car dying?

[pozz24gs]

sorry if this gets lengthy. When i first bought my car, i turned the lights on and the car sorta turned off for a second. its 2 years later now. i was driving on the highway and my battery light came on. i couldnt do much about it b/c i was dropping it off to get painted. i picked it up and wouldnt turn over the 1st time. then it started up w/ no battery light. every now and then the battery light will come on. when i turn it off in these situations and i go to start it again. it turns over on the second try and the alarm will go off like the battery was just plugged back in. i checked the battery and alternator and its all good. any suggestions on where to check next?

 

[notracing]

Without specifics I can only give a generic answer, but charging system lights point to only a few things. Battery, alternator, regulator or the connections to and from these parts.

 

[pozz24gs]

i was only trying to get the point across to get some ideas. but it really seems to happen when its raining for awhile, like a whole day, and the cars outside. i wanna say maybe a short?

 

[95tsiawd11s]

Probably a short, but also check your grounds. My ground from the battery to the chassis was frayed, so I replaced it. Worth a shot.

 

[pozz24gs]

another thing i forgot to mention, sorry, is that when the battery light is on, and i turn my lights on, the car momentarily dies and then goes back on. within a second. just like it did when i first got the car

 

[Thunderskull]

I agree with some of the previous posters. It sounds like your charging system. I'd check all your grounds and your battery cables. If you have a voltmeter, you should test your alternator and battery. The battery should hold 12 volts or better with the car off. While running with all the accessories off you should get around 14 volts from the alternator. Also, the voltage regulator is part of the alternator in our cars.

 

[pozz24gs]

well all those were checked and they were all good. looks like the connection i guess. ill check that out this weekend

 

[Thunderskull]

When you start the car and it fails to start, does the engine turn over, do you hear a clicking noise, or do you hear nothing at all?

 

[pozz24gs]

it starts to but then dies down. i dont know exactly how to explain it. it turns for a second i guess, then acts like the battery dies

 

[babell2]

Go to one of the parts stores that will test your charging system for free. they can load test both Battery and alternator to see what your system is doing. Something is funky with one of them or you would not be having this problem. P. S. Make shure your battery terminals are clean and good.