Hey guys. I was wondering if anyone has ran their engine without the 4-pin connector on the alternator attached. The battery was at 8 volts and I was able to driveit around. But once I turned on the heater and headlights the volts dropped and the alternator wouldn't charge anymore. The battery is only 3 months old still under warranty. So I can take it back, but im afraid if the problem is the alternator then I will end up killing the new battery

It would be great if someone has experience with doing this or knows how to diagnose if I damaged the battery or the alternator.

Why is the 4 pin connector from the alternator disconnected?

There seems to be a bit of that going around lately.

As far as I know, the 4-pin connector just tells the alternator when to start charging the battery. No connection, no charging. Your alternator will survive just fine, but your battery may have taken some damage. If you start having battery problems, put it on a battery charger for a couple hours. (Advance Auto Parts will let you use theirs.) If that fails, get a new battery.

Just to report back on this. It was my alternator that was damaged (Voltage regulator) by not having the 4-pin connector attached, the battery is fine. I will confirm once the new alternator is installed.

That just made me stop and go "hmmm." Please report back on this.

Zeta: It was the alternator, just put the new one in and she purrs like a kitten.

Thanks for letting us know. I'll see if I can pick up a new voltage regulator, or maybe get the alternator rebuilt.