battery not getting charged- help

[laldebot]

my battery is good, it holds charge from charger.
but if i run the car for 15 mins., car does not turn over. the red/charge light goes off when the car is started and my gauge shows plus or minus 13volts. is there some wire i did not connect?
what steps do i take to test battery,alternator, etc? when i charge the battery it holds charge as long as i don't run the car. [img]graemlins/blue2.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/blue2.gif[/img]

[Rip Van Winkle]

The voltmeter should read 14v. If it’s reading around 12v, this is just the battery voltage and so nothing is coming thru from the alternator. You can get the alternator checked out at Autozone or you local parts store. If the alternator is OK then check your wiring. Sorry, I don’t have the color codes for the wire here at work, but there is a single wire to the starter solenoid, it has a fuse link (which could be your trouble) so check the voltage before and after the fuse link to the solenoid. You should be able to find the bad spot.

I had this same problem, and got stranded on the Fwy when the battery gave out. It was the fuse link for me. Good luck, hope this helps.

[NAGA]

Hey Luis,
Weird.
Get the alternator checked out. Autozone will do it for free. Almost sounds like a polarity problem. Might be a diode out in the alternator. Like it's putting out voltage but not in the right direction. Very strange.

d.

[Mike Brasfield]

I had the same problem. It was the wire Rip Van Winkle mentioned. Check the continunity beteen the alt. and the relay. This is where the fuse link lives and it was a bad wire in my harness. Good luck.

[paulmcarlino]

this happend to me. the low speed charge was not engauging. when I keep the rpms over 2000 it will charge and get over 14 volts. so if it is idiling for 15 minutes and the low speed charge is not working than your engine will not turn over because it is not charging. anyways goes to local parts store they can test it in the car or out

[Horizon200]

Why does the green/red wire come to mind?

[laldebot]

HEY MIKE WHERE IS THAT R/G WIRE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT? JUST RETURNED FROM AUTO STORE, MY ALTERNATOR WAS SHOT. DID NOT INSTALL YET, WILL SEE
TOMORROW IF ALL IS WELL.