Car is dead possible alternator??

[Project Draven]

ok well first off i would like to apoligize for the long thread but while i was putting a new optima redtop battery in my car (it is a 95 gsx by the way)last night along with a pioneer primere head unit head unit went in fine but when i got to the battery i went to remove the positive terminal and my rachet touched against the intercooler pipe. a slight spark could be seen didn't think much of it just hoped it didn't screw anything up . so i installed the battery and then when i hooked the negative up my headlights came on and stayed on. i took it back off for a sec and put it back on same thing. check inside the car to see if my lights may be on they wern't check my radio didn't work my blower didn't work and neither did my power windows. then i remembered that i didn't hook up my amp wire to the terminal so i went out to hook it up as soon a i put it on the lights went off. got in the car and everything worked again. so i tightened up the hold down and shut the hood went to start the car no problems then i turned the car off and the lights were back on and my accessories wouldn't work. but sadlly my friends clutch went in his talon at my house so i had to take my car to take him home. i started to pull out but when i got to 3500 rpms my low coolant light came on my brake light and my battery light and they looked kinda dim for a bit. then suddenly they brightened and then they went off and everything worked again. took him home went and got gas and came home it was doing it off and on the whole time. when i got in my drive way to pull in my parking spot the car started to lower in idle and then it stalled on me and when i went to start it my battery was dead. i looked at the alternator fuse and it seems to be ok but i don'
t know what to do can someone please help me out it would be greatly appreciated
thanks in advance
brandon

 

[Talesin]

Only way to know for sure is to check the output from the alternator terminals. If it's charging ~14V, then it's okay and you have a different problem. If not, dead alt.

With the symptoms though, I'd suspect a loose/forgot-to-reattach ground.

 

[Project Draven]

is it possible it has something to do with my new head unit i reconnected the ground to the metal plate on the bottom where the bolts were it is possible one of the wires is touching in there

or can it be possible that my terminals may be too tight on the battery ?

 

[Project Draven]

i would also like to point out that when we removed the terminal while the car was running it idle surged for about 30 secs then it just died out so any other ideas people please keep them coming

 

[IHeartTurbo]

You removed a battery terminal while the engine was running? You are NOT supposed to do that. I would bet that is what caused your problem right there.

 

[jgr203]

For the radio and other accessories, check the fuses.
I had that same problem, my car flashed all the same as yours, and I really thought my car was dead.

All the terminals were connected firmly, I wiggled the positive wire where the fuses are and I got power again!

 

[Project Draven]

mine does it off and on which doesn't make sense to me i mean one min everything is out and the next everything is back then out again like a never ending cycle is it possible i fried the fuse box i mean now that i think about it the intercooleer pipe runs right next to the fuse box under the hood
here is something else that is puzzling me when i open my doors when you expect the interior light to come on the headlights come on nothing inside the car works but the gause cluster and the headlights when it throws this little fit

 

[Project Draven]

well all i finally found the problem and fixed it. it was my positive terminal the sub bolts were loose and the terminal itself was loose i tightened them all up and she runs beautifully i want to thank everybody for there help and lets hope i am not back too soon in the near future

thanks again all