1996 BMW 318 Alternator does not charge battery

RCD3

MEMBER
1996 BMW 318
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
128,000 MILES

I had the starter replaced a month and a half ago and recently my car would die after driving due to the battery being drained. I had the alternator and battery checked and both were fine. What could be keeping the alternator from running the car and charging the battery?

1 Reply

MHPAUTOS

MECHANIC
31,937 POSTS

Hi there,

Make sure the battery is fully charged and it is load tested, not just tested with an hydrometer, this will give a true indication as to the battery condition, If the charge rate is ok, you may have a leaking diode, this will not affect the charge rate to a great extent, but will allow the battery to discharge through the faulty diode. Remove battery pos(+) and place an Amp meter between battery and cable, this will show any current draw on the battery, with key off and doors closed there should be only about.1 to.15 Amps flowing any more and the battery will discharge to quickly. Check this out first.

Mark (mhpautos)