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battery vs alternator?
I have had my car 7 1/2 years and have never had to change my battery. Wouldn't start yesterday. Husband jump started it and I let it run for about 15 minutes. Started this morning but I did buy a new battery. I assume due to the age of the battery that is the problem. Couldn't take it anywhere today to be tested because it is Sunday and all the local auto parts stores were closed. Had to buy the battery in Walmart. May I assume it is the battery and not the alternator?
No Autozone in my area and Walmart is almost 20 miles away. I live in a rural area. Did not want to drive the car that far and end up having it break down so I opted to leave it home and just buy the battery. Walmart offered to install the battery if I wanted to wait 3 hours. Again I didn't have the car with me.
5 Answers
- DanLv 78 years agoFavorite Answer
7.5 years is a long life for a battery, and winter kills batts, if it was the alternator you would have had problems before. You PROBABLY made a good choice, if not the new batt will die in a week.
- 8 years ago
At 7 and 1/2, it is definitely safe to assume it is the battery, but one could not say for sure. Wal-Mart or Autozone can test it for free within minutes to see if you need one or both.
For what you have on hand today, there is a straightforward but somewhat painful way to find out on your own. Since you have a new battery, the car will start right up and drive well. If the alternator is the problem, this battery will also die within an hour or two of driving the car. I hope this is not the case, but in the event that it is, I would still recommend keeping the new battery. The other one has definitely reached end of life.
- thebax2006Lv 78 years ago
If the red charging system warning light (red battery shaped light) is not lit while the motor is running you're probably OK. Don't know where you live but every Walmart and Advance Auto and Auto Zone is open on Sunday in most cities and they check charging systems for free.
Source(s): Mitsubishi Master Tech - ?Lv 58 years ago
well...you did pretty well.....I usually tell people to expect
4 to 5 years from a battery.
now, with remote start, fancy stereos, seat heaters,etc.
maybe it is less.
