QuestionQUESTION: hello i have a 95 Pontiac grand am v6 3.1 ..it has a motor out of a beretta though but kind of motor.well anyway about 2yrs ago the serpentine belt snapped ..i just got around to changing it now ..well after belt replacement i checked fluids and hooked up jump pack and fired her up..she start and ran good the alternator check on jump pack says alternator is good and the volt gauge on dash was Reading 14..went to go move it and after like 20 feet it suddenly died no power no nothing ,i hooked up jump pack again and things started to come back on again waited bout 5 mins started it up and and checked things again volt 14 alt test good disconnected pack and went to move it again same thing happened ...i don't get it if the alternator is working and battery is taking charge and it has gas why would it die suddenly and have not power please help need some ideas
ANSWER: Shannon, if the vehicle sat for two years without being driven, I would first suspect the battery. Nothing I can think of is harder on a vehicle than sitting for a long period of time. Batteries are made to be cycled frequently, charged and discharged as would happen during the normal course of driving. When a battery is not used, sulphur builds up on the plates inside the case, interfering with its ability to accept and hold a charge. Over time this will render the battery useless long before it should have. The charging system might be doing its job, but if the battery is not able to accept a charge and deliver electrical energy to critical engine systems, it will not run. When you say, you have to reconnect the jump pack to get it running, that tells me the battery needs to be load tested. Whenever diagnosing any electrical problem, start first by making sure the battery is in good shape, then proceed from there. I would not be surprised if there are other problems that crop up that weren’t there before, due to the long period of inactivity. Hope this helps you. Don.
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QUESTION: i understand that the battery is or might be faulty from sitting but..what i don't understand is that,engines can run without a battery altogether directly from the alternator witch is what it was doing but the sudden death of the engine is what has me concerned ...there is fresh fuel inn the tank so that not it ..i was reading about GM's problem with the fuel pump relay conking out randomly, seems kind of the scenario here seeing how it runs when it sits still but when it is moving is when it shuts off ,MOVING not shifting from park or anything just driving and turning ,so its not vacuum or the TCC, i was thinking that if that is the case of a faulty fuel pump relay coupled with a bad battery (not taking charge) it would cause the exact symptoms as this ...i am not a certified mechanic BUT i have working on cars a very long time so i asking your opinion ,what do you think
ANSWER: While it is true that a vehicle will run off the alternator only, a battery acts like a conditioner for the entire system, in a way smoothing out or stabilizing the system voltage, while at the same time providing extra current that the alternator alone cannot supply. Your 95 Pontiac is new enough to have an electric fuel pump, electronic fuel injectors, and a computer engine control system that all require an ample, stable electrical supply. Without a known good battery in the system, we are just guessing at what has caused your engine to die. It could be any number of things from a plugged catalytic converter to a bad PCM, but you must start with a good, stable electrical system. The battery always comes first on the list. Next, make sure the alternator is putting out enough current to supply the system and at the proper voltage. A good clean electrical supply is essential to ensure that every component has a chance of working to its potential. Also make sure the electrical supply from the alternator is clean and free of excess alternating current. No more than 0.5 vac. If you really want to get this vehicle going, don’t bother with tricks trying to revive the battery, have it load tested to prove its worthiness.
Good luck, Don.
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QUESTION: ok sounds fair enough anyway i have this other problem with another ethical it is a 1971 dodge dart swinger the problem i am having is the hazard lights only come on when the right blinker is turned on then you can turn on hazards..haha any guesses??
AnswerMy guess would be a bad turn signal switch. Normally power is fed to the hazard flasher, from there to the turn signal switch and out to the appropriate lights. If yours only works when its in the right turn signal position, sounds like a problem inside the switch. This is assuming the wiring to and from the switch is correct and that the park lamp bulbs are the correct type and working normally. Check first to make sure all bulbs light up and one side is not dimmer than the other. Any testing after that would require voltage dropping the circuit to find the fault. Don.
