Hyundai Repair: car wont start, amp fuse, digital voltmeter

Question
my 2003 tiburon wont start with the key but you can pull start it,when its running and then turn on the lights it kills the motor,i have replaced the ignition coil and the ignition switch,could it be a short in the column or what because the last time it burnt out the 100 amp fuse.

Answer
Hi, Jim.  

If you haven't done so already, the first order of business is replacing the 100 Amp fuse.  Without a good fuse in place, the alternator cannot charge the battery, and this may be the reason the engine shuts off when the lamps are turned on.  Most of the time this fuse blows, it is because jumper cables have been hooked up with reversed polarity.

Once you have the fuse replaced, check to see if the alternator is functioning.  While I understand you don't have the equipment to do this properly, a digital voltmeter will give you some good information.  Simply attach the voltmeter leads to the battery terminals and read the voltage while the car is running.  It should be between 13.5 and 14.5 Volts.  If it's lower than this, you should suspect the alternator is no longer operational.