help on cj7

[85cj7]

heres the deal went to start the car today and wouldn't even crank, nor the lights turn on or anything, so thought it was a little suspicious b/c i had driven it the day before, anyways, took out the battery and went down to autozone to get it tested just to make sure it wasn't my terminals or anything, and sure enough the battery was too dead to even test, heres were it gets fishy the old battery had 900 cold cranky amps b/c i have a ford 302 but the biggest battery they had that fit my battery tray was 750cca, which i didn't think was that big of a deal because i have no ac, stereo, or accessories. Anyway, fired up fine and then while driving down the road it slowly started to die, i could rev the engine a liitle and restarted it 2 or 3 times down the road but still insisted on coasting, luckly made it infront of my dorm and went to restart and now nothing, lights work so battery has something left, and cranks (i dont know how ,much longer) but no turnover, so is this all coincidence or is all related, is the problem the new lesser battery, old alternator, old starter, or more serious a problem? help fast

[Sharpe]

Sounds like charging system is the problem. Get alternator tested, if its fine bust out the voltmeter and go nuts.

[Reckless]

Creighton had the same problem, but his was was funnier! If ya need help, send me a pm

[agjohn02]

either pull the alternator and have it tested or charge the battery to 12v, start it, and test for 14 volts on the battery terminals with it running.

[eight]

Is it fuel injected? In my experiences a carbed vehicle can go for days without the charging working.

[sasquatch]

not sure, think hes got electric fans though

[eight]

Ah, those will drain it good.

Another way to tell if the alternator's working. Get your screwdriver, wrench, or anything else made of magnetic steel. When you have it running, stick the screwdriver to the bearing on the back of the alternator. If it has magnetism then it's working, if not, its not working.

If you will be getting a new alternator, do a little research on the web. You should be able to find a higher amp alternator from a different application that will bolt on/plug in. I know my cj had somethin like a 55 amp and I had an alternator that bolted on from a 90 yj with 6 cylinder that was 76 amps I think. But I think you can find up to 90 amp ones. Ignor this if you're not using a stock style delco one.

[73bronco]

voltage regulator

[85cj7]

how do i remove the bottom bolt and holds the alternator to the support frame, this is the one that allows it to swivel up into place, is mine just really stubborn or is it something besides turning it with a socket?

[stx4wheeler]

prolly just seized up, it should just un-screw. I would say it is the alternator or the voltage regulator. I would replace the regulator to if the alternator is bad cause it is likea 5 dollar part and is easy to replace.