yah i had a big problem yesterday with my car.as i was going to work i noticed at every red light i stopped at my car would idle really rough.and as it would idle rough it would just completely die on me.so then i would have to turn my car back on and it would die again.(so i had to run a couple of red lights on the way to work).so i got to work and during my lunchbreak i checked out to see if any vacuum hoses were bad or loose.i didnt see any bad vacuum hoses.well when i was leaving later that night.it still would die on me at every red light i hit.then when i hit the first green light of the night(the person in front of me was taking there sweet *** time)so then my car died on me.then for some odd reason i couldnt start her up anymore after that.so i was basically stuck with ongoing traffic until my dad got there and we pushed the car to a little plaza that was a few minutes away where i was.i checked to see if the battery cables were loose.i didnt see nothing disconnected.i had tried to start her up and start her up and it wouldnt even crank.so then i decided to get my dad to jump start it.it took a few minutes till my car actually started.so i tried to drive it back home when i hit another red light.(me and red lights just dont get a long).she died on me again.so we tried to jump start it and it didnt work at all this time.i called a towing company to get it towed to my house.now the car is at my house and im very clueless for what the problem can be.please help me out.

 

First, off give your dad a beer for helping you out....while he is drinking it tell him about the whole "red light" running thing.

The best place to start would be to check the car for stored trouble codes. Do a search here on the forum for a proceedure to retieve the codes using a paper clip.

 

I would start by charging the battery and see if the car starts. If it does check the charging system to see if the alternator is charging OK.

 

There are a few different things that can cause what you experienced.

If the alternator fails while driving the car, the engine will continue to run off the battery until the battery runs down. Then the engine will die.

Jump starting the engine will, many times, let the engine start, but, remember, the engine is still running on the battery, so the engine will die again soon. Put a charger on the battery and, once charged, fire the engine and see if the alternator is supplying voltage. A digital volt meter is best for this. If the alternator isn't putting out, it's new alternator time.

I'd check for that first.

Years ago, I had this happen to me on my 86 and it left my stranded in D.C. I took to carrying a spare alternator so I wouldn't get stranded that way again.

I suspect that since the alternator is mounted so close to the exhaust, heat from the exhaust killed the alternator over time. I fabricated a double layered aluminum shield to prevent the alternator from sucking in the exhaust heat. Many guys do the same thing to protect the plastic brake booster from exhaust heat.

Another thought is the ignition control module (ICM) under the distributor cap. They sometimes begin to fail after driving a while, due to being exposed to heat over time. AutoZone and O'Reilly's can test yours for free.

Hope this helps.

Jake

West Point ROCKS! Nation's TOP COLLEGE per Forbes Magazine!

 

hey thanks a lot guys.the thing is my alternator is good.i had it checked today by autozone and discount auto.so i dont think its that.it could be my battery.im gonna test at autozone tomorrow.but hey thanks for the advice.im gonna buy a spare alternator and keep it in my car.

 

Checking for good fuel pressure, should also be on the list.
http://members.shaw.ca/corvette86/Fu...mDiagnosis.pdf