Hey rexers

I went to start my car yesterday and as soon as i turned the key i heard a low 'boom', and everything dimmed. The engine didnt crank and all the electronics didnt work right. I jump started it and let it warm up for about 15-20 minutes, drove it around for a little while and brought it back. When I was driving it i noticed that everytime i hit the brakes the panel lights dimmed, the battery gage jerked down and the rpm gage jerked up. This also happened when using other electronic applications, like the windows. Turned it off and immediately all the lights dimmed again. Obviously it wasn't able to crank again.
I want to say its the alternator... but what was that 'boom'? Is there like a big fuse somewhere that could have burst and made that noise? Any other thoughts?

whoa! that took me longer than i expected, sorry.

 

Intresting................

Have the battery tested too.

Hmmm....................


John

 

Sounds like an alternator to me... Lots of places will test both the alternator and the battery for free. (Advance comes to mind... as I like them :-)

Do you have a voltmeter? If so, you could check the voltage while the car is running and it'll give you a pretty good idea of if it's the alternator or not. (Should be around 16, I believe, while the engine is running- but don't quote me on that)

 

Boom?!? Only thing I can think of is your alt belt popped and hit the hood or something... I dunno WTF could make a boom.

 

Boom?!? Only thing I can think of is your alt belt popped and hit the hood or something... I dunno WTF could make a boom.

 

Your battery exploded and threw acid all over your engine bay

sorry trying to reach 1000 posts.

 

Yeah its a bit strange...
Well i havent been able to check anything with daylight, but i did make sure the belts were on and tight.

 

that was my first thought

although it could have been an internal cell divider bursting, shorting two of them together.

 

well in either case I hope it's the battery and not the alternator. I'll deal with it tomorrow.