and now i hate my car

car: 93 sentra se-r. 98000 miles. always ran nicely. only major problems:

-last year, entire AC unit went out
-2 months ago, battery and alternator took a dump.



[extra junk for emphasis:]
today, i was driving in a parking lot when the tire blew. i tried to put on a spare, but remember that the original nissan tire iron SNAPPED at the neck when i used it last year. walked to store, bought new tire iron. put on spare. found out spare was flat.

[problems:]
went to gas station to pump spare. started car... car wouldnt start. asked somebody to jump-start car. car wouldn't start. lights turn on so battery was good. starter suspected dead.

pushed car to a rolling-start, drove on freeway. after 5 minutes, car lost all power... wouldn't rev. electrical system went HAYWIRE. defroster kills speedometer... lights dim...high beams triggered windshield wipers...etc.

car died on freeway on top of BRIDGE with no lights and no shoulder...and HAZARD BLINKERS were defunct! called cops... etc etc etc... got car pushed off road




long story short: starter probably dead... electrical system gone to shit... who knows what the hell caused car to die.. engine is gonna go? im broke =[

I think you just have a bad ALT. If your ALT does not charge you will not get enough power from your battery. Also your car will then start to run off of your battery. Also your cars computer needs power to run, if it does not get enough power the car will start ti run slugish because you will not get enough spark to run the ignition system. So if your ALT was not charging it would cause all of the problems you listed above.

Also if you get a chance have a Mech check your car for an electrical draw in the sytem.

Andreas Miko

i think that you should start searching for a little green gremlin inside your car. my turned out to be green coolant dripping on my alternator. i went through three alternators before i replaced the upper radiator hose. my hates me too, but i still love it. we have a love/hate relationship. good luck

though it may not apply to you..but check your ground on your alt/batt. that was my culprit on my car.....

hmm, where exaclty would the ground go to and from? im probably the most mechanically inept person on this board


either way the car is going to go to a shop tomorrow

Originally posted by Laly
we have a love/hate relationship. good luck


couldnt have set it better myself

if ya replaced the alt a couple months ago i would say have it tested. i think you have a defective alternator. get a charging system test also after you install ur new alternator. good luck.

Ben