I was driving to school this morning, and after about 20 minutes my instrument lights in the dash started flickering for a few seconds. This happened like 3 or 4 times during my commute (about a 45 minute drive). I got to school, parked, and as soon as I turned my car off, the entire electrical system died. Now the car won't start, obviously. Anybody know what this is? Battery or Alternator?? Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I have to figure out whether I need to get the car towed or if its something I can fix here. Thanks guys.

 

alt

 

Could be alt, also check for loose batt cables

 

Alternator... if it was your battery, your car would not have lasted more than 10 minutes on the road.

 

Battery

Although sometimes a bad battery will ruin an alternator and visa versa

 

bad ground? Check your battery terminals first.

 

anybody know off hand how much a new alternator costs?

 

Battery because when you were driving, the alternator was the only thing giving you power. That's why as soon as you turned off the engine, it won't start because now alternator is not turning to give you any electrical power.

 

well, i went up there tonight to take some shit out of my car (gonna get it towed in the morning) and there wasn't enough juice for the keyless entry to work, but the dome light did come on when i opened the door. i put the keys in the ignition just for the hell of it, and when i turned some of the dash lights did come on, but then they quickly went off. so i'm thinkin there still is a minimal amount of juice left in the battery.

 

Get it boosted rather than having it towed... its a lot cheaper. And, I agree witht he other posts, it is likely your battery.

 

I had a similar problem before. It was my alternator on my old '89 Maxima. If you go to autozone or Advance Auto parts, they'll test both for you for free.

 

If your alternator was bad (open circuit) the car would run until the battery goes dead, if the battery died while the car was running, then the car just won't restart.

Or scenario 3, the altenator goes bad (shorted diodes), car runs for awhile at the same time draining the battery power to ground, fluctuating power to the electrical circuits (flickering lights). Car could possibly die outwhile the engine is running, or it won't restart.

Sounds like scenario 3 from what you said about the lights flickering.

 

It sounds like the battery to me. I had similar problems a couple of years ago with my older lexus. You should check the battery terminals and see if they are corroded. If so, clean them with a wire brush dipped in baking soda and water. If there is corrosion it will block the flow of the electrical current. Also, if i were you, i would check the water level in the cells in the battery. If it is low, then fill it with distilled water up to the plastic filler neck. You might even wanna check the tightness of the battery cable ends. A loose batter connection will prevent your car from starting and acts the same as a dead battery. Good luck and i hope you figure it out and it isnt too serious.

luke

 

just swap the battery... would be cheaper than having it towed only to find out it was the battery.

start off with the easier stuff... if that doesnt work... move on to the other stuff like the alternator.