Car runs for 5 mins w/3 warning lights then dies...wtf?

[SleepingEclipse]

Alright here's the deal. I just replaced the battery...my previous battery had side terminals only and they kept coming loose. I would occasionally get three warning lights that would come on...the little yellow one that kinda looks like this lllll and then the battery and e-brake light. All my electrical would go dim, the lights on the dash, the headlights....and then my stereo started shutting off when I had the turn signal on. The idle has been acting goofy on me as well, earlier it kept going to 1500 when I was in neutral. Well today on the way home from school, I was on the nextel talking, and I looked down(I had been coasting in neutral) and the tachometer read 0. I was like wtf so I dropped it back into gear, and it fired back up with some hesitation. I figured alright just a flook. About 20 seconds later the car started to feel like it was misfiring, and started "bucking"...so I killed it and coasted into my buddies driveway that was kinda close. I checked the battery with a multimeter, and it read 12 volts. I tried to start it but it would click once and then all my lights went off. It would do this repeatidly. I jumped it and it ran ok...no stuttering. I left it for about 5 minutes, and then it started to sputter and died. The battery then read 6.8 volts. So at this point I said screw it and got a ride home. Later I went back with a buddy, and he towed me home(since it was only about a minute from my house). I had my hazards on, and they started clicking faster and faster as the car sped up. I had my headlights on for about 20 seconds before everything went super dim so I shut them off. I got it home and threw a charger on it for a few minutes. It started up with a little bit of hesitation. I let it run again at idle, and it sputtered after about 3 minutes. When I opened the door and the seat belt started to move, the car started to hesitate...then I closed the door and it stopped. Then I opened the door and flipped the headlights on and it died completely. What's going on with my car???? Could it just be the alternator fuse? I checked it and when I shake it it sounds like something is loose inside of it. Is it the alternator? I have read alot about it and it seems like this could very well be the problem...but it's a crapload of work to take it out right? Or is there any possible way to take it out without removing a bunch of parts? Any other suggestions as to what's wrong? And why would three warning lights be on? The battery is a direct replacement for the OEM one. Is there any chance it's my amp? They were cutting out as I pulled into school today, My radio still worked but I had no subs...then they came back...and then stopped again. Wiring and me don't get along very well. ANY SUGGESTIONS/TESTS I CAN DO WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!

 

[92awddsm]

Replace the questionable fuse first and if that isnt the problem, its the altenator. The 3 dash lights is usually the tell tell sign of a failing altenator so you are on the right track. As far as removal, remove the lower driver splash sheild out of the fenderwell and the altenator should come through the hole. Of course you will have to remove the driver front tire for the best access but it can be done with the tire on.

 

[ndm1]

You can also just pull your a/c fan out (3 bolts) and slide the alternator right out the top.
I changed mine in about 15 minutes.
Yes it does sound like a possible alternator problem. Fuse or otherwise.

 

[femmeDSM]

If that 80A alternator fuse sounds like something is moving around inside it, it's definitely time to replace it. They only cost a couple bucks.

Those dash lights are how DSMs like to tell you that the alternator is dying...If replacing the fuse doesn't work, the alternator has to go. Not hard to replace, as the others said. I took mine out from underneath the car, just as 92awddsm suggested -- worked great for me, and the whole process took under 30 mins, if I remember correctly.

 

[SleepingEclipse]

Alright thanks guys. I re-read a buncha info, and it sounds like it's not that bad. I was guessing that I would be without a car for a couple days...but sounds like it might only be down for a couple hours. I am going to push my car into the garage tomorrow, then take the alternator out and head to autozone and get it tested. If it's fine then I will get that alternator fuse(which I will have to take with me). Thanks for the help guys, definetly making me feel better....until I get hit with that $125 alternator

 

[SleepingEclipse]

Update time -
Got woken up at 8 this morning, went out and dove into the project. Took me about an hour to get everything apart and have the alternator in my hand as well as the relay. Forgot to take the belt off and check it. So anyways I got to autozone, had my alternator tested...and it didn't even test it. It failed the tests. Apparently the diode was bad. So I got the new one and had that one tested. It said it passed. Yay The alternator relay was $35 but they didn't carry it so I said oh well. I bought a new gator belt, and went back home to install everything. It went on pretty well, only had one left over wire, which I figured out where it went. Had the battery charging while I was working, and started up the car. Started right up, no warning lights. Heater full blast, headlights on, stereo pumping, all just fine. I went for a test drive and noticed right away what sounds like a supercharger whine. I was constantly checking my guages, everything seemed fine. Then on the way home from work the belt started squeling when I was accelerating. I re-tightened the belt cuz it seemed a little loose. Any ideas why it would sound like a supercharger whine when I'm accelerating? It does it under load and w/o a load.

 

[xcz504d]

Autozone does not sell you a brand new alternator, but rather a rebuilt one. Your new alternator might not be functioning properly. I replaced my alternator once, with the new alternator I had a pulsing of all things electrical, which was amplified when I had my lights on... I drov eup to autozone and had them test it on the vehicle, and they said it was fine and that I had bad electrical wiring with a current draw... So I had a trusted mechanic troubleshoot it for me, 15 minutes later he told me it was a bad diode.

The moral of the story is, you could always get a defective part

As for the belts sqweaking, it's recommended that you drive your car for 30 minutes then re-tighten the belts because they stretch a bit.

 

[SleepingEclipse]

Well 10-15 miles later no squeaks from the belt. But I still have this whining...it seriously sounds supercharged but just no bov! Is it bad? My oil pressure seems to read lower than usual, but I have heard it's a typical DSM thing.

 

[xcz504d]

The whine isn't bad, but that depends on how loud the whine is, all alternators have a whine to them, but if it's as loud as you're describing, I would drive back to the place you bought it from and have one of them listen to it, and let them make a determination, or even have a real mechanic give you an opinion about it, you could easily find a mechanic around that will just go out and listen to it without charging you...

I don't know about the N/T engine, but almost all turbo engines will have their oil sensor wire cut