alternator screws up

[want_a_gsx]

ok so i was cruising around and all the sudden my car starts acting all crazy. wipers start moving, antilock light goes on, check engine, gas, coolant, every light on the dashboard. this happened for about a minute (when i was next to an srt-4, about to race!). btw, this only happened when i pressed the gas.

All the sudden the car just dies completely, so i pull over to the side. i try to start up the car, and some lights go on but the engine does not turn over. then i try again and none of the lights turn on. i popped the hood and some steam was coming out of the battery. hour later, I replace the battery and car starts up but the antilock light is still on. right blinker and right head light dont work, plus to turn on the light i have to turn on the fog lights/high beam. the alarm and auto locks dont work either.

today the car was running and as soon as i take off the positive side of the battery, the car dies instantly.

anyone know whats going on???? need help ASAP. thanx

 

[95blackGsTurbo]

Well first start off by getting your alternator tested or taking it off and getting it bench tested. Then start checking resistance in wire's as well. Maybe it was a sign that you shouldn't have been trying to race an SRT4 on the street.

 

[emd645e3]

It doesn't really sound like an alternator problem. That wouldn't cause the wipers to go on. It sounds like a pretty significant short circuit somewhere. Check all the wiring you can for any exposed, bare wire, things like that.

 

[ChiGGz]

today the car was running and as soon as i take off the positive side of the battery, the car dies instantly.

You disconnected the battery while the car was running and it died on you? Bad idea, your battery acts as a regulator from spikes. You better hope nothing is fried.

 

[Defiant]

Your battery shorted out against the strut bar or hood. God knows what got burned, but start with the fusible links.
Bolt-down your new battery.

 

[silvercoupe97]

Sounds like you alternator is dead. Check your battery voltage, running it should be 13+volts with a good alternator. Low battery power can and will cause weird electrical anomalies. I just went through it and I'm still having the same problem. When you removed your + terminal, the car should have still been running and yours died...so, your alt is dead.

 

[want_a_gsx]

yeah, the battery isnt bolted down. the thing is that before it happened, i had noticed the battery was leaking on the top part. what would cause this?

 

[asephoner]

yeah, the battery isnt bolted down. the thing is that before it happened, i had noticed the battery was leaking on the top part. what would cause this?

First off Defiant is right about your battery hitting your strut bar, had it happen to me not to long ago it actually hit the darn thing more than once couldn't figure out why the car kept trying to cut off then later stopped running all together blew out about 6different fuses including the little green one on the positive wire. So look closely to make sure all your fuses haven't blown.

Secondly your battery terminal may have been punctured or cracked which may have caused that leak. Is it or has it been corroding at all?

 

[want_a_gsx]

would blowing out the fuses make all the lights in the dash go off? i thought that without the fuse, the lights/accesories wouldnt work.

one weird thing is that the fuse for the powerlocks is fine, but the locks dont work anymore. i used a multimeter to test the fuse socket and it was like 11.8.

battery terminal is not corroded at all. there is a low amount of white stuff on the positive terminal screw but thats about it.

 

[Blackmitzu]

Yes defient is right, ive seen this happen many times with a loose battery, also sometimes people use the wrong size battery and even though they manage to somehow bolt it down, it touches the hood when you hit a bump. Check to make sure you have the correct battery for the car.

 

[Blackmitzu]

Also about the car stalling when you remove the positive terminal, you should check the alternator fuse. It probably blew when your battery shorted out.

 

[want_a_gsx]

btw the antilock light in the dash is on all the time now...

 

[want_a_gsx]

i just looked at the other battery and there is a small part of the positive side with some rust.

voltage of new battery does not go above 11.9 with car off or running.

80a fuse is not burnt

 

[want_a_gsx]

is it normal for some fuse terminals to have the same voltage as the battery?

i removed a bunch of fuses and a lot of the fuse terminals have 11.7 V, same as battery(when running 11.6v).

the right: headlight, front and back blinker bulbs are all burnt...

any thoughts on where this short is? need help ASAP!!!