Hey guys, i previously posted this in the SoCal section, but i wanted to see if i could get help by everyone else. heres the deal:

i have had my alternator die once on me before, and it was as recent as 2years ago.

1) my battery light was off and on for a week prior (just like when my alternator died)
2) before my car died the speakers/headlights were losing power (just like my alternator)
3) abs light turned on
4) car died and clicks
5) it had juice in the battery because the HU still functioned
6) fuses are still good
7) battery terminals as clean as can be
8) no visible melting or bad areas on the grounding harness
9) brake lights work and don't dim, but headlights (HIDS) wont turn on. When attempting to turn on, ignition ring is off tune (as if not enough power).

thanks for the input by TheMole & Peter_95. After gaining knowledge from them i came to this conclusion that my minor distributor o-ring leak might of lead to the failure of my 2 year old rebuilt alternator.

But to make sure i had some questions before i go and spend 150-200 or so on a rebuilt alternator:
1) would my car die while driving in the first place because a bad negative grounding cable?
2) will a small oil leak damage my alternator so quickly?

 

1. Possibly or even worse you could fry something like your fuse box or melt your harness. If its just the alternator then your car will run as long as the battery can supply power to the plugs (which isnt long)

2. Possibly. Was just having this discussion with someone else on here about his PS pump leaking on his alternator and causing it to die.

 

Man I was hoping you would have got your car running again.

I'd say you look into the alternator before the negative cable. Reason being is when you stated, "my battery light was off and on for a week prior (just like when my alternator died)". Yes it is possible the small leak from the distributor could have messed up your alternator if it has been leaking for a long time already. Try to wipe clean the small metal tray beneath the distributor cap and see if any/how fast oil accumulates.

I have a good working spare alternator you can try out/borrow if you are in the Los Angeles area.

 

yeah man, i wish it was running too!! thanks for the offer but i went ahead and took the alternator out today and went to kragen to run a check on it. despite the oil buildup on the alternator, it PASSED with flying colors (the guys tested it four times).

i figured id bring my battery as well to charge it (figured after trying to crank it a few times..i drained the battery). so to my dismay, THE BATTERY IS NOW BAD!! gahhhhh it wont hold a charge! a week prior (when i had my battery light coming and going) i had it checked.... It was fine then...

now im in the market for MAYBE a negative cable AND a new battery, but hey at least i saved 200-250 on a replacement alternator.

so any new ideas of what it could be guys??

 

I'm in the same boat!

I have the oil/alternator issue....had it tested at three places, including lexus...I have a red top optima battery which just will NOT hold a charge....I'm guessing I ruined the battery because I've let the car sit most of the past 1.5 years...I've had the battery charged a few times but if the car sits for longer than a day, it just will not start without the help of a separate jump start battery. Even after driving the car for 45 minutes, shutting down...then going to restart...nothing!

1995 with 108k...

 

yeah im leaning more and more towards the whole grounding issue. i'm currently looking towards purchasing a negative battery cable from a 1st gen GS....and a battery

 

You guys might have the same prob as I! I bought a new battery and new alt. And after a day or so my battery would be dead and my mechanic said the alt. Is giving a charge back to the battery and its a electrical prob so take it to a electrical shop and they can knock it out!

 

i was thinking about taking it in.....but call me stubborn but i rather figure it out for myself and save some money (for actual parts...rather not pay labor)...its always an option but...towing my car to the shop + labor + parts = no way jose on a college budget...hahah

btw..part number for the negative cable is #82123-30200 i believe (if anyone needs it for future reference).

 

got the car going today...but still crossing my fingers it'll stay that way (alot of people in the past had their cars fail on them again after a few days or weeks).

my solution was just sand down and clean all the grounding points! i figured before i spent 75 bucks on a new negative battery cable id do it.

as for my battery that kragen said was bad....i went to sears and the checked it out and said it was holding a charge just fine and recharged it!....maybe folks at kragen wanted a free battery? :x

but lesson here is: check all your grounding points before changing the alternator or negative battery cable.

 

i had a PITA charging problem that i finally fixed last month, after taking it to several mechanics/advance auto everyone kept telling my it was my alt./ battery. after replaceing both of them like 7 times by myself(thank god for warrenty) i grabbed a set of jumper cables and put one on the batt terminal on the alternator to the positive on the battery and the other cable on the negative to a good ground(intake mani) and my battey light went away, turned out there was too much resistance on the cable going from the alt. to the battey so i replaced that with some 4 gauge cable. GL

 

I'm thinking of investing in one of these as well as mine sits for loooonnnnnggggg periods of time in the garage... http://www.rallitek.com/bastch.html

 

Hey Guys,
I am having a similar problem with my 93 SC400. About a year ago I replaced both the alternator and battery. It worked fine until one day it would not start. All the lights and everything worked, except it would not start at all. I disconnected the battery cables and checked all the fuses. I found the ALT fuse under the hood, in the fuse box, was melted. The strange part is that the fuse was not blown, but the plastic all around it melted away. The metal fuse was still there in good condition. Also strange is that this was not fresh. It didnt smell like burnt plastic so I figure it happened some time ago. Anyway, I left the car sit with the battery disconnected then tried it the next day...it started right up. After working with no problems for a few months, I am in yet another problem.

While driving the other day my battery light came on, the ABS light came on, and I could notice the dash lights flickering slightly. I parked the car for the night. The next day I drove the car around a bit and the same things started happening. I then parked the car for the night.

The next day I started up the car. It started right up. I turned it off and tried to start again. This time it wont start, it wont even turn over. I let the car sit for a few days.

I come back to the car yesterday and try it, no luck. I bring the battery to autozone and they charge the DEAD battery, which is good and takes the charge. I put it in the car...

This is the strange part...when i put in the key, and turn, no dash lights come on like they usually would. The car will not turn over. The windows, sunroof, radio, headlamps, and mirrors will not work. The horn, hazard lights, and interior lights DO work.

I cleaned off the battery terminals very well and all the fuses under the hood are good (havent checked the passanger kicker fuses yet)... still the same thing.

Is the alternator a problem?
Is it the internal security system?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.