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1998 Toyota RAV4 BATTERY VS ALTERNATOR

Tiny
MZGLOEE
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 TOYOTA RAV4
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 250,000 MILES
How do I know if my battery is dead or if I am having problems with my alternator. I open my car door and the lights came on dimly and then went out, when I put the key in the ignition nothing happened.
Sunday, February 8th, 2009 AT 2:15 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
MMPRINCE4000
  • MECHANIC
  • 8,549 POSTS
Get a jump and take to any autoparts store for a free diagnosis, they will check the condition of battery (amps) and alt. Output loaded and unloaded.

Make sure you tell them you may need a jump to restart because the engine will have to be shutoff and started to complete the procedure.

OR,

A simple test is to use a multimeter, with engine running, connect to battery in DC volt mode. Multimeter should read 13.5-14.5 volts, if less than 13 then alt. Is bad.
Check loaded (high beam lights on, blower motor on) and unloaded (electrical loads off).
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Monday, February 9th, 2009 AT 7:14 AM

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