Ok this is really getting to me. I can deal with the common electrical issues (i.e. dead wiper switch, dead idiot lights, ect.) but what happened to me today is just getting frustrating. I drove to work this morning, great fun drive, no problems whatsoever. Then, after i get off, i went to the local o'reilly store to get some fluids and stuff. Drove fine. Get in the car after oreilly's, starts up fine, but when i push my brake pedal down, stereo resets like the power get switched off for just a sec. so i start home from there(about 20 min. drive) and every time i hit the brakes, stereo dies for a sec, and voltage meter drops far a sec. this happens whenever i use the brakes, use my turn signals, and especially when i use the hazard lights. except for when i use the hazards, the voltage meter drops a whole lot further, and the engine run fairly rough. everything seems to get worse as i drive home. this has happened to me once before, except the battery was dead, and when i got jumped off, the same symptoms were present. i charged the battery at home, and when it was re-installed, everything worked fine. Any input on this will help greatly. thanks

 

Sounds like your alternator is not working.

The voltage while the engine is running should be about 13.5 volts.

Anything under 12.6 volts and the car is running only on the battery.

 

alternator?

 

oops you beat me to it.

 

but it did this before and we ran the car on the alternator (unplugged the battery while running) and it ran fine. but even if it was the alternator, wouldnt you think it would be like this all the time? i mean i unplugged the battery and charged it and it ran fine up until now..... i dunno though.

 

i hate these cars sometimes. All i can think of is maybe some wires are crossing somewhere. maybe a previous did some shitty wiring on the sterio. sorry i couldn't help u.

 

YOU RAN THE CAR WITH THE BATTERY NOT CONNECTED???

That is the quickest way to blow the entire electrical system of the car and destroy an alternator. Next time just go out and connect the battery leads backwards (no don't really do that, I am being sarcastic).

The internal regulator needs the battery voltage as a reference, without it a good condition alt can go ballistic trying to send out enough voltage to read something.

You are lucky you didn't smoke everything.

Again, go out and read the voltmeter in the car... as I said before:
And never ever ever disconnect a battery while an engine is running with on an import car with an alternator that has an internal regulator.

 

man i didnt know that... my dad "suggested" to me to try that and since it was his idea, "helped" me do it.... i guess if stuff starts to fry, ill blame him. but i guess im pretty lucky that nothing died because of that... i regrounded the ecu while ago, not that i thought that it would help this problem or anything, i just wanted to work on the car and that was next on the list. i have more questions, but there off topic so ill have to start a new thread.....