Alternator overcharging?

[Mateusz]

Hi all,

Just want to get some advice and info on something. Has anyone here had a problem with their batteries being overcharged? My car wouldn't start today so I took the battery back to Supercheap to get it replaced/charged/tested, after only 18 months, and the guy there told me that it looks like my alternator is stuffed and it's overcharging the battery since it had a blackness in the cells, and build up just under the caps. Is this likely? The battery is a Century ultra high performance one.

Has anyone else had this type of problem? Also, does anyone know a rough figure on getting the alternator replaced? Or could it just be the voltage regulator?

Cheers.

[jslayz]

Sound like BS to me.

Either it is charging or it is not.....

Voltage reg is working or not.....

Go past an auto electrician or if you have a multimeter you could check some of this out yourself.

J

[Deep Heat]

He has no idea.

Black residue is part of normal battery function it's just lead been formed.

If the battery was been overcharged it would be low on fluid and probably be swelling up/leaking as well.

[KiDo_Tuning]

As above, SuperCheap Qualifications are being able to fit tyre valve caps(and thats to become manager)

[seanmau5]

Imagine the spin you'd get from an Autobarn employee!

[WIDELOAD]

If your alternator is charging between 13.8-14.4v it's fine. If it's over 14.4v then you're starting to push too much voltage into a standard wet battery.
The black build up is completely normal for a wet battery as well, it's not a sign of overcharging.

Take it to another Century seller if you still have your proof of purchase, the Century warranty is Aus wide.

[Mateusz]

Thanks for the replies. Picked up the battery yesterday as they were charging it over the day for me. It seems that the battery is fine now... Went back today to get my alternator voltage checked and a different employee told me that it probably isn't the alternator... He tried to check it but it wasn't picking up a constant voltage. He pointed out that around the terminals there was a lot of build up and was likely that the battery wasn't being charged properly. It was picking up for a second then dropping out or just picking up a very low voltage briefly. I've cleaned then now and will keep an eye out over the next week to see if everything is fine.

SuperCheap Qualifications are being able to fit tyre valve caps(and thats to become manager)

Hahaha sounds about right.

Thanks again eveyone.