Help! Battery being drained when car is running...alternator good though? 96 Camry LE

[melb2780]

Please help. I have a 96 toyota Camry Le that keeps dying on me. We have replaced the alternator and had the battery tested. I just bought this car a little over a week ago because I desperately needed a car and now I can’t get it to work enough to even get me to my job. When I first got it the battery light came on and shortly after the car died while I was driving it. We took the alternator out and had it tested and it was bad. So we replaced the alternator. Ever since then the battery light has been coming on and off while I drive it. If the battery light stays on too long the car dies on me as I’m driving it. On Saturday we took the alternator off and had it tested. They said it was fine. So my boyfriend put the alternator back on and changed the serpentine belt since it was kinda cracked. So the battery light is still coming on and off and when the battery light stays on for an extended period of time, the car dies. Does anyone have any idea why this is happening? What could be draining the battery while the car is running that causes it to die? There is an aftermarket stereo in the car so our next guess is that maybe the stereo is hooked up wrong and draining the battery but I don’t know if this makes sense because shouldn’t the alternator be charging the battery as it is driving? Please help!

[khanhstar]

yooooo.

had the same problem awhile ago its your grounding hahaha yep. thats it. grounding. from your batt. to the alternator wire it screwed also.

khanhstar.


quote" my turbo vienta kicks ass @ 346kw @8psi baby

[JohnGD]

Check your cables and connections. They should be clean and sufficiently tight.

If the battery light is coming on, then there is net flow of current out of the battery. Whatever your alternator is putting out wasn't going to the battery.

What kind of alternator was put in? I'd use one from your local NAPA or a Bosch new/reman, or a Denso reman. Nothing else.

I'd have Autozone do a free alternator/battery test.

Originally Posted by melb2780

Please help. I have a 96 toyota Camry Le that keeps dying on me. We have replaced the alternator and had the battery tested. I just bought this car a little over a week ago because I desperately needed a car and now I can’t get it to work enough to even get me to my job. When I first got it the battery light came on and shortly after the car died while I was driving it. We took the alternator out and had it tested and it was bad. So we replaced the alternator. Ever since then the battery light has been coming on and off while I drive it. If the battery light stays on too long the car dies on me as I’m driving it. On Saturday we took the alternator off and had it tested. They said it was fine. So my boyfriend put the alternator back on and changed the serpentine belt since it was kinda cracked. So the battery light is still coming on and off and when the battery light stays on for an extended period of time, the car dies. Does anyone have any idea why this is happening? What could be draining the battery while the car is running that causes it to die? There is an aftermarket stereo in the car so our next guess is that maybe the stereo is hooked up wrong and draining the battery but I don’t know if this makes sense because shouldn’t the alternator be charging the battery as it is driving? Please help!

[melb2780]

Is this something easy to fix? Where are these grounding wires located?

Originally Posted by khanhstar

yooooo.

had the same problem awhile ago its your grounding hahaha yep. thats it. grounding. from your batt. to the alternator wire it screwed also.

khanhstar.


quote" my turbo vienta kicks ass @ 346kw @8psi baby

[Gibson99]

one of the ground wires is the negative cable on the battery itself. make sure it has a solid, clean connection on BOTH ends. there are a few smaller black wires that connect from motor mounts, brackets and whatnot and bolt (rather than plug) dierctly into to the motor. make sure these are all tight (just try wiggling the wires) and that there's no corrosion on the connections.

another, less obvious ground is where the alternator bolts to the motor. if it's rusty or loose, that's a poor ground and could cause your symptoms.

also make sure the belt is tight enough. if it's a little loose, you could be getting the intermittent problems you mention.