1997 sidekick battery seemed bad~ Battery Replaced!~ battery not charging~Alternator Replaced!

Alternator working & Battery taking a charge!

1 day later~  Battery not being charged.

Remote location, freezing temps,

Where is the fuzeable link?

Update on trouble shooting: Put a charge on battery~started the engine~removed ground wire from battery= Engine died.

alternator bad ....I heard that you can get bad new ones take it back and try another

I see no mention of any tests done, no list of voltages measured along with where  or under what conditions they were measured - any attempt to diagnose and repair an electrical problem with this approach is going to end up being expensive - if you lack the tools and experience, seek help from someone who has, and no, that's not what you're doing here, you needs hands on assistance...

If you have a meter and know how to use it, only then can we help you.

Oh - to answer your question, Sidekicks don't have a fusible link as such, there is a main fuse - it's not your problem - if it was, there would be no electrical power, you wouldn't be able to start the car.

I've done a continuity check, all three seem good, the red/white is good up to the firewall.

The new alternator worked for two days. I can test continuity, question is:  Is this New alternator working or is there an open circuit elsewhere. 

A continuity check of what?  All three what seem good?

There are two ways to check to see if an alternator is working, neither involves a continuity test - the first (and only true) way to test an alternator is to use an ampere meter to measure the output current into a known load, along with a voltmeter to measure the output voltage - few people have access to the equipment required to do this test; the second test is to measure the electrical system voltage and look at the way it changes in response to the loads placed on the system, this voltage test allows you to make certain inferences that can predict with a fair degree of accuracy whether the alternator is working or not.

It should be noted that you can have a good, new battery, a new, fully functional alternator, an electrical system in perfect working order and still have a no charge issue because of something as simple as a loose belt, you can have a good, new battery, a new, fully functional alternator, a charging system in perfect working order and still have a flat battery because of problems elsewhere in the electrical system.

Having the equipment and experience required to test and diagnose are what makes the difference, and if either that new battery or new alternator was not required because the original was defective, you will have already thrown away more than the cost of a basic test meter.

fordem thankyou, The alternator is putting out over 14 Volts. The continuity, I mentioned, was re: the three wires coming from the alternator.
We are at our high desert ranch, while I am better tooled at our mountain ranch, I'm not completely  without tools down here.  I'm not entirely useless, I've been a mechanic for many year, now retired.
I want to thank you and the other fellows for the help given me when I installed this engine a year or two back.
Daughter works some 40 miles from away. Putting a new battery in at her place of employment seemed prudent, and when the engine was started, there in the parking lot, I removed the neg,  battery cable and the engine, didn't miss a beat, kept running.

I thought the problem was solved. A few days later, the battery went dead, again at her work.
while it would have been nice to have her car here on the ranch, I went with wifey's suggestion and picked up a Alternator on the way, installed it~ again at her place of employment. The Alternator proved to be working the battery charged up nicely on the test drive but several days later the Alternator was no longer charging the battery~proven so~when the neg, cable was removed the engine would stop.
I have since ,tested or had tested, the Alternator and it is working, as I said 14+ volt.

And so I came by to check with guys who love and cherish these wee cars to see what I could see.

Tomorrow, Christmas, I plan to reinstall the original Alternator and maybe with some, been there help, from the people on this forum, put this thing right.

Merry, Happy, Holy Christmas to all within shout, best to you and all your loved ones!

Richard

Just so that you're aware of it - disconnecting the battery cable on a vehicle whilst the engine is running creates voltage spikes, it might have been acceptable back when cars had little in the way of electronics, but, on a more modern vehicle (and yes, a 97 Sidekick can be considered modern), there's a good chance that you can destroy the ECU.

Next - an alternator putting out over 14 volts does not mean it's good or capable of charging the battery, without knowing how, when & where that voltage was measured the figure is meaningless - yes - you have output from the alternator, but is it enough to run the electrical loads of the vehicle, is it enough to run the electrical loads AND charge the battery.  If you're going to use a voltmeter to verify that the charge system is working there needs to be a minimum of four voltage measurements taken, in a specific sequence and under specific conditions...

Right now I'd say you still have no idea if the problem is the battery not holding a charge, the alternator not charging the battery, or an electrical load discharging the battery.

Start with the engine off and all electrical loads off - measure the voltage at the battery terminals - it should be between 12~13V for a fully charged battery, the voltage could be less, depending on the age and state of charge of the battery.

Next start the engine and measure the voltage a second time - it should be 1~2V higher than the first measurement - the actual voltage is not critical, the increase is what you're looking for - this establishes the fact that the alternator is outputting current.

Now switch on the headlights, and if you have a/c turn that on also, if not switch the blower fan on - measure the voltage a third time - it should be between the first two measurements, if it drops lower than the first measurement, the alternator is not delivering as much current as it should.

Last step, bring the rpms up to around 3000 rpm and measure the voltage whilst holding the rpms up - the voltage should be above the third reading, and close to, or even slightly above the second - if it is you're getting the output you should.

Ideally there should be a fifth measurement taken but few people take the trouble, take the vehicle on a long drive, long enough to bring the battery up to a full charge and then, without switching the engine off, measure the voltage again, it should be between 13~15V - anything over that is a defective regulator.

I took the Alternator into the Parts House where they tested it and said it to be good.

Question: The under hood Fuse Block(1997 sidekick) is that also a switch?

Question: The under hood Fuse Block(1997 sidekick) is that also a switch?

Not to my knowledge...

Thank you,

So Re: the fuse block 1997 sidekick next to the battery the Positive side of the fuse, is always hot ( always has power to it)

Richard

Which one of the fuses?

If I recall correctly, that fuse block has four or five large slow-blo fuses in it, along with a number of smaller ones - there is a main fuse that is always hot (if that clears, everything goes dead), the next two are what would be known as "sub mains" - one is always hot, and protects the always hot circuits (lights, etc.), via individual fuses in the under dash panel, the other is fed via the ignition switch, so it is only hot when the ignition is on, this one protects the ignition fed circuits (wipers, fan, etc.), again via individual fuses in the under dash panel - I do not recall what the remaining fuses are for.

May I suggest that you visit Ack's FAQ and see what diagrams Ack has available - there should be a 96 Tracker manual which would be fairly similar (if not identical) at least in the power distribution and charge circuits - trying to troubleshoot an electrical problem, so to speak, "in the dark" (pun intended), can be extremely frustrating.

Thanks,

The Main Breaker 80amp~ sure looked good~but it's blown. That surly is part of the problem but may not be the root problem.

Right now there seems to be no power to the key, renewing this breaker should restore that, but would not explain why no charge was received from the Alternator.  Well it's a start, I plan to pick up the breaker when I go for firewood.

Thank you for talking with me about this.

Richard

Well, may just have stumbled into a fix. I replaced the 80amp main breaker. Cleaned the many grounds, put in the original Alternator and replaced the broken heat sensor which is also a ground.

With the engine Not running the meter reads 12volts( this is a chinganese meter) With the engine running headlights, heater and radio on the meter read 13volts.

I'll keep an eye on it. Daughter called from work asking for a report, I told her we may have gotten it.  Thanks for allowing me to cut up touches with this, it helps to hear what other mechanics thinks.
And thank you beagle!