Help! Really confused!!

[2stepmonster]

PLEASE READ ENTIRE POST...


So tonight i was out driving and on my way home my battery light came on... and all my lights (headlights,taillights,gauges,etc) started to flicker. I quickly pulled over and shut my car off. i popped the hood to check my battery.... It was fine. nothing was loose, there was no acid, nothing... (On top of that, both terminals were replaced about 10,000 miles ago)

My next guess was a bad fuse. So i checked all my fuses and relays, everything was fine.....I got back in my car and it wouldn't start, didn't even try to.. I got out and checked the battery again.. tried again.. still nothing.... after several minutes of pacing around and thinking, i kicked my tire slammed my hood shut and tried again..

The car fired up, and then almost stalled, after that it went to an "idle"... it was idling at 2 thousand... i revved it a few times, put it in and out of gear and it stayed there... i was just gonna try to just get it home, it was getting dark so i turned my lights on, as i pulled up to the back of a car i noticed my driverside headlight and foglight was out????

Long story short i got home and tried shutting it off and starting it again and it went back to a normal idle, i restarted it again and the idle was messed up again.... IM CLUELESS!!!!!

The problem went from a battery light, to a headlight and foglight being out, to a bad idle and the lights are still out???? PLEASE IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING TELL ME...
THANK YOU

 

[LarryJoe]

Sounds like either an alternator or wiring issue to me.

 

[miliman13]

i agree with joe.
very much could have been your alternator. or the ground on your alternator, if it is a duralast or similar chances are it's bad. THUS the lifetime warranty. let us know

 

[2stepmonster]

That could be, i am going to look into that. i should probably invest in a new battery anyway. i will try that first and then check the wiring, and then replace the alternator if the problem is still not resolved.

the only thing is that wouldnt effect my idle could it?

 

[miliman13]

it very much would. that is why i think we both drew the same conclusion. Now i am no genius so i cant with detail explain to you why. i just know,

 

[2stepmonster]

Ok thanks, ill look at a new one. ill check the ground first, if that's fine ill go ahead and replace it.

 

[Mischif]

A car will act very very strange when it isn't getting the proper 12volts it needs. I would guess either the battery crapped out and the alternator could not compensate for it, or the alternator crapped out and the battery is very drained.

Test the battery with the car off. Should be at least 12.4 volts. Then test it with the car on if you can. If the volts don't go up at all from the reading you got with the car off, then the alternator is bad. With the alternator and battery in good operating condition you should be seeing around 13volts at idle.

 

[2stepmonster]

A car will act very very strange when it isn't getting the proper 12volts it needs. I would guess either the battery crapped out and the alternator could not compensate for it, or the alternator crapped out and the battery is very drained.

Test the battery with the car off. Should be at least 12.4 volts. Then test it with the car on if you can. If the volts don't go up at all from the reading you got with the car off, then the alternator is bad. With the alternator and battery in good operating condition you should be seeing around 13volts at idle.

OK ill try that tomorrow. I didn't even think of trying that. thanks

 

[Cdc1221]

If the cars electrical system doesn't see over 13 volts at idle, the coils, injectors, and fuel pump won't receive the proper voltage, hence a bad idle

 

[zachwilliams02]

I'm having a similar problem and I haven't been able to test it yet. I have a batt gauge hooked up to my radio and when running it reads just under 14 but when I go to drive it all of my lights flicker and it drops to like 10 and I hit fuel cut really bad. I'm still working out the kinks because this is ky engine swap that I finished last night. I thin that it is a bad ground because I only have one or two hooked up sofar. Maybe if I put the rest of them on it will run better.

 

[bluehaze420a]

Im pretty sure you can go to oreilly's or autozone and they can tell you if your alternator is bad with hooking up a scan tool. Or check the voltage with the car running. If you get 13.5v take the power wire off and it should idle easily for a little bit if it dies quick your alternator is weak.

 

[ariman]

PLEASE READ ENTIRE POST...


So tonight i was out driving and on my way home my battery light came on... and all my lights (headlights,taillights,gauges,etc) started to flicker. I quickly pulled over and shut my car off. i popped the hood to check my battery.... It was fine. nothing was loose, there was no acid, nothing... (On top of that, both terminals were replaced about 10,000 miles ago)

My next guess was a bad fuse. So i checked all my fuses and relays, everything was fine.....I got back in my car and it wouldn't start, didn't even try to.. I got out and checked the battery again.. tried again.. still nothing.... after several minutes of pacing around and thinking, i kicked my tire slammed my hood shut and tried again..

The car fired up, and then almost stalled, after that it went to an "idle"... it was idling at 2 thousand... i revved it a few times, put it in and out of gear and it stayed there... i was just gonna try to just get it home, it was getting dark so i turned my lights on, as i pulled up to the back of a car i noticed my driverside headlight and foglight was out????

Long story short i got home and tried shutting it off and starting it again and it went back to a normal idle, i restarted it again and the idle was messed up again.... IM CLUELESS!!!!!

The problem went from a battery light, to a headlight and foglight being out, to a bad idle and the lights are still out???? PLEASE IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING TELL ME...
THANK YOU

My cars did similar problem, change alternator, no more problems