sits for a while, the connections can corrode. If everything isn't tight and clean, you won't get anything.

I had to replace the battery in my Mark 8 this winter before i sold it for the same reasons. A battery load test should tell you what is wrong with it.

 

[Black331Stang]

first and only correct opinion goes to mike...the alternator tested out fine. its prolly just the battery...o and mike i had the car running 10-12 minutes not seconds...when i said 10 seconds thats how long it last after i turned teh lights on.

So mike are u saying the battery can use a trickle charge to come back or its basically shot??...i have the worst luck with batteries...mine never work after the sits for more than a few months.

 

[Mustang5L5]

So mike are u saying the battery can use a trickle charge to come back or its basically shot??...i have the worst luck with batteries...mine never work after the sits for more than a few months.

Well, when you lit a car sit it's best to take the battery out and bring it indoors and place it on some wood blocks.

Also, you can't really charge a battery at idle. You really need to go for a 20 min drive.

The battery might take a charge again, but it will never be like it was before. It will always drain quickly. In my Mustang i deep cycled my battery a few times and always brought it back, but it was never as strong as before. Play the radio 10 mins with the engine off...and it would need a jumpstart after. This winter's cold finally finished that battery off and i just got a new die hard gold.

My Mark 8 's battery never took again. I tried jumping it but i could never get the battery to hold a charge. It was working fine in august but was sitting for 6 months and the bitter cold killed it. I sold the car without replacing it.

SO anyway either jump it and go for a drive and then come back and try it again or trickle charge the battery. If you can get it to keep a charge you should really load test it and see if it's good.