2000 gsr electrical/ battery

[Johnsport]

my car battery has been dying. i charge the battery at autozone and then hook it up to my car. Then it runs good, everything starts fine, then after a couple day it dies. It usually dies when im on the road, like i be driving and then the electrical system just gets weaker and weaker and then everything just shut off. i got my battery and alternator and starter all check at autozone and it all pass. something is either draining my battery or my alternator is not running right.

 

[RonnieJ86]

id look at the alternator more and the belt for it. i had a issue where the belt came off and i had the same problems

 

[BeatBox]

if they are fine, then check for something that must stay on while your car is off

 

[Johnsport]

i will check my belt and get back to you

 

[Johnsport]

alright so this is the story....
before, i tested my alternator by starting the car and then take off the battery cables and the car did not die. then couple days later my car would not start, it crank but not start. i went and looked at my fuses and started pulling them out. found out that if the radio fuse under the hood was in then it would not start. took that radio fuse out which was a 7.5 and the car started fine. now with that radio fuse out, i again after you said to check my alternator ran that test again to test my alternator and the car died instantly. so im stuck. when i take the fuse out and my car start up, i go back and put in that radio fuse and go and pull off the cables to the battery the car doesnt die. but now that i have the fuse out i could start my car but then when i pull the battery cables the car dies instantly. hope you get what im saying here. plus is their another way i can test my alternator besides taking it out or getting it tested at autozone. and why does that radio fuse keep my car from starting but when taken out my car starts just fine.

 

[Johnsport]

my car also dies while driving. lights get dim, radio turning on and off, speed sensor goes wild, and car finally dies. recharge battery and all is good. drive for a day or maybe one to two times a day and car does the same thing.

 

[Physh1]

It sounds like your alternator is failing & def not providing proper power under load. Your alternator needs to be charging at 13.8v - 14.6 ideally with it charging .1 - .15v higher under load (ie with lights on and ac on). If you're charging under 13.8 than you have a failing alternator. An old school way to test your alternator would be to disconnect it while the car is running & if it dies your alternator is going south. Do you have a multimeter? If so you can do a quick test.

Can't hurt to check your positive cables (from batt to alt) for corrosion, tears in insulation, & poor connections. Everything you said says alternator.

For what it's worth I work for a Bay Area AAA contractor as a battery service tech. I do this all day long.

Bad alt...

 

[Sammich]

x2 that alternator....take it off and get them to bench test it...

 

[Johnsport]

okay got me a new alternator to replace my old alternator. then i drove it and all is good for like two days. then this morning i woke up to start my car and no electrical came on. like the battery was dead or drained. i know i have a short fuse for my radio and stuff. can this be the problem. plus i only got one negative battery terminal to the chassis and not to the engine block or head, could this be another issue. or do i now just need a new battery because i got my battery charged and then tested and they said it only charged 51percent only and i left it to be charge for a good hour.

 

[Physh1]

Any battery that can only hold 60% or less of its advertised CCA needs to be replaced...if your only holding 50% of your batteries CCA its not going to start. Your bad alt helped kill your battery.