Battery light came on for a few minutes, then back to normal.

[MSCH]

I also noticed both battery connectors ground out when tightening them, as in they only grab the terminals so much before they won't tighten anymore. I can rotate them both by hand, but I have to push really hard.

its important to have good connections, BUT the alternator itself measures voltage at the alternator, so the charging system should operate at a steady voltage no matter what the battery is doing.. does the vehicle have an external voltage regulator or is the voltage regulator built into the alternator? One other thing was as I said previously, are you sure the belt and tensioner are doing their job.

 

[Jonas]

Wire brush the mating surfaces and make them tight somehow.

Positive connector was loose (loosened while driving I suppose.) I loosened both connectors a good bit and pushed them further down on the terminals. They are both too tight to rotate by hand now. I hope that's all I needed.

 

[Jonas]

Ok, so I drove around the block and the battery gradually lost more and more voltage, but the battery light never came on. Does that mean the alternator works, but the battery is too low to charge? Connections at the terminals are clean and tight btw.

 

[WobblyElvis]

Ok, so I drove around the block and the battery gradually lost more and more voltage, but the battery light never came on. Does that mean the alternator works, but the battery is too low to charge? Connections at the terminals are clean and tight btw.

I doubt that is the problem. You have never reported that the vehicle would not start.

Can you swap in a known good battery?

Given the limited information [sometimes contradictory] we have, and the lack of diagnostic tools, I cannot say with any certainty what the problem is. You could replace the battery and the alternator and still have problems. Sometimes a professional diagnosis is worth the money.

 

[Jonas]

I doubt that is the problem. You have never reported that the vehicle would not start.

Can you swap in a known good battery?

Given the limited information [sometimes contradictory] we have, and the lack of diagnostic tools, I cannot say with any certainty what the problem is. You could replace the battery and the alternator and still have problems. Sometimes a professional diagnosis is worth the money.

The car never failed to start. All the info I've reported is from my OBD reader live data. The car almost died a minute ago, but I had to have defrost, wipers, and headlights on to see. Once I turned them off and parked, the battery voltage increased to a functional level.

 

[Jonas]

As always, I've learned new and valuable things and am eternally grateful to everyone here at BITOG. By the way, it really helps when this is plugged in all the way until it clicks:

I am an idiot

 

[researcher]

As always, I've learned new and valuable things and am eternally grateful to everyone here at BITOG. By the way, it really helps when this is plugged in all the way until it clicks:

I am an idiot

well you're not a complete idiot.. you came here to ask for help, then it made you check the alternator including the main plug to hear it "click".. we've all been there! glad you found the issue!

 

[eljefino]

Keep an eye on it, like I know you will. That fitting shouldn't have unclicked unless someone was doing some work in the area.

 

[mk378]

On the battery, loosen the nut fully then spread the metal apart so you can put the terminal all the way down on the post. There should be some post showing above the top of the terminal. Then secure it by tightening the nut until you can't move the terminal by hand.

The terminals that are a metal strap tend to crack then they won't stay tight.

 

[Jonas]

Keep an eye on it, like I know you will. That fitting shouldn't have unclicked unless someone was doing some work in the area.

Thanks. I'm 99% the initial problem was a loose battery connector, but I then disconnected and cleaned everything and the alt cable didn't quite seat.

 

[Jonas]

On the battery, loosen the nut fully then spread the metal apart so you can put the terminal all the way down on the post. There should be some post showing above the top of the terminal. Then secure it by tightening the nut until you can't move the terminal by hand.

The terminals that are a metal strap tend to crack then they won't stay tight.

Good tip. I loosened them both quite a bit and pushed them down further before tightening. Now they are past the tops of the terminals and tight without touching ends