Colleen Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 (edited) Ugh. Okay, now that I got that off my chest, on to the problem.;) My boat ~ er, car (a Suburban) ~ has been very unfriendly lately. Specifically, since we came back from Europe in September. (Maybe she's unhappy we left her?:tongue_smilie:) A couple/few times during autumn, I had to jump start it, out of the blue. That worked, but it seemed like something other than the battery because the battery wasn't that old and it wasn't like I was leaving a light in the car, etc. Still and all, after the last round of that, we did put a new battery in it. And right after we did so, the car just up and died while I was driving it. (That was the night, relayed via a previous post, wherein God led me to a liquor store such that my normal route was altered ~ thank goodness.:D) After that incident (we couldn't jump start it then, btw; it was dead as a doornail), we had the car checked out by the usual suspects. Despite the fact that we'd recently put in a new battery, they went ahead and put in an even newer one. They also changed one small fuse and said that was likely the root of the problem. I didn't talk to them directly, so I'm sadly lacking in a firsthand report. Any-hoo. Today as I drove into the library parking lot, what to my wondering eyes should occur but...a dead car, once again. Right in the MIDDLE of the lot, I might add. Aaarggghhh. i reall don't think this is a battery issue. Jump starting it at this point does no good. Once it dies, it's totally dead. It's almost like there's an electrical problem between the ignition and the starter....? (But then why would it just die while I'm actually driving?) Or an alternator problem? We towed (with the truck, which also has issues right now) the car to the mechanic, but they won't get to it until Monday. And in the meantime, I'm trying to arm myself with more info. Any ideas? Thanks! Edited December 28, 2008 by Colleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 An alternator problem will cause the car to die while you're driving, and it will kill the battery. I had the computer in a former car go bad once, and the car died while I was driving it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieD Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Not much of a mechanic here, but we have an old 94 diesel Suburban and almost everytime something is wrong, it is the wiring. A mechanic wanted us to put a new transmission in, but dh brought it home and found a loose wire which fixed everything. I don't know why the wiring is disintegrating, but it is going on 15 years old. Any intermittent problem we have now, he checks wiring first. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Once Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 :iagree: We have had alternator problems several times in the past. That is just what they do...die on the road. If it is really cold out that might bring it on faster. Changing a battery will not fix it long term. Our last alternator was about $400 to replace but we have replaced one with a refurbished one with success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 though in the last two decades computer problems contribute to more and more issues. But what you describe definitely sounds like a bad alternator to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emeraldjoy Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Alternator here too! The purpose of it is to keep the battery charged. *I think* it may be fairly easy to replace yourself too. Good luck. Emerald Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Um. What color is your car? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Yep, definitely the alternator. Once the alt. goes out, you are running on battery alone, which is why you can't jump start it anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I had a similar problem once in a car... imagine driving down the freeway and it just dying. They went and replaced $2000 worth of stuff on it under warranty (wasn't the battery or alternator) until they hit upon the problem. Contaminated fuel. Oh boy that was fun to deal with. DH is a Chevy guy and mechanic - he's currently asleep, but i'll ask him for suggestions. But meanwhile, have they checked the fuel pump and fuel filters? (otherwise, i vote for the alternator too!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 DH is a Chevy guy and mechanic - he's currently asleep, but i'll ask him for suggestions. But meanwhile, have they checked the fuel pump and fuel filters? (otherwise, i vote for the alternator too!) His, "i'm 1/2 way awake" response. He wants to know if when it dies, it's totally dead - no dim domelights, just out. Says if it was the fuel pump - it wouldn't start, but would turn over - just never getting fuel to start. (sounds like you are clear there). If it was the battery, it wouldn't die while you are driving, leading to the alternator. Dying while driving is normally related to the alternator not working - says that is easy to check (depending on the year). Hitting the back of the alternator with a screwdriver to see if it is magnetized will tell you. He will probably ask me car geek questions over the next days on how you fair...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieAir Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I'm certainly no expert on things mechanical, but when our Suburban kept dying like that (and after replacing the battery), it was the alternator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 Um. What color is your car? :D I'm missing something...:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 Seems to be unanimous agreement here that it's probably the alternator. Which is what I'm thinking...although I still think there may be a wiring issue. He wants to know if when it dies, it's totally dead - no dim domelights, just out....Dying while driving is normally related to the alternator not working - says that is easy to check (depending on the year). Hitting the back of the alternator with a screwdriver to see if it is magnetized will tell you. Yep, it's totally dead. I'll let you (your dh;)) know what comes of it all. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I'm missing something...:) That's what Tom and Ray always ask when they have no idea what the problem is. Or when they're buying for time so they can think about what the problem is. Oh, hey, and remember when echinacea became really popular? They said they wished for an herbal tincture for cars, and they'd call it "ech-if-I-know" -- I love those guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 The same thing happened to me, and it was the alternator in my case too. I had some advance notice that it was going out, though. If the car was idling too long, the car would start to lose power: the windows would roll down very slowly, the lights on the dash and the headlights would dim, etc. We actually had an appointment to get it checked out but of course it completely died on me the day before the appointment on my way home from work and we had to get it towed in. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 It sounds like the alternator. If it is not then you have a bad wire somewhere. I had that happen with a car of mine. It was in the shop every week as they tried to find the bad wire. Then, when it was finally fixed the car was stolen. Ah, the memories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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