bad alternator?

[xupthree60]

would the cooling fan being set for continueis run drain my battery and make me need a more powerfull alternator? or is there just something wrong with the alternator?

my fan had to be set for continuis run cuz the previous owner fucked shit up, so its on when the acc are on but like if i turn my lights on before i start my car they dim alot, and if i can see my cars reflection in a glass window if i have the papa johns toper light on it will dim almost off while the car is starting (it just plugs into the cig lighter if u didnt know). Hasnt died on me but just looking grim how much the lights dim.

[dream36realms]

the cooling fan shouldn't effect your Battery, it may be a battery with bad cells or the alternator isn't charging it check all conections to see if it is conected properly to hope for a cheap fix.

[xupthree60]

could be the battery, the battery in there when i got it was dead so its got the one that was in my caviler and i had that for 2 years and i dunno how long it was in there before i bought the car

[dream36realms]

try the battery since it is old but it may still be the alternator

[Jeremy]

Is your battery light on?

[sc2grndsp]

find yourself a voltmeter and test it, no sense in replacing a good battery, 12.6 +- off 14 +- while idling, most starters will kick at around 9.6 volts or so..... and as much as a dont like autozone get the alt. tested unless you have a VAT sitting around somewhere

[linefire]

heat can cause the alt to make less voltage... is there anyting blocking air flow to the alt... maybe a shrouding or something.

[xupthree60]

Is your battery light on?

nope

find yourself a voltmeter and test it, no sense in replacing a good battery, 12.6 +- off 14 +- while idling, most starters will kick at around 9.6 volts or so..... and as much as a dont like autozone get the alt. tested unless you have a VAT sitting around somewhere

i will test both tomaro

heat can cause the alt to make less voltage... is there anyting blocking air flow to the alt... maybe a shrouding or something

.

not that i know of but im sure its getting pretty hot delivering pizzas cuz its all city driving, really fast

[sc2grndsp]

not to mention the fact that S series cars have alaways been notorious for "sketchy" issues when under a load. GM knows about it and calls it perfectly normal haha, turn the defroster on, heater, and roll both windows at once, your car will about stroke off i bet, if know starting issues are present and the lights just dim i wouldnt be too worried, but they are both good checks to do just incase, nothing worse then being stranded with someones pizza in your car...... I know i would be pissed off at you haha

[saturnspeed_12]

about any car ive been in will have lights dim when something else is drawing power. homes are the same way, im in a new house and it still does it. now turning on defroster and rolling down both windows im sure would do it. its not sketchy, its just power draw.

now about the light dimming while starting the car isnt an issue at all, the starter pulls ALOAD of power. it takes more power to start the car, then say running your radio for more then an hour.

[FunKoMaN]

So far, everything I've heard on here is true. The starter does draw a massive amount of current. But having the fan or any other accessories on while starting will make it crank slower and also draw more current. The lights dimming is normal but like sc2grndsp said, test anyway.

[xupthree60]

yeah i didnt get a chance to test it today i was too busy so i will try in the morning tomarow

also my car doesnt have power windows or locks and i only use the radio if im on a long trip and i never ever ever use the ac even tho it works fine

[slowion2]

a/c runs off the pulley more than anything so I woudln't be concerned with that loading your electrical system as mucha s your engine as a whole

it almost sounds like normal stuff but I bet it might not be once you test it

[xupthree60]

no im not worried about it being a strain, its just i dont see the point in wasting the gas when my arm is strong enough to roll a window down

[tek]

A/C does not affect your gas mileage. Mythbusters busted that a few episodes ago.