I have a 2004 Pontiac Sunfire with 345,000km (214,000mi) which I have had to abandon tonight and take a cab home. It was the classic signs of a dead alternator, voltage drops, won't start and eventually dead. The battery light came on intermittently so I parked at my local Canadian Tire and tried to see how long it would run. After about 10 min it was dead.
The obvious thing I need to do is go back and replace the alternator. However I knew since last summer this battery is on its final days at its original and showing signs of weakness last summer.
My questions as follows
Since this car is well used and I probably don't plan to have it for long, If I just change out the alternator can I run on that old battery for a day or so and maybe get a used one from a wreaking yard? Or if the battery has totally failed would that make it impossible to complete the electric circuit and run the engine? I could just get a new battery from Canadian Tire while I get the alternator from there, but I'm just wondering if there was a way to save a few bucks on this.
Though I highly doubt it, could there be a chance that this is just battery failure and the alternator may still be ok?
The obvious thing I need to do is go back and replace the alternator. However I knew since last summer this battery is on its final days at its original and showing signs of weakness last summer.
My questions as follows
Since this car is well used and I probably don't plan to have it for long, If I just change out the alternator can I run on that old battery for a day or so and maybe get a used one from a wreaking yard? Or if the battery has totally failed would that make it impossible to complete the electric circuit and run the engine? I could just get a new battery from Canadian Tire while I get the alternator from there, but I'm just wondering if there was a way to save a few bucks on this.
Though I highly doubt it, could there be a chance that this is just battery failure and the alternator may still be ok?