Hey guys I need a little advice, tried searching but it was no help.

Ok so my battery light came on while i was driving on the highway, car was fine for about two days then battery was drained completely, got a boost and noticed car struggling a bit, and interior lights on dash very dim, then power steering went out on me .

So me and my mechanic think its an alternator problem.

First question, does this sound like an alternator issue? the car wont hold a charge and when u boost it , things like blinker and lights are very low and almost cause the car to stall when u use them.

Also this all started after i removed my headlight to clean the inside and polish it, I had to remove the battery , is it possible that I somehow caused this? can it be anything else other then alternator?

Thanks

 

Check the terminals of the battery, if they're loose or corroded, battery will not charge. It has happened to me countless of times on other cars. Also, power steering can't go out since its driven by the engine, through your serpentine belt and crankshaft. Only reason it would go out is if it doesn't pump fluid, like if there're leaks or clogged. And if power steering have a major leak it will drip directly on the alternator which can cause it to go out too.

 

Check out charging system

 

If it's a 400 that would be the case, if it's a 300, the PS pump is on the other side of the engine from the alternator.

If your terminals on the batter are all corroded, clean them up really well. Also, make sure your terminals are tight on the battery posts. Also, your PPS system probably wasn't getting the correct signals due to lack of power throughout the car, so your PS didn't necessarily go out, your just not getting the power assist feature of the PPS system

 

thanks for the quick responses guys .

i found it odd that my power steering quit while driving too , but it did , i forgot to mention the car stalled out as well and I had to charge the batterry and now the steering and engine are running fine.

I found a rebuilt alternator with a 3 year warrantee for inder 140 bucks , but im hoping that im not replacing it for no reason and it turns out to be something else.

kingphillip i checked the power steering and alternator and there are no signs of leakage there, ive ehard that it is common for that to happen but it shows no sings of it,.

Terminals have been tightened and problem persists.

is it possible for a fuse to cause this?

I

 

Take off the alternator and go have it tested at the autoparts store. They can tell you if the alternator is working. Or use a volt meter while the car is turned on and your voltage should be in the 13-14 volts.

 

thanks man^^^^

 

As far as I can recall 1WILLY1 has a 400.

^^^EXACTLY THIS. No need to buy new one until you've gotten it tested. But from the sounds of it, it's not charging right.

 

get a multimeter and test your voltage at the battery with the car running. it should be 13.5-14.5. test it at the battery, then terminals, then directly on the alternator. it should be consistent 13+ voltage all the way across if there is an inconsistency in between test then check wires to make sure corrosion is not a factor.

 

so i removed terminals,,cleaned and tightened them and then the battery light went off,,I thought it was fine so went to my mechanic to tell him and he checked the voltage as chingopo said^^^^ and he confirmed its still not charging,,,,drove home and noticed he was right,,lights dimming again, ok fine bought an alternator to get replaced .

went to drive car to deliver alternattor today and Now when car starts up its idling at like 2200 rpm or higher and seem to want to cut off every few seconds, ABS light is now on as well as engine light?????

Mother f&*^%^&& man when these things give u problems they seem to really cause havoc.

 

yea thanks we checked and we were getting like 10 or 11 at the most, i hope that somehow there isnt more probolems being caused by driving with low voltage to my mechanics.

 

thanks alot forthe help guys , alternator replaced and car good as new.

also I picked up an OEM alternator for 130$ with a 3 year warantee, if anyone ever needs one id be hppy to give u their info, seems like a good deal to me.