Dodge Neon Charging Problem

[dlwdkh]

My battery was stolen. After I bought a new one it runs down fast. I took it to the auto parts store and they hooked it up to the computer they have and said the alternator wasnt charging. I bought one, put it on and now I still have the same problem. Any suggestions as to what to check out would be greatly appreciated.

[ol yeller]

grounds all of them. get a meter and check the volts on the battery and the cables. sometimes the positive cable the 6 in long red 1 will fry.

[yogi_123rd]

New alternators as usually good. Your problem may be that a "fusable link" has blown. This is a fuse that is built in as part of a wire.

If the alternate spikes voltage, it would damage the battery. For this reason there's an inline fuse in the output wire from the alternator back to the battery. Look for it being melted.

[dlwdkh]

I will just have to follow that wire, because there is not a fuse in either fuse box that is blown. I checked them all with a test light.

[dlwdkh]

I have checked the cable and the wire from the alternator back to the battery. I did not locate a fuse in it. Any other suggestions?

[SROGSR]

if your alternator is goes bad then your battery is bad also. You are suposed to change them both at the same time. Since you changed your alternator and not the a batt after u found out the new one was bad, means you probally killed your new alternator with the newer battery.

Check all electrical connections, belt tension terminal grounds.

[caseyc689]

what? I have never heard of a battery trashing an alternator or vice versa

[SROGSR]

just because u havent heard of something doesnt mean its not true.. lol

Modern Alternators have internal regulators, which controls the output of electricty. Lets say the regulator breaks some how age/bad part/act of got and the alternator doenst know when to stop putting out current and over charges the battery which kills cells in the battery causing it not to be abe to hold the proper apmerage. Same would hapen the other way around if the battery has a bad cell age ect. it would thow the alternator out of wack in turn killin it.

If you just change out one part then its only a tempary fix until the new part give out rather sooner than later.

[ol yeller]

if you check the volts on the pos and neg cable it should be between 14 and 15 volts. battery should be between 12 and 13 when car not running. should drop to 12 dead on when starting. take the car to auto zone and have them check it if you don't have a meter.
only been driving 26 yrs and have yet had the altenator battery combo happen.
these neons are such a tight circuit that any ground will throw it off.

[NaturalAspired]

man I'm having the SAME problem..can't find the fuseable link either..let me know if you figure it out

[hundahunta]

your fusible link is usually on the front of the vehicle near the intake plenum. follow the large red wire from the alternator to the battery. You may have a bad computer or bad voltage sense circuit

[NaturalAspired]

the wire coming from the alternator is Black with a white line in it..its decent in size..I followed it and it goes to the computer then to the fusebox then the fusebox goes to the battery and I don't see any fuseable link, I bet thats what it is I just can't find the stupid F'er!