My mr2 is dieing help

I was doing about 80 and i think my car shut of mid acceleration, she started back up after i let of the clutch i'm thinking not normal. On the way home she's making this loud damn tick tick tick sound but at a very fast pace, at this point i'm thinking something in a cylinder is going out alright think of a slight metal grinding sound my car is doing that. It shuts of about every 2-3 minutes especially with the radio on (so we know at least part of it is electrical perhaps even alternator. My dad thinks it could be a combination of several things perhaps a hydraulic lifter going ary, and to further support that point when i bought it i was told that it burns a quart about every 3000 miles so i added a quart when the oil light came on (figuring that would solve the problem. and then the next day a guy ran his car into my quarter pannel but that's beside the point. I just checked the the alternator belt which i now know it seems to be the same belt everything else uses. also while driving home it was seeming to lurch alot (I figured becuase it wasm't sparking very well). 1991 n/a
help me please!

the best way to check the alternator would be to turn on the car and disconnect the battery.. if the car stays running then the alternator is fine if it shuts down then its bad.. but for your other problems a great idea would be to post this same post on the mr2 owners boards.. alot more tech people will be able to help you there.. its at www.mr2ownersclub.com

Hey,
Not to go over the last guy's head or anything, but I'm pretty sure ANY car will stop if you pull the battery lead while it's running. Furthermore, I recommend against you even trying cos it can cause what is called a "load dump" - a condition where the voltage can suddenly spike to 100 volts or more (momentarily) and kill some of your electrical system. Trust me on that one - I'm an automotive electronics engineer :o)

Just start by process of eleimination - look for simple things first, loose/shorting battery terminals, measure the voltage while the engine is running to check the voltage is staying relatively stable (alternator), check for dodgy ground straps or any dodgy wiring in general, water in the distributor, cracked caps, (in fact every part of the ignition system should be checked). Check any dodgy stereo installations' wiring - could be unfused and shorting every now and then.

here buddy i tell it to u easy when u start ur MR2 leave it on. Then u turn every electrical system that u have on i mean everything if u car doesnt die then ur alternator is fine, but then somthing more serious is going on. with that ticker if its loud were to the point its like somone is banging on your hood. thats what we call engine knock my friend. Your engine is gone. SORRY. but if its soft tick then it could be your lifters. if its is only happens in some gears, must be your trans. I hate to hear that about a mr2 i love them. i have one myself.Good luck