Alternator Help Urgent

[gwh]

I am selling my Dads RX300 02 REG, it has been off the road for a few months so when trying to start it I had to jump start the Battery, it charged fine left it running for over an hour and when I try to start it now it makes a clicking noise and it seems the alternator has gone?

The guy who jump started it tested the Battery and the meter reading wasn’t static he said that could be the alternator then the above happened, my question is how much is a new alternator and can I get a used one if that makes sense as the car is being sold, any advice would be greatly appreciated, thankyou

[PCthug]

I doubt its the alternator, if its just clicking.

It sounds more like a starter motor.

I would charge the Battery up the good old fashioned way with a Battery charger, over night and see how that goes.

If it was completely dead it may require a good 8-10 hours charge, so your 1 hour of running wont be enough.

You may also find that the Battery itself has packed up, which is quite common if not used for some time.

Charge it properly first, and if still no good, take the Battery to a motorfactor and have them check it before you do anything else.

[gwh]

Thanks,

The breakdown man charged the Battery and he tested it, the tool he used the gauge was vibrating/moving he said it shoudl eb static in the green area he said the alternator could cause this, this is what made me think.

The problem is I cant leave it running overnight as the car is in our driveway and also I do not have a Battery charger, are the portable ones cheapish to buy. Its a problem as It is ready to be sold and now this happens :(

Also if it is the starter motor how mcuh would that be to fix?

[gwh]

Thanks,

The breakdown man charged the battery and he tested it, the tool he used the gauge was vibrating/moving he said it shoudl eb static in the green area he said the alternator could cause this, this is what made me think.

The problem is I cant leave it running overnight as the car is in our driveway and also I do not have a battery charger, are the portable ones cheapish to buy. Its a problem as It is ready to be sold and now this happens :(

Also if it is the starter motor how mcuh would that be to fix?

Is this charger a decent portable one?

http://www.tool-net.co.uk/p-333053/clarke-jump-start-4000-heavy-duty-engine-starter.html

[gwh]

The clicking has stopped and now it seems Battery totally flat as central locking on the key wont work and completely dead when I try to start the car, does this seem like it may be the Battery then?

[PCthug]

The clicking has stopped and now it seems battery totally flat as central locking on the key wont work and completely dead when I try to start the car, does this seem like it may be the battery then?

It sounds that way.

You need to charge it, ask a neighbour if they have a charger, or buy a cheapo one from Pound Stretcher, In-Shops or Wilcos.

The breakdown wouldnt have charged it for long i bet.

When an engine revs the power from the alternator flutuates, and this is probably what happened when the needle went up and down.

Its hard to test without a fully charged Battery, so this is your first step.

[gwh]

I have a portable charger now, the breakdown guy charged it and I left it running for about 2 hours last time.

[PCthug]

How long did he charge it for?

It needs to be trickle charged for about 8 to 10 hours.

[gwh]

He jump started it then I left the engien runnign for about 2 hours revving it every so often and I turned it around in the road (as coudltn take it out as its declared SORN)

[PCthug]

He jump started it then I left the engien runnign for about 2 hours revving it every so often and I turned it around in the road (as coudltn take it out as its declared SORN)

Thats nowhere near enough of a charge.

Revving it wont make much difference too, if the alternator produces something like 14amps of power, no matter what revs your car is doing (ticking over or flat out), it will still only produce that.

It needs a good charge.

[gwh]

should I just jump start it and then leave it running for a good few hours?

[PCthug]

should I just jump start it and then leave it running for a good few hours?

I wouldn't.

It needs to charge for around 8 to 10 hours, so letting it tick over for that long will cost more in fuel than a charger will cost you.

Also you run the risk of it over heating too. Not to mention the unncessary wear and tear.

You dont need anything fancy. Hell, go to the carboot sale at the weekend and get one for a couple of quid.

[gwh]

should I just jump start it and then leave it running for a good few hours?

I wouldn't.

It needs to charge for around 8 to 10 hours, so letting it tick over for that long will cost more in fuel than a charger will cost you.

Also you run the risk of it over heating too. Not to mention the unncessary wear and tear.

You dont need anything fancy. Hell, go to the carboot sale at the weekend and get one for a couple of quid.

Dont understand what you are saying?

I have the portable jump starter already

I was asking do I jump it and leave it running, you said geta cheap one from car boot?

[PCthug]

should I just jump start it and then leave it running for a good few hours?

I wouldn't.

It needs to charge for around 8 to 10 hours, so letting it tick over for that long will cost more in fuel than a charger will cost you.

Also you run the risk of it over heating too. Not to mention the unncessary wear and tear.

You dont need anything fancy. Hell, go to the carboot sale at the weekend and get one for a couple of quid.

Dont understand what you are saying?

I have the portable jump starter already

I was asking do I jump it and leave it running, you said geta cheap one from car boot?

Not sure if your confusing a jumps start with a Battery charger.

A jump start puts a lot of power straight to the starter motor via the Battery to turn the engine over and get it started, but wont actually put any power into the Battery itself, where a charger will put charge and power into the Battery itself.

The slower a Battery charger works, generally the more efficient it is, and the better it is. You can buy quick chargers that will charge a car Battery in an hour or so, but they can eventually cause damage to a Battery if used regularly.

A slow charger will take around 8 to 10 hours to fully charge a car Battery. The car may start with only an hour or 2 charge, but the Battery will be only partly charged.

When your car is running, the alternator creates power and charges the Battery up, but its only designed to top up an already charged Battery.

To charge to Battery from almost dead to fully charged will take 8 to 10 hours, even using the running engine to do it. Letting it run for a couple of hours will charge it, and probably enough to start the engine after a rest of a few hours. But, try it the next day, and it may be flat again due to not being fully charged to begin with.

So in answer to your question, yes, running the engine WILL charge your Battery, but be prepared to let the engine run for about 8 hours to fully charge the Battery. To put into context, 8 hours of engine running will use a lot of fuel, and probably will cost more in fuel than a cheap Battery charger will cost.

This still may not solve your original problem however, but its something that needs doing in order to progress.

Ask a neighbour if any of them have a Battery charger if your not wanting to buy one.

Put it another way, if you have a mobile phone and it takes an hour to charge, try charging it for 10 minutes and see how long it lasts before it runs out of power. Your phone will still come on, but it wont last anywhere near as long as a full 1 hour charge will.