Q: New battery is being drained
I have a 2000 Oldsmobile Alero. We were having issues with our car and was told that the fuel pump, starter, alternator & battery all needed to be replaced. We bought everything brand new, except the alternator which we refurbished. Everything is hooked up correctly. And the car runs. It actually drives a little smoother than before. However our battery light came on which is odd since I had bought it 3 hour prior. I took the car to Autozone. However they could not test anything because the battery was at 16% and to low for their machines. Why is it that the battery is being drained? We can not figure out the issue.
My car has 182000 miles.
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This may be a sign of a weak battery, a failing voltage regulator or failing alternator. As you may know, the alternator is responsible for charging the battery while the engine runs by generating amperage and recharging the battery while the engine turns the alternator. The voltage regulator is a unit that regulates the charging of the battery by the alternator and maintaining a certain amperage while the engine runs. When the alternator is not working properly, this may result in the battery quickly losing charge and the car losing all power as you have described. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and repair your charging system.
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