I had the wrong Idea to use my Sebring car to.

ANONYMOUS

MEMBER
2004 CHRYSLER SEBRING
82,000 MILES

I had the wrong idea to use my Sebring car to give ignition another car.
During the ignition my sebring stopped and the dashboard got crazy. The battery was gone.
The sebring engine works fine while another car is give me power once we take off the wires my car stop.
No energy. The electrician said that the voltage regulator is dead because the battery is not receiving charge.
Now, nobody know where the voltage regulator is located.
Could you give me any help. I would hate if I kill the computer.
Thanks in advance
JC

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,723 POSTS

The voltage regulator is inside the Engine Computer and rarely fails. Sounds like either the alternator or the battery has failed. Unless the jumper cables were connected wrong, it is very unlikely jump-starting another car caused the problem, however, if there was a problem that was about to develop anyway, jump-starting could make that problem show up sooner.

Start by measuring the battery voltage with an inexpensive digital voltmeter. It should be 12.6 volts. If it's around 12.2 volts it is good but discharged. Use a battery charger to recharge the battery at a slow rate for an hour, then the voltage should be 12.6 volts.

If you find closer to 11 volts, the battery has a shorted cell and must be replaced. You can't cause that to happen. It's just a fact of life when they get old.

Once the engine is running, measure the battery voltage again. It must be between 13.75 and 14.75 volts. If it is low, we have to talk about diagnosing the charging system.