Car Won't Start: Alternator or Battery? The easy way to know

Do it yourself. The easy way to know if you have a BAD BATTERY or BAD ALTERNATOR. Save yourself $$$ and know before you replace!

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[dclevez]

So we all just got a whip that won't start?😭😂

[gmjsimmons]

Hey a lot of these people thought this was too long. I enjoyed it and learned about voltage levels for resting and charging batteries. Thanks brother.

[FanVarious]

Thanks for making this great video easy to understand, Not just for men or women, but also for dogs as I am a 10-year old golden labrador trying to start my little car. :)

[sandraroy]

As a woman who needs to learn how to take care of my own car problems, you explained things very well, so even “I” could understand it.
Off to buy my multi meter to check my battery first. Thanks for the great music, video, and instructions

[Gunnr]

I had this very issue with my Dad's 2000 Ford Expedition yesterday morning, except that at attempted start, I got the "machine gun" clicking from under the hood. Checked & cleaned the terminals & connections, and had no corrosion. Checked voltage with a MUCH less expensive multimeter (yes, one of those free ones from Harbor Freight, back when they still did freebies...), got the same 10.5 volt reading. Decided to throw a battery charger on it, but after quite some time (overnight), voltage was only up to 11.5. Jump started it this morning with my Mom's truck, and confirmed voltage on the battery was 14.6. Same diagnosis - one bad battery.

I had left the truck running, so drove it to my local O'Reilly Auto Parts, and found out the battery was only two years old, and still under warranty! Woot WOOOT!!! The Assistant Manager and I had them swapped in about five minutes, and the warranty on the new battery reset for another three years. Boom!!!

Now a lot of folks might turn their nose up at my cheap multimeter, but for a free item, and on something as simple as this kind of a reading, it's ideal. Heck even at full price ($6.99 + tax) it's inexpensive enough to keep in my truck tool box just for situations like this. I have a service regimen on all of mine that I change out the batteries in each of them at least once a year.

Really enjoyed your video, it was an excellent tutorial on how to diagnose an issue with easy steps to follow.

Aloha!! 🤙🏼

[davidpaul]

Lonestar Hawaiian is in the winner's circle for clearly explained diagnostics. Clear, step by step, explanation of theory to practice and the appropriate choice of tools and their best use.

[cybrskr]

Alternator OR Battery:

BATTERY: Car dies>> you jump start>> turns on>> you drive fine>> turn car off>> wont turn back on

ALTERNATOR: Car dies>> Jump start>> Turns on>> Drive car>> Dies while driving.

PARASITIC DRAW: Car dies>> get a new battery>> turns on>> is drained and dead again after only couple months/weeks.

[zeph_os]

This happened to me yesterday; visited my partner's clinic to visit and got stranded in the parking lot. The battery was shot because my alternator was only cranking 12.4 volts after running strong for 9 years. I try to learn as much about how a car works and general maintenance as I can, but this was apparently something I had to learn the hard way. Thanks for the video though!

[raymondrosenberg]

Been trying to get my truck running and to be honest this was the only video that really actually helped me out. Thank you

[rondamcgrath]

I liked this video. It was easy to understand and doable for a non-mechanic, not too complicated. It helped me a lot because I know none of this and have a dead battery. I feel like I can figure it out now. Could it be shorter, a little, but the detailed information was great for me. I feel like a mechanic now haha. Thank you!

[whoisharo]

This is a video of him showing off his toys and family over music and editing with about 90 secs of useful info as our cars sit dead in our garage. Off to the next persons video...

[joeyturner]

10:45 is a prime example of paying attention to how the old battery comes out. If he had connected the cables at this time they would have been reversed and could have blown a main fuse or worse. However a few seconds later you see the battery turned the opposite (correct) way. Good catch and save sir.

[ninemilliondollars]

If you use a device like a "SUNER POWER Digital 12V Car Battery Tester, " you have the additional capability of analyzing the Cold Cranking Amps (CCA). If it shows the CCA is below what your vehicle needs, the battery is bad. This is a great indicator of the batteries performance. For those interested in the math, electrical Power-in-Watts = Amps x Volts. So, for example, if you need 6, 000 watts to start the car, that means the 12-volt battery must have 500 CCA (12 Volts times 500 CCA = 6, 000 Watts). And if you buy a more powerful battery with 550 CCA, the voltage can drop to as low as 10.909 volts and you can still start the vehicle because 550 Amps x 10.909 Volts is about 6, 000 watts.

[generaleerelativity]

I know that this is from a few years ago but a couple of tips for those who wanna stay safe: always wear gloves when messing with a battery, that corrosive stuff is bad news for the skin. Also never use a car to jump a larger vehicle like a truck, it can drain the car battery life and most likely won't have enough power to charge the larger battery. Otherwise you did a great job explaining the process of elimination.

[kevinhair]

Great video demonstrating from a car that won't start, in addition to also testing the alternator. Many videos showed cars that started from the onset.

[dg]

I have that same multimeter and I've used it for about 10 years never gave me problems even after leaving it in my toolbox in subzero temps. LCD still works and everything.

Good video

[bobgreene]

Although your primary concern was to restore operation as quickly as possible, the battery might have been saved with a desulphation procedure. At least, checking sulphation might have provided a cheaper option than battery replacement. Batteries which simply "go bad" for no apparent reason are at the end-point of sulphation.

[dennish]

LUV the Hawaiian sunset moment of silence...WATEVA ur going thru gotta take time to appreciate and be grateful for the beauty in the world!! LUV that mental health plug!!

[BHaleyArt]

This was the most helpful video I found on the topic. Mad respect

[sysadminpromax]

Nice video. I've fought this battle sometimes ago and overcame it. Your video made we had a clear picture of what went wrong and how to overcome it in future. Thank you