o.k so this morning i drive to the store the car started up fine and ran perfect. on the way out i went to start it and nothing. no lights no clicking, nothing. so i get a jump and it starts up instantly and im able to drive home with no problems. i let the car run for 10 minutes and cut it off and it came back on fine. 30 minutes later no start but this time it atleast clicks i get a jump again and i get it one the street and as soon i as push the clutch and brake in it dies. once again i get a jump and barely make it home. i figured it might of been my amplifier killing it so i removed the amp connection from the battery and Bam it starts right up and idles perfect. so i head towards work and at my first turn it dies yet again but this time it will start up on its own. now its like i cant let the rpms drop at any cost or ill loose it. So do you think im gonna need a new alternator? i honestly cant even drive it to autozone to have it looked at. and i had to miss work cuz of this. any ideas?
"Youre lucky that 100 shot of nos didnt blow the welds on your intake"
-Vin Diesel
i'd guess alternator. its not the starter, cuz it starts. the process will eventually fry your battery, so you might as well get a new one.
i say alternator cuz if the alt. was working it'd charge the battery while driving...the fact that it dies while driving says the alt is completely gone cuz it can't even get enough charge to the battery to keep it running.
GO PATS!!!
yeah i went and had the battery charge and tested and they said it charged up perfectly and did a hydrometer (i think) test and that the battery wasnt my problem. So i guess i gotta purchase an alternator now. hooray. is the alternator hard to remove?
"Youre lucky that 100 shot of nos didnt blow the welds on your intake"
-Vin Diesel
...important. dont buy a remanufactured unit. I made this mistake, it died within 6 months. buy a new one from alterstart.com (get the 180amp unit). itll last longer, and keep the battery charged niccccely. be great if you get a sound system, too. i love mine..
...don't hate!.. respect people that have talent, even if it is in something you don't like or understand.
well i spent an hour getting the alternator off (3 different sized bolts) and i had it tested and it turns out both my battery and alternator are fine. this is pissing me off bad. SOoo many people told me it was my alternator and now its not. the car will start up now even though it wouldnt earlier but everytime i need to turn/drop rpms it will die. A mechanic i talked to over the phone thinks it could be clogged fuel filter or possibly bad o2 sensors. But ive also been told it can be electrical. have ne of you ever even heard of this problem??? i mean first the car wont even click or get any power then it starts perfectly and now it cant turn without dying. and this couldnt be a better time for me to need my car in the shop. guess ill have to short my family out on x-mas presents this year.
"Youre lucky that 100 shot of nos didnt blow the welds on your intake"
-Vin Diesel
alternator --sounds like it
starter - no otherwise your car wouldn't start during the other situations
battery - well it was tested, I had sort of a problem like you, but it was my battery, I found that out because my battery was lossing power even if unplugged.
Check your ignition. Sometimes it clicks, sometimes it doesnt. Hmmmmmm.
well i still have my alternator off (do ne of you know an easy way to put these on) but my battery is fully charged so im gonna try and put both on and see what happens. i have the alternator being looked at by a mechanic this time (he told me not to really on what autozone says) but if it does check out im gonna throw both on and pray i dont die at an intersection again. autozone was suggesting it was a clogged fuel filter or bad o2 sensor but that wouldnt explain the car having no power and then running fine after a jump.
"Youre lucky that 100 shot of nos didnt blow the welds on your intake"
-Vin Diesel
If you test the charging circuit first it will save the job of removing the Alternator when there is nothing wrong with it.
I would certainly, first, buy a small mutimeter to check the voltage across the battery terminals:-
a.While the engine is stoppped you should read 12 volts+
b. With the engine running 14volts/14.5-if you only read 12volts in this test your alternator is not charging
c. (This test checks the alternator on it's own)
If test b does not give 14/14.5 volts check again with the engine running across the big/main Batt connection to Earth (Watch out for moving parts etc).If this now gives 14/14.5 volts I would suspect a :-
1. Bad earth connection
2. Bad Positive connection from Alternator to Battery
3. Blown Fusible link in charging circuit
If test c does not give 14/14.5 volts there is a fault in the alternator
I think your fault is either 1,2 or 3
Hope this helps
Alont
