After 15 min car loses power and dies HELP!

[Moose Knuckle]

Okay I'm going to try to get as detailed as possible with what's happening.

Car always starts fine without any problems. Seems to drive well, with no real issues. After maybe 6-10 minutes of driving I notice that the volume on my radio noticeably drops.

Sometimes but not everytime the dash lights go and my car feels like its going to die but then it suddenly goes back and is okay.

Everytime after about 15 minutes of driving car dash lights and radio flicker and go than engine dies. If i try to turn engine on it stutters but won't turn over. Radio and lights work fine. If I wait say 5-10 minutes I can turn the car on and it will drive for maybe 2 minutes before it dies again.

*Also when first started it idles at a little over 1k, then after a couple minutes just below 1k, then before it dies it's idling really low, and it will die when idling or when driving it doesn't matter.

Any advice on what might be wrong? Car is a RS with a 420a motor btw.

 

[Maverick4g63]

That sounds like a charging system problem. I would inspect your charging system electrical connections first. Check your alternator wiring, battery posts, and insure an adequate connection for the ground wire to the motor. If these are in order I would check your voltage at the battery before and after the car is running. Your voltage should increase during operation. You may also want to inspect your alt belt is not slipping; and therefore causing, an insufficient amount of rpm to produce a charge.

 

[Gasolinebaptism]

+1,000,000^

 

[dondmon96]

Yes Yes Yes check your battery posts first.

 

[Moose Knuckle]

I'm a n00b at alot of electrical stuff, and saw online that autozone can test all your electrical stuff for free (battery, alternator, coils, and some others). I was thinking of taking it there and getting a full run down, would those test be conclusive and all that I need?

 

[livedsm4g63]

They could suspect what may be wrong. It's free so why not do it. I had them do one on my car the other day to confirm my alternator was dead. And come to find out it was pushing out 1/4 of what it should have been.

 

[Anubis_4_99]

autozone will do nothing for you.

check your ground on your intake, make sure the battery and ecu are grounded well, check your power lines for corrosion or just a plain bad connection.

if all that checks out, then maybe take it to autozone, but all they can do is test your battery, and test the output of your alternator. and from the sounds of it, those are fine since you can start and drive the car after the problem arises.

 

[livedsm4g63]

autozone will do nothing for you.

check your ground on your intake, make sure the battery and ecu are grounded well, check your power lines for corrosion or just a plain bad connection.

if all that checks out, then maybe take it to autozone, but all they can do is test your battery, and test the output of your alternator. and from the sounds of it, those are fine since you can start and drive the car after the problem arises.

So why not take it there, since it is free?

It won't hurt your car to get it checked out. After you get it tested report back.

 

[Moose Knuckle]

Okay, thank you so much for all of the replies, tomorrow or Saturday i'll take it to Autozone and get as many tests as possible and let you guys know. Thanks again!

 

[Anubis_4_99]

So why not take it there, since it is free?

It won't hurt your car to get it checked out. After you get it tested report back.

because 95% of the people who work there know nothing, or even less then nothing. and in my opinion it's highly unlikely any of what they are able to "test" will be his issue.

i had a guy ask me if my mitsubishi eclipse had a ford motor in it. i was like WTF

also they were worthless in solving my electrical problem, which turned out to be the aforementioned intake ground wire. the guy at the counter told me my regulator for my alternator was bad and i needed to replace my alternator. i tried to politely tell him my alternator was regulated by the ecu, to which he replied "no it's an internal regulator, all alternators are like that"

i simply agreed and had him warranty it to save myself the 10 minutes it would have cost me to argue with him. at which point he hands me my new alternator that has a sticker on it which states "externally regulated"

 

[miguelmcv]

because 95% of the people who work there know nothing, or even less then nothing. and in my opinion it's highly unlikely any of what they are able to "test" will be his issue.

i had a guy ask me if my mitsubishi eclipse had a ford motor in it. i was like WTF

also they were worthless in solving my electrical problem, which turned out to be the aforementioned intake ground wire. the guy at the counter told me my regulator for my alternator was bad and i needed to replace my alternator. i tried to politely tell him my alternator was regulated by the ecu, to which he replied "no it's an internal regulator, all alternators are like that"

i simply agreed and had him warranty it to save myself the 10 minutes it would have cost me to argue with him. at which point he hands me my new alternator that has a sticker on it which states "externally regulated"

I am agree that, some people at auto parts knows anything about mechanic.

Also, they test the part and however the test comes at that exact point, that's what they tell you.

If the alternator plays up and down vots, and it end up throwing good volts at that exact moment that they are testing, then, they will tell you the alternator is good.


How ever.

Concerning the Alternator Regulator.

I don't know about a N/T Alternator,...

But, on our Turbo Models, They all are Integrated, (it might be something that you all ready know).




TO THE OP.

If you have a bad wiring problem (missed connection at ground points, terminals not good, or any ground that is not hooked up correctly),,, Your Test will fail.

They might tell you that your alternator is not charging, They will tell you that, Because they will NOT search for a solution, they will not put there hands onto your wiring.

So, Your best bet is to search by your self.

Unless, you take the alternator or battery by it self, but, you need to remove them and test them separate.

If your grounds and terminals are good, then, you will have a better luck on the test.

Any ways, Good luck.

Let us know the results.

 

[JohnGrossi]

I would take the time and look over everything on your own, grounds, condition of wires loose cables and such if you have a multimeter there are plenty of tests you can do to check the condition of your alternator and figure out what part is at fault.
If your interested, I could email you a powerpoint of everything you need to know charging system related that I have from school.

 

[skipper180]

i bought charging tester at walmart for $12 plug it in your cigarette lighter and will tell you what voltage (running engine) and (off engine) get the digital one. Hope its help.

Still using this tester for all my car knowing that the alternator/battery is in good state.

 

[GodNero]

because 95% of the people who work there know nothing, or even less then nothing. and in my opinion it's highly unlikely any of what they are able to "test" will be his issue.

i had a guy ask me if my mitsubishi eclipse had a ford motor in it. i was like WTF

also they were worthless in solving my electrical problem, which turned out to be the aforementioned intake ground wire. the guy at the counter told me my regulator for my alternator was bad and i needed to replace my alternator. i tried to politely tell him my alternator was regulated by the ecu, to which he replied "no it's an internal regulator, all alternators are like that"

i simply agreed and had him warranty it to save myself the 10 minutes it would have cost me to argue with him. at which point he hands me my new alternator that has a sticker on it which states "externally regulated"

I third this, also that is hilarious

Also, they test the part and however the test comes at that exact point, that's what they tell you.

If the alternator plays up and down volts, and it end up throwing good volts at that exact moment that they are testing, then, they will tell you the alternator is good.

This is true I have had that exact problem when testing the Alternator in the GST, albeit our issue was with the Alt. removed as opposed to it showing the issue while in the car.

They might tell you that your alternator is not charging, They will tell you that, Because they will NOT search for a solution, they will not put there hands onto your wiring.

This is not always the case some shops, though usually specialty shops, will in fact do some basic trouble shooting. I don't know what shops are in your area but I have access to two Automotive shops that specialize in wiring.

I do agree however that you should check it over your self as best you can for any loose connections, grounds if you can, and if you go to a shop if possible always go for a second opinion, especially if it is free.

Good luck.

 

[BradM]

I wouldnt go to autozone, the majority of people that work there are incompetent. At least where I live. Checking electrical connections is easy and you should probably learn now while you have this problem.

 

[alexhamm]

Checking the battery posts first is a good idea also check the positive wire at the back of the alternator. If any of those connections are getting hot to the touch this could indicate high resistance and a need for cleaning the connections. It sure sounds like a charging issue.

 

[Moose Knuckle]

Okay so Autozone said they couldn't really do anything (I live in the ghetto and the people there don't care). So anyways I decided to take it to a mechanic close by and have him look it over. He just called back and said that the Alternator bearing was completely destroyed. He said he needs to change the Alternator and Belt and couldn't just change the bearing?? He also read the check engine codes and told me I need a new Solenoid (thought that before from keydance) and said I have a leak in my flexpipe that its completely rusted and I need a new one. He said a general estimate to fix everything would be around $900. What do you guys think?

 

[miguelmcv]

Tham.
With $900 I can guy a 1g.
Just tell him to do the flex pipe, Well, that's if you don't have a welder.
The rest, You can do it your self, (you all ready know what's wrong).

You can change the alternator and belt in half hour if you are not an expert.
The Selonoid is very easy to change, But, don't forget to ask him what selonoid is before you tell him not to do the job, other wise he will not tell you which one is it.

About the alternator bearing, no one does that, unless you take it to a shop where they do only alternators and starters.
It is more easy and fast to change the alternator.

 

[kchaazz]

Okay so Autozone said they couldn't really do anything (I live in the ghetto and the people there don't care). So anyways I decided to take it to a mechanic close by and have him look it over. He just called back and said that the Alternator bearing was completely destroyed. He said he needs to change the Alternator and Belt and couldn't just change the bearing?? He also read the check engine codes and told me I need a new Solenoid (thought that before from keydance) and said I have a leak in my flexpipe that its completely rusted and I need a new one. He said a general estimate to fix everything would be around $900. What do you guys think?

The bearing to which he is referring is within the alternator; might as well rebuild/ replace the alt. As for the 900.00, I would change my own alternator and belts (change all the belts while youre in there) for less than 300.00, unless youre not really feeling up to learning how to do it, which is understandable. As for the flexpipe, you really should fix this as well, but maybe you could look into just buying a replacement rather than fixing the one you have. That said, 900.00 including parts isnt too bad, considering youre looking at probably 250.00+ just for the alt if you get an OEM unit,(the Autozone ones are half that but are iffy sometimes) and close to 100.00 for belts if you replace all the accessory belts with Good Year, flexpipe may be a couple hundred as well, though Im unfamiliar with 2G NT cars.

EDIT: I was too slow to respond...^^

 

[miguelmcv]

The bearing to which he is referring is within the alternator; might as well rebuild/ replace the alt. As for the 900.00, I would change my own alternator and belts (change all the belts while youre in there) for less than 300.00, unless youre not really feeling up to learning how to do it, which is understandable. As for the flexpipe, you really should fix this as well, but maybe you could look into just buying a replacement rather than fixing the one you have. That said, 900.00 including parts isnt too bad, considering youre looking at probably 250.00+ just for the alt if you get an OEM unit,(the Autozone ones are half that but are iffy sometimes) and close to 100.00 for belts if you replace all the accessory belts with Good Year, flexpipe may be a couple hundred as well, though Im unfamiliar with 2G NT cars.

EDIT: I was too slow to respond...^^

I am agree with all the parts (price), But, that's if we buy it.
The mechanic won't buy all the down pipe to fix it, which it only will cost no more then 50 (flex pipe).
The mechanic only going to cut the flex pipe and replace it with another one.
The alternator 250 OEM is about right, But spending 250 for an OEM I would buy an aftermarket High amp with the same money, and will live longer.
How ever, the N/T alternators are not so weak as our turbo one.
Just get a replacement from any auto part, they will have a life time warranty.

 

[1gTSIeagle]

check the 80 amp alternator fuse..

 

[Moose Knuckle]

Okay got the complete estimate:
Alternator: 283.77
Belt: 38.50
FlexPipe: 309.25
Purge Valve: 75.22
Parts: 706.74
Labor: 297.50
Tax: 44.12
Total: 1048.41
Everything seems reasonable except I thought the flexpipe would be a lot less.... does all this look okay?

 

[kchaazz]

Okay got the complete estimate:
Alternator: 283.77
Belt: 38.50
FlexPipe: 309.25
Purge Valve: 75.22
Parts: 706.74
Labor: 297.50
Tax: 44.12
Total: 1048.41
Everything seems reasonable except I thought the flexpipe would be a lot less.... does all this look okay?

Regarding the "flex pipe", that price better be for a new oem piece vs piecing the busted one back together. Purge valve, as in going to a charcoal canister in the egr system?? Id go to the junk yard or call a supporting vendor on this site to see if theyve got a good flex pipe and purge valve- might save a bunch of cash. Other than that, thats about right for a 3- 3.5 hr job regarding labor.

 

[Moose Knuckle]

For the flex pipe, it's for a complete eom replacement. I'm getting the flex pipe fixed today to pass safety inspection that i need by the end of this month..

As for the alternator. The mechanic said he tested it and it seemed to be okay...That it was right on the line.. Do you think it could still be the alternator causing my car to lose power, or should I ask him to check something else?

Thanks

Also to add, revs take a while to go back down. I'll be in say second gear accelerate until RPMs at around 3600 and then slow down, the RPMs will hang there for a while and then slowly drop down

Any ideas?