Did my new stereo system kill my alternator? Battery/Alternator help please!?

Question

Hello,
I have a 95 chevy blazer ls and I just put two 10's and a 300 watt amp in the back (or rather my friend did). I noticed last night after an hur drive that my battery meter was showing like 9 or so....i drove it an hour home today and it continued to go down.. I parked it at my house and it wont start now. I had a mobile mechanic come out and diagnose it and he said it was the alternator. He jumped and it ran for a bit, then it wouldn't start again after being disconnected.
I am just wondering if this is what it sounds like the problem is, and how much do you think I will need to pay out of pocket for the whole thing. Do I need to get a seperate battery or a high output alternator? My system is not that big, I am hoping it's just a coincidence and I wont encounter this problem again after replacing the battery.

THANKS!!!:0)

Answer 1

Your vehicle likely has a Delco CS130 alternator. It is rated either 100 or 105 amps and is sometimes very easy to kill so it is no surprise that yours died. The direct upgrade alternator for your Blazer is the CS144 which is usually rated for 140 amps. From some research the one specified for a 96 Suburban should fit. The CS130 has a stamped steel fan on the front and the CS144 has a plastic fan with a steel reinforcing disk bonded to the face of it.

Answer 2

make sure the battery cables are connected well that would be my first guess but the alternator could have gone out at the same time.



i would recommend getting a multimeter and learning how to use it to diagnose problems in the future.



an alternator should cost between 60.00 to 120.00 just try to get on around 80 or more amps. the alt should be easy to remove from that vehicle and tested cause mechanics do not all ways get tit right.



it seems obvious that the alternator was not charging the vehicle and the amp should not overload a good charging system so make sure you looked into everything before replacing the battery.

Answer 3

Replacing the battery might not help too much,

Sounds like a failing alternator to me.

replacing an alternator can cost anywhere from 100-300 dollars.



is there anything else hooked up in the vehicle?

a 300 watt amp should take a big toll on your vehicle (depending the on amp's efficiency.)