I have an 89 v6 3.3 that has been sitting for a while. It starts after a jump and we initially thought it was the battery. Replaced the battery, car started right up. We put it into gear, it dies. Tries to restart, acting like it has little/no power. We replaced the coils (all of them) and nothing. Possibly alternator? though I wouldnt think that would suck a battery dry that quickly. Any ideas welcome.

You mean it feels like battery is weak? Clean and tighten all the battery and ground connections, also could be the engine is close to seizing, get a wrench on the crank pulley and see if the engine turns over freely.

Your GM car is similar to my '93 Oldsmobile Ciera S.

After thirty years of driving and repairing my own vehicles, I finally "goofed" up a simple jump-start! ARRG!

I know I got my cables crossed in an emergency I had last night, in a storm. The jump start came from an F-350 diesel's battery.

When it happened, I suddenly remembered that the day before, I helped out another "dead battery" driver - he had no clue what was wrong with his vehicle. Then I made the mistake of letting him connect my jumpers on his car, thinking... "this guy looks like he knows what he's doing"... then I heard, "I think I got 'em right!" from under the hood (famous last words).

My already "cross-cabled" battery (complete with messed up temp and speedo gauges on my dash) didn't stand a chance on the next x-jump. The full-amperage "jolt" from a road crew's truck probably fried my whole electical system! Now what do I do? Possibly a fried chip? A diode? I'm not sure, in this case. I know that the GM voltage regulator is in the alternator. THAT I can easily replace.

The car starts fine and runs for a while, then just dies, acting like the battery is totally dead. Jump-start is the only way to get it going again.

Here's a 'moronic device' for remembering the sequence for the cables (I guess this is my own creation): "Dead Positive to the Live One - Negative to the Dead Car's Frame". It has worked for me all these years... up until recently... I think it was the YELLOW jumper cable that threw me... Dyslexia... or just old age.

What's the verdict on your car nimrodjess? I need to find out, so I can help my poor old Olds.

My dad's 89 (2.5) was killing batteries so we ended up replacing the starter. It was worn out (bearrings)and was draining the battery trying to start it. Be sure any new battery you put in is fully charged. Do not rely on the car to charge it strait from the store. Charge for several hours on a battery charger and see if it lasts any longer. The stalling may be a different problem if it does this all the time. I am not familar with your particular engine, but my dad's igniton module and crank sensor both were replaced just weeks before due to random starting issues. On his they were both connected to one another so we replaced both (ignition module was bad, but crank sensor looked awful). First thing to figure out is the battery drain/poor cranking.

Maybe this will help...

Your problem is similar to one I am having with my '93 Olds. It starts, even runs for miles but at the first traffic light... completely dead. Jump-starting is the only way to get going again. Crossed-up jumper cables are what got me messed up, in the first place. Here's some advice from Steve7654 at "Just Answer", that helped me decide what to do next.

The jump-starting of a vehicle can lead to electrical problems, also any mistakenly "crossed wires", even if just for a moment, can damage a system. Any situation with a "spark" is probably a good sign that you have just corrupted the system. Transient voltage spikes can and do damage electronic components. I'm not talking alternator diodes here; most modern vehicles have multiple (as many as 40 on some models) electronic control modules in everything from engine control systems to interior illumination to doors. Diagnosis of many of these requires a manufacturer specific scan tool, which you in all probability do not have available to you (they are far more expensive than oscilloscopes).

More in-depth electronic testing to identify the exact damage in your vehicle will likely require specialized equipment (such as a scan tool and logic probe). An alternator is easy to eliminate as a cause for the symptoms. Other components simply cannot be diagnosed without test equipment and the related factory diagnostic procedure for the system involved. For example, are you aware that on most new vehicle models (not your particular model year) the alternator field is controlled by the powertrain control module; the PCM monitors battery temperature through a battery temp sensor, and adjustes charging voltage by modulating the alternator field circuit in response? yep; no more voltage regulators, now a regulator failure means a new powertrain controller which must be programmed with a factory scan tool before it will be operational. There are more parts in the charging system to fail; components many people don't even know exist. Electrical problems could be caused by an incorrect jump-starting procedure.