Engine charging problems

[fleming442]

Get the battery up to charge, unhook the cables, and let it sit overnight. Make sure it holds a good charge, like 12.8v or better. A bad alternator can take out a good battery quickly, as in, your new battery might not be so "new" anymore.

 

[Adam Castro]

Welcome to you and your son, you two will like it here...that is a great looking Regal....

I would go with flemming442's suggestion and look at the battery cables and make sure the ground is clean. Have you tested what voltage you are getting at the back of the alternator compared to the voltage your getting at the battery with the car running?

Thank you very much! Those are really nice and thanks for the suggestion! I’m more into the lowriders! I’ve checked the cables and those are good, and I’ll check the back of the alternator I only checked the voltage on the battery

 

[Adam Castro]

Given your run time before shutdown, you should probably check your battery cable routing. It sounds like it's laying on the exhaust- pipe gets hot, insulation softens, cable shorts to ground....

I’ve checked those as well and the cables are good and out of the way, but the engine will run for about 20 minutes after starting it then slowly dies out. Every time I have to jump start it just to get it going again

 

[Adam Castro]

When the car is powered off, you could also make sure that the current draw from the battery is minimal.

I checked that before I started it, and it was reading 11.45

 

[pontiacgp]

I’ve checked those as well and the cables are good and out of the way, but the engine will run for about 20 minutes after starting it then slowly dies out. Every time I have to jump start it just to get it going again

there has to be a draw on the battery, more than what the engine consumes when running. Your battery is new and I'm not sure what the reserve is but it would be more than 20 minutes assuming the battery was fully charged when you started the car.

 

[Longroof79]

Welcome aboard Adam!
Have you load tested the battery? But from what you describe there's something draining it or loading it down. Is there any power accessories...high powered amplifier, etc?
Have you checked the output of the alternator with a volt meter? You should be getting 14-14.5 volts at the alternator.
Have you checked the positive connection to the starter?

 

[foxtrot]

I checked that before I started it, and it was reading 11.45

Im thinking that when the car is off, you need to check the current draw with an amp meter.