Okay, Saturday morning my '00 Durango would crank and then die so we put a new alternator in it. Today it ran, but the battery gauge showed no charge (we were able to drive the 20 - 30 miles to where we were going, though). Once it sat for a while it charged about 1/4, then when I drove it it dropped to no charge again. Again, able to start like 3 hours later, and now 10 minutes down the road it wont turn back on at all. Any suggestions?????????

 

You said that you replaced your alternator, but what about your battery?

Do you have a voltmeter? If not, get a cheapo from Wal-Mart. Measure your battery voltage with the engine off. Should be around 12 Volts or so. If not, then your battery is shot. Start the truck, and measure again. It should be around 13.5 Volts or so. It may be a bit higher upon initial startup as your alternator tops-off the charge on the battery. If not, then your alternator is suspect.

While you are at it, check your battery cables. Make sure they are tight. My positive cable is a hair too big for the terminal and it sometimes comes loose. This causes it to start, but not idle. Similarly, it causes it to just not start at all. Also check your grounds while your are at it. If the cables are badly cracked or badly corroded - replace them.

If you have an Autozone or the like in your area, they can usually check your charging system for you. There is usually no cost for this service and it checks your battery, alternator, and voltage regulator.

Please post your findings for others to read in the future.

 

Yeah I would have checked the battery first no question about that.

 

It is always good to replace your alternator and battery at the same time.

 

Take it to autozone, have them hook up their portable tester and it'll tell you where the problem is.

 

Ok....we put on a new serpentine belt. The old one seemed streched out, so we thought that may be causing it. We also took the battery out and manually charged it. Once we got everything back together it seems to be working fine! Thanks for the help!