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You turn the ignition key and the car does not start. You may try again thinking that you have done it wrong. No, nothing happens. The engine just acts like a dead snake. The pin-drop silence sends chills down your spine. You have start panicking thinking of the possible expensive repairs. Relax! It could only be battery or alternator and none of these is going to cost you a fortune.

Battery or Alternator: How to Find the Culprit?
Having an idea of whether the battery or alternator is the source of the problem will save your money, time, and headaches. You may think it to be a battery issue and change it without running any tests, but a damaged alternator can destroy a healthy battery.

Here are a few tips to determine the whether the battery or alternator causes the problem:

1. Checking the Battery

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A battery lasts shorter than an alternator. When the car does not start, it is likely to be a dead battery in most cases. Following these steps will help you to check if it is working or not.

* Scan the Terminals – Corroded terminals could be the reason for the battery not getting enough power. You have to clean them if there is rust or corrosion. Remove the clamp from the black (negative) and red (positive) terminals, respectively. Use a good-quality battery cleaner and a wire brush to scrub the dirt and rust.

* Go over the Wiring – The wires that go into the terminal clamps could be corroded, damaged, or frayed. You will need to trim and strip them before re-attaching to the clamps.

* Examine the Voltage – You will need a multimeter to do this testing. Attach one lead of the device to the negative and another to the positive terminal. If the reading shows less than 12.6 volts, you have a weak car battery that needs replacement. Again, a poor battery is the culprit if you get the same reading while trying to start the engine with the multimeter connected to the terminals.

Try to use one of the best auto battery units when replacing the current one. Otherwise, these issues will persist and you have to look again for a replacement very soon.

2. Checking the Alternator

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The second step to find whether it’s the battery or alternator is to check the latter. It supplies charge to the battery when the engine is running. To find out whether this device is in fault:

* Inspect the Power Belt and Wiring – The power belt should be up and running when the engine is on and the wiring between the alternator and the battery should not be loose, damaged, or corroded.

* Do a Multimeter Test – Turn on the ignition key and switch on all the accessories such as the AC, windshield wipers, and stereo. The multimeter should read between 13 to 15 volts after connecting its leads to the terminals. Also, the reading should be around 12.9 volts after powering down the car.

* The Headlight Test – Turn on the ignition and switch on the headlights. Then, power on all the accessories and observe if the headlights show any sign of dimming. The alternator is bad if the lights keep losing brightness.


Source:
https://www.autoreportng.com/2018/08/car-battery-or-alternator-which-one-is.html

Whats your take? Let's hear from you

Read more here

https://www.autoreportng.com/2018/08/car-battery-or-alternator-which-one-is.html

Battery ofcus

my alternator was detroyed by a dominator called terminator who eats alligator like the originator of the communicator.

Who born battery besides Alternator ! Sometimes this Alternator can decide to disgrace you by not charging your battery and you will dress fine get to party , after forming Van damn . You come form boss go your car side .... lol Car engine do Ssski ppaaa skipppi lmao .... E no start Only to know your battery is dead ! Biggest Bleep up of all time .

I’m a victim ...

Ah kuku no go push automatic and nobody wan give me battery cus of the van damn style I don show lol .... To be continued ...

I am a novice in car knowledge...but for me, in my years of driving...the electrical issues have always been battery related.
I dont think I have had an alternator issue yet....

V

Even people that have never driven or open the bonnet of a car before will comment!
Welcome to Nairaland!

Thank you....it’s I’ll help others!!

Cc. TechCapon

I think the alternator charges the battery so if it can charge the battery the car won’t respond.

when it's not d battery or d alternator. it might b dis two.
1. blown ignition fuse. check d small box beside d battery in d hood that d positive cable of d battery leads to. just bridge d ignition fuse with thin naked wire.
2. broken power wire on d kick. Remove d rubber cover of d kick (key starter) below d stering. there are four wires on d kick. the power wire on it does lot of work and sometimes goes hot thereby melt it's soldering. check if it's not melt to other wires.

My neighbours has a two drivers car, one is driving one is pushing. Whenever i see him on the road coming i either hide or smartly dodge his demand to help me for a lift. Poor car

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Either can be the culprit.

I've been having this battery issue for a while now and I've been told to get a new one, but the battery is still showing bright green light, is the light not supposed to be red when it's totally dead?
Please I don't know what that light is called.

Both works together

nurey:
my alternator was detroyed by a dominator called terminator who eats alligator like the originator of the communicator.

Ehen ehen

See rhymes
You no tell us say u don dey rap ...

Yo yo yo
I got the communicator from nurey so he used his detector to check alternator,radiator,reflector nothing wey him no use becos na doctor
Yo yo yooo


Passing the mic

exquizit:
I've been having this battery issue for a while now and I've been told to get a new one, but the battery is still showing bright green light, is the light not supposed to be red when it's totally dead?
Please I don't know what that light is called.

That light is just d acid strength guage. When d battery is green and weak, the positive or negative cell inside have cut.

note, sometimes when charging, one of d terminals will be getting hot.

Computergloba:


Ehen ehen
See rhymes You no tell us say u don dey rap ...

computerglobal
I heard you went global
your boy remains loyal
I know you ain't royal
but your swags total

Could be either of the two

1. The battery might be ordinarily weak, so even when alternator charges it, it still goes flat in no time

2. The alternator also could be weak and not charge the battery while working, so could be either of the two.

It's Alternator, if you remove the battery head while car is working and it suddenly goes off.

It's Battery if you do same while working and car keeps working.

nurey:


computerglobal

I heard you went global

your boy remains loyal

I know you ain't royal

but your swags total

Lol


Yo yo yo

I got the communicator from nurey so he used his detector to check alternator,radiator,reflector nothing wey him no use becos na doctor
Yo yo yooo


Passing the mic

oyeb15:


That light is just d acid strength guage. When d battery is green and weak, the positive or negative cell inside have cut.

note, sometimes when charging, one of d terminals will be getting hot.

Oh really! So I should just get another batter right?

Nurey ft computergloba

If your battery is dead, you get another battery to jump start it. While the car is idling you remove the battery terminals and see if the car is still running, if not then ur alternator is gone.

alternator is the cause because it is responsible for the charging of the battery system, when alternator is Bad battery will easily malfunction and die. don't thank me now but latter when some NL finally own a car

Am I the only one who checks if the battery is dead by honking?

Nice one happened to my car wiring issue

Spark plugs cam be guilty sometimes too

Thank you for all this but one day I thought village people don attack my car. None of the things you mentioned was responsible . It took the intervention of my rewire to realise that a fuse has gone bad. After replacing it , the car was able to start.

nurey:
my alternator was detroyed by a dominator called terminator who eats alligator like the originator of the communicator.

Infants in adult space.

even pple lyk us witout car wil stil comment

If the alternator is bad u will keep buying new batteries...so it is battery that is reponsible for a dead car..if alternator is good and battery is bad car won't start but if alternator is bad but battery is good it will start but the battery will damage overtime...replace the alternator and get a new battery as well if notice that but however take it to the mechanic for proper checkup but its high time people learn abt the basics in car so that mechanic wont use u chop...