is it my alternator?
Asked by denise_larocque Jun 20, 2009 at 05:38 PM about the 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I was at the store the other day and my would not turn. I received a boost but on my way on my power steering turned off aswell as my lgiht for the battery and oil went on (though i had an oil change last week and i did check to comfirm i have enough oil) as well my car would not accelerate. after putting my car in park, turning it off and restarting it everything was ok? it did not staul on me again but i am still worried it could be loose wiring or my alternator...
4 Answers
Doubt the alternator did it, loose battery connection, maybe EFI may cut out when grounding path is interrupted
get a volt meter and check the voltage of the battery before you start the car. then check the voltage after you start the car.. if your alternator is working you should get a reading around 14-14.6 volts.... if you get a reading like 12 or lower the alternator may be bad. sometimes even a bad battery will cause this b/c the alternator is charging too much. if you get a reading like 15 or higher. your battery is most likely bad. like i said check your voltages. then if your lucky try a salvage yard for a used/decent battery b4 buying a new one. then go from there.
JDOBMW325es answered 14 years ago
Seeing that the car is still starting after the fact, its likely that there could be a problem in the wiring harness.Likely a loose conection somewhere.
your serpentine belt turns your power steering pump only 3 reasons why the power steering would quit 1 Serpentine belt broke ------ would not have worked after restart 2 pump took a dump------ would not have worked after restart 3 which was what happened to you, the engine died your battery light came on because there was no voltage output reading from your alternator because the engine was not turning to turn your alternator same as the p/s pump your oil light came on because when the engine died there was no oil pressure. as for your problem there could be tons of reasons
