engine idle dies , battery slowwly loses juice , no start ,

[N1446]

so i leave work for a 15 break and slam up the road for some fuel and a quick boost , i leave the fuel station a bit hard and rock it back to work - at the lights the engine idle dies , car wont restart , battery has no juice

it s kinda sad and a little funny to leave the car stranded cause this will be the third alternator in 1 year i m about to replace

90 celica gt RIP gearbox explosion
83 firebird se good riddance 5.0
91 tleg tba

much effort to replace the alt on the tleg ? matching model year replacement part ?

sugestion ?

[kimokalihi]

I think it's pretty easy compared to most cars. It's right front and center, not hard to get to at all. I'm sure the hardest part is probably undoing the tensioner. Which isn't hard.

[jp233]

have both the alt and battery tested. auto parts stores 'round here will test them for free, on the car OR off. both are easy to replace as far as working on the engine. The alt is a little more work than the battery but it aint bad.

check all your grounds too.

[evolutionmovement]

I disagree—the battery requires more heavy lifting. But either way, the total job's 20 minutes. Where are you getting your alternators? Non-OEM is false economy as they frequently fail when new (as you seem to have found) and often take the battery with them (my original alternator made it 246,000 miles). Those stupid warranties only cover the part, not the battery, not the possible tow, not the labor (which doesn't matter with this particular car. but can really suck in some cases—ask my friend about his POS Audi A4 and the 'lifetime warranty' alternator that cost him $1200) See if the battery takes a charge before declaring it dead, but be prepared for it anyway.

[jp233]

at least most batteries have a big handle on top to lift them out with

yeah the stock alternators are good units. I stay away from Duralast and the likes. Even a decent Beck'Arnley one costs about $175, whereas a new one from 1stsubaruparts is $200. obviously there's some more cost with shipping and stuff. But the OEMs are damn good ones. I'd put up a WTB or go look in junkyards before plunking down $200 unless you know the alt is bad and you want to keep the car a long time.

I'd get a test done regardless, but beforehand I'd charge the battery up (and if you need to add water, do this AFTER you have a fully charged battery. do not fill a battery up with water and then charge it to max...) also FYI use distilled water only, not tap water.

[N1446]

ok so the car ran for 20 sec before failing again after it sat for a few hrs then no juice for restart

i got a quick jump and from there i managed to make it bak to where i live without letting the idle drop for stall

once parked again no juice for restart - i m leaning toward batt

[jp233]

yeah, or you have a drain on the system somewhere. it does sound like the battery is bad though. would be more pronounced when the engine is cold too. cold soak will put a strain on batteries. i've noticed mine cranks a little slower than usual now that its started to get colder here (yeah, 30 deg F is cold for Georgia!)

[ericem]

Doesn't hurt to make sure all your grounds are clean as well as terminals.

[N1446]

ok so i managed to make it 20 klm <<after<< the engine failed - could this possibly be a failed plug ? i drove it all the way back with the engine rpm high from a jumpstart , like no-prob , the battery is weak , however i still drove 20 klm ? - now there is no start even With a jumpstart

I m confused

[N1446]

ok so i replaced the plugs with the NGKs as recommended and for sure the thing it fired up immediately with a jumpstart

also i repared a broken / cracked nipple on the charcoal canister causing a vaccum leak i imagine -

as of now things are o k thankyou for the comment

two plugs wet when i removed them ?
this means the engine was soking in fuel and stalling rigght ? -

[N1446]

reviving this thread as it relates to sudden<failure thread