alternator or battery?

[lil' jon]

well today while i was driving around (with the check gauge and abs inop light on) the stereo suddenly shut off. i tried to turn it back on and it wouldn't. then i looked down at the voltage gauge and it was saying that there isn't any voltage. so i immediately turned the car around and parked it in my driveway. i tried to restart it and it wouldn't turn over. so i forked out $100 for a new alternator, and 45 minutes she started right up and showed a great charge on the voltmeter. BUT, I also noticed that there was a little liquid on top of the battery. after sprinkling some baking soda on it i was certain that it was battery acid. my dad said i should rent a hydrometer to test the cell that is leaking. my question is, could this leak have caused the allternator to fail in the first place? and should i replace the battery? the car runs now and i'm out 100 bucks so i'm kinda hesitant to spend more money on fixing it if it's not going to cause any more damage. thanks in advance for any useful input.

[WishIHad$$$]

Re: alternator or battery?

Both the battery and alternator can be tested for free at AutoZone. If your alternator was working fine and your battery can't hold a charge, a new alternator is not going to do you any good. Also, you can damage an alternator after the install if the battery isn't charged to around 12 volts or so. Did you jumpstart or charge the battery before you tried to start it with the new alternator?

To me it sounds like your battery is a problem.

Also, check your battery cables, they might need to be replaced as well. Leaking batteries are never a good thing.

[lil' jon]

Re: alternator or battery?

well, no. i didn't jump start it or recharge the battery because it started right up for me after i installed the new alternator. i don't really understand why though because the battery was only at like 9 volts an hour earlier. then i took the car for a 20-30 minute drive. you think that was enough to fully recharge the battery? i'm not going to ruin this brand new alternator with a questionable battery am I?

[josh98bird]

Re: alternator or battery?

like stated above... go get them both checked. It takes 5 to 10 minutes and is FREE. If either the alternator or battery is in bad shape then the other will end up the same.