Cheap Used Car Parts

Q.I was wondering if anyone has experienced this before and what was done to fix it. I have a 97 Toyota tercel that while idling for around 3 minutes after driving for 15 just stalled and wouldn't start without a jump. The radio was on and the heat was on high at the time. When I got it home I checked the battery voltage while running and got 14.6ish. When I turned the car off the battery read 12.89. I then let it sit for an hour turned on the high beam for 15 seconds and still had a reading of around 12.58. The only thing I did notice was while idling in my yard with a hot engine the rpm dropped for a few seconds which caused the voltage to drop, but then went back up to normal idle rpm. As well the alternator or belt was making a slight chirping/squeaky sound when all the accessories were on full but the voltage stayed a 14.6. So I tightened the belt and the sound went away. Question: Can an overtightened belt ruin the altinator bushings? I have a 1/4 inch movement on a span of around 7 inches, but I have to push down with a little force. So does tightening the belt sound like the answer? Or should I change the 7 year old battery since it will need changing sooner than later (especially after being drained 2 months before) or should I start worrying about the alternator? i.e. is there any tell tale signs I should look for in a dying alternator?

A.you can probably get the battery tested for free at an auto parts store in your area. a test will tell you if the battery can still hold a charge. an auto parts store in my neighbourhood will test an alternator for free if you bring it in. call around. you should be able to get a used battery with lots of life left in it for half the cost of a new one. I honestly don't know but I don't think they do anything except test and charge. The batteries probably come of cars that have be in an accident and written off, like so many other used car parts. That's where rebuilt engines come from. I asked a guy who rebuilds engines about this and he says they never rebuild an engine which has more than 40,000 km on it as it is too risky. So all those terrible auto accident statistics is what gives us all those cheap used car parts that depends on which city you live in. if you are in the west end of Ottawa the shop where I bought my used battery is Total Battery in the industrial park off Merivale Road.

Used Auto Parts Ga

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