Alternator replacement?

Tiny
ATLANTA_BOY678
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 DODGE INTREPID
I bought a new battery, because I always needed to jump my car to get it to start, but now I think its the alternator because I still need a jump with the new battery. What do I need to do?
Saturday, September 27th, 2008 AT 6:53 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
SQM
  • MECHANIC
  • 6,383 POSTS
Hello,

Just to clarify, when you jump the car does it run without any issue?
Do you only need jump when the car sits overnight?

If you had a faulty alternator, the car will not stay running for very long. A defective alternator will drain the battery then the car will stall. It will also give you a low battery warning light before stalling.
If you only need the jump after the car sits overnight, then you might have a parasitic draw in the electrical system. A parasitic draw refer to a drain in your electrical system caused by a faulty electrical component. Like a dome light staying on overnight or a faulty window switch that draws power all the time.
There is a simple way to test for parasitic draw.

You might find this article helpful:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-dead-overnight

Here is a helpful video that shows the basics of finding a parasitic draw.

https://youtu.be/z5F7WpgjaRs

Please let me know of any questions.

Thank you.
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Wednesday, July 28th, 2021 AT 10:02 PM

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