Alright... My car has no power! I really dont know what the problem is. Ok here is what happened: Yesterday I was driving to pick my girlfriend up... on the way there my car loses all power (sterero, lights, windows), but the motor keeps running... So I keep driving to her house. I get to her house, but as I am backing out my car died! So I try to roll-start it and that does not work. After trying to start it numerous times my batterey is completely dead. I had a friend try and jump me off yesterday to no avail. Now whenever I try to start it there is no sound and none of my electronics work, but my lights will still flip up and turn on. Someone told me it could be the alternator, which I hope it is since I have a spare that came with the car. Can anyone diagnose this problem?

 

did all your idiot lights come on when you lost all power?
check your alternator belt, is it still there or is it ripped to shreds?
happened to me once...belts kind of a pain in the *** to change

if it's not the belt, switch alternators and see what happens

good luck

 

No idiot lights came on... So I suspect that my car had been running off of battery power alone when I started driving, hence everything turning off. Also... whenever I depressed the cigarette lighter... BRAKE idiot light got dimmer.

Edit: My belt is fine, and the alternator looks fine... I would look to see if the alternator has seized, but I cannot start my car until my buddy picks up my new batterey.

 

You're probably going to have to get a new battery anyway (lead/acid cells don't take kindly to being fully discharged), so as soon as you get it in the car, start her up and check your alt output voltage, at the battery posts themselves (observe correct polarity with the meter)...Should be at least 13.5 volts DC at idle, 14 even better...If not, replace the alt before you go through another battery

 

Ok... so I got the new battery, installed it... and nothing. My lights still turn on... but everything else is still fucked. Anyone got any suggestions. My car is 86 N/A base.

 

FYI: If your alternator dies 95% of the time, all the idiot lights will come on. This is why it was asked above.

Its so that if you're driving along, hear a rock smack the underbelly of your car... and then all the idiot lights come on-- you know that you just broke the alternator belt.

If the lights didn't come on, you wouldn't know you were driving with out an alternator. 50 miles later, your car dies and you're thinking WTF, no warning?

 

Check your main fuse...

 

Which fuse would that be? Is it located in the fusebox near the battery compartment?

 

Engine bay fuse box, middle fuse, held in by 10mm bolts which must be removed first...

This one usually blows when the battery is not disconnected during alternator replacements or reinstalls...

 

hm.... i would say check the main fuse, but when my engine ground shorted, the main fuse (100Amp) blew... no power what so ever, starter doesn't click, NO electricity at all....

If Gruesome said his lights flip up/turn on, then the fuse should be fine.....
i am leaning towards the alternator being dead.....

but still look at the main fuse, see if the link is completely broken (if not u still have to replace it, but if it is still particially connected, it might give some power still, that happened to me.... didn't blow all the way...)

 

So your lights come on but nothing comes on when the key is put to ON.

Here's the deal: There is a ignition feed wire that runs from the fuse box AREA to the ignition switches harness. This SINGLE BLACK WIRE has a connector about six inches below the engine fuse box. It is a single connector. Only one wire being connected to another black wire. It is not unusual for SOMETHING to cause it to become disconnected during either maintanence or just fooling around in the engine fuse box area.

So take a look around the ENGINE fuse box. About four to six inches down from that fuse box.

If you had a meter, you could go to the ignition switches harness connectors. They are located about a foot from the ignition switch. ONE of those wires is BLACK. I'd pull that connection apart anc check for a constant 12v on the part coming from the direction of the engine compartment.