So here it is,
One night my car starts losing power then sputters and dies on me. I got it jumped and drove home with my foot on the gas during stops. Family and friends assured me that it was just the alternator. I replaced it, and it solved the problem. It ran fine for about a month, or til last night to be exact. I was driving along and them BAM losing power, sputters and dies. I acted quickly enough and got it to start again right away, and it was falling fast even with my foot jammed down on the excellerator then subsequently died. I've got AAA so I just had it towed home for free. Today we jumped it, its holding a charge and the alternator is working fine. Put a volt meter on it, the battery is holding a charge and the alternator is charging.
So, my question is. . . Is it the battery, the alternator or some other unseen electrical issue?
Pat, the broke single Dad with a 91 Sunbird.
Could it be a voltage regulator issue?
No on the regulator that is built into the alternator.I am not saying that a new reman is not known to fail.But it sounds more like your coil packs are going one or both.You can check these but if original they may be toast one or both getting weak.Now you did say you had to floor it! to keep it running TO me that sounds like maybe your fuel pump is going bad.Your car has a schrader valve to check the PSI of the fuel pump and yours should show 41-47 psi with regulator hose connected.You can rent this tool like from auto zone or advance to check.Unless after checking the fuel pump,maybe a weak injector or injectors could be a issue.I do not want to overload you with info.So I would check your fuel pressure 1st,then if within specs,I would start checking your coil packs and or ignition module.Too much to list steps.Any of these items can create the problem and having a good manual like a haynes shows how to check this stuff.I am LEANING towards it as a fuel problem overall!!! If the pump is not showing 41-47 psi you have to drop the fuel tank to remove and install a new pump.Took me 3hrs to do mine total and lubing the tank strap bolts before like a day,is good and you have to remove the fuel filler hoses,and put car up on jacks in rear more room.I got carried away.Disregard the electrical stuff,if fuel pump psi is lower than specs and plan on doing a new fuel pump.
Not to forget but posting any problems you have or questions you should post this over in the 2nd gen forum I know I will see it,and those more fluent with this engine and year.Just letting you know being I am in here alot along with lots of other 1st gen junkies who have similar stuff.
first things first Pat. check, clean and tighten all your connections especially the grounds. just because your battery and alt are working does not mean the power is going where it needs to go. rule out the simple things first.
Funny thing is when I had that same issue, It was not my battery or alternator. I replaced them both 3 times thinking they were bad. For me it was the started. It must have been so old it was slowly shorting out the car to the point I could not do a 5 min drive or the car would not restart. You could take your car to any parts store like Autozone, Advanced auto parts, napa and they can test the car and see if it is charging correctly and if there is anything wrong with the battery or alternator.
Also, if your car is like phase1 cars, there is a fuse for the alternator and cooling fan. If your fan doesn't come one your car most likely is not charging.
On the inside my car looks like a fighter jet.
So,
I limped the car in to town and had a diagnostic ran. The verdict? Alternator. Thankfully I have a warranty for that! He said the battery was weak but it wasn't the main issue and the starter was fine. He said that the alternator was not giving proper charge. . .
The only thing is, that I don't want to go through what Rob went through chasing this issue. The little recessed hole on the tensioner pulley is way too small for me to get a socket wrench in there (had no problems with my Lumina with the same engine) is there a better way to do it? Last time I had to pull up on the belt while I had a friend slip it off the alternator pulley, crazy hard to do.
Anyway, thanks for your help again guys!
Pat, the broke single Dad with a 91 Sunbird.
Those tools make it a ton easier. If you don't want to buy, I believe AutoZone does the tool loaner thing..
i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick
UPDATE:
So I found a tool to get the pulley to move, got the alternator off. Take it in to O'Reily's, and warranty out a new (re-manufactured) one. I say to the guy behind the counter "I've heard horror stories about people replacing the alternator 3+ times, can we test this new one before I take it home?" he obliges and takes both the one I took out and the replacement back to the tester machine and is gone for a while. He comes back and says that "there is nothing wrong with either alternator, I ran the test 3 times each". I was falling into a rage spiral at this point, but tried my best to remain calm "I was in here yesterday and had a diagnostic ran, your guy says to me it was defiantly the alternator" (keeping calm) then he gets a testy tone and says "It can't be, its gotta be a faulty connection somewhere. Check the cable that runs to the alternator for any defects and make sure you have a good battery" *FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU.......(internal dialogue)*
"So, you mean to tell me that- on the word of your guy. . . I tore this damn thing out for no damned reason?"
He apologised insincerely and said that its another issue. I made him give me the new one anyway. And what do you know? Car works fine now. Except the radio doesn't work anymore. . . Was this all cause by a short or something in the radio?
RagePat, Raging. S'how I roll.
Pat, the broke single Dad with a 91 Sunbird.
Umm do you have a aftermarket radio?Not that this matters but kind of.There is a ground wire for the radio that should be screwed or bolted in behind the head unit.I know on my 1st gen I did do this on my replace of my unit years back.If your radio is not working,check the fuse on the block or if aftermarket a inline fuse on the radio(mine has one).I do not want to over think this.
One more thing can you jiggle your ignition key and if there is any slop in it,could be a possible reason for radio not working.Try turning it slightly in small increments to see if radio powers up in accessorie mode and or even key ON and little movements.This is not uncommon I know my cav had a issue like this,and my mazda both key related.
There's a plug on your alternator. Take it out, and with the engine running, see what kind of voltage you're getting on the one wire. I'm not sure on 2nd gens, but it's probably a red one line 3rd gens. Better would be if you can get a probe for a meter in the back side, and take a reading with it plugged in. I worked on an F250 that would read voltage fine, but when you hooked it to the alternator you only got 6 volts, which was too low to turn the alternator on. It was due to a bad fused link on that line. It wouldn't surprise me on that old of a car to find that problem.
i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick
