Coming home from work, the radio died, then the tachometer, then the car. I figured the alt crapped out then drain the battery ( 1 year old )
Got it off the interstate and replaced the alt, charged the bat, went for a test drive and it died again. Something is draining my bat and not allowing the alt to work. Any suggestions ???????
get or borrow a digital voltmeter
Invest in a plug-in voltmeter for about $15; the alternator may not be charging at all, or the battery's finished. Could also be drive belt, battery connectors, grounds, etc.
The fact that you indiscriminatey replaced a bunch of auto parts without doing any testing indicates to me that you are most likely an auto mechanic. You should not bee fooling with automotive electrical stuff, you will only make it worse. If you have a friend that owns a voltmeter, ask them to drop by.
Thanks to all that wrote back ..... I've since discovered that when I initially charged the battery I only had 11.71 volts. This alternator will not start charging if less than 12 volts exists .... must be a no burn out feature.
That doesn't make sense to me. Your alternator should be able to charge a nearly dead battery after the car is started and running. Maybe the battery has a shorted cell or is otherwise bad.
Did you check your ground wires and all connections from the battery to the alternator?
Could be a connection on the starter relay, fusible link, wire harness... worth checking all.
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