2003
CHEVROLET
S10
2.2L (4 CYLINDER)
80,000 miles

I was driving my 2003 S10, and shut it off to go to class. When I went to start it up to go home, it wouldn't start. I had a friend jump me, and it started right up, and idled just fine. I took off and all of the dash lights began flashing, my radio went off, and the guages started jumping around. When I let off the gas to shift into 2nd (manual trans.) the truckdied. I had this problem over and over.

This happened also back in January and I took my alternator to AutoZone and it tested bad, so I got a new one and it started right up. I had a couple problems off and on after that, but I hadn't had any for a couple months and now it is messing up again. The alternator was a pain to get off, so I thought I would see if there could be any other causes before I went to check that again. Any suggestions??

Thanks!!!!

You can test the alternator without removing it with a voltmeter.Charge the battery,or hook up a jumper wire set to a friend's car and let his car run for 10-15 minutes at a high idle,this will help recharge your battery some.Fire your truck,disconnect the jumper wires,now with the engine running check with the voltmeter charging voltage coming off the back of your alternator,on the big power wire.If it is not possible to access this wire because of the alternator location,charging voltage can still be measured at the battery.Put the voltmeter on the battery,and with the engine running,voltage should be at least 13 volts.If voltage is less than,the alternator isnt charging the battery.The battery can be tested too,load tested.

I can tell you right now from my S10 experience, you never ever ever put a new alternator on a dead battery. You put it on a full charge first, otherwise you run a good risk of either smoking or drastically reducing the life span of the alternator.