94 sl2 wont start, brakes cause lights to go off

when I got up this morning the car would not start, acted like a dead battery (dim lights, click on attempt to start). I jump started it with my truck, let it idle for a bit then drove it out the apartment complex. It was running rough, felt like misfiring, exhaust smelled VERY rich. I got it to the corner, then when i pressed my brakes to make the turn, it died imediatly. I ran over to my truck, drove it to the car, jumped it again, driove the truck to the next intersection (where i would have to slow down again to make a u turn to get back into the complex) and walked back to the car (which I left idling the whole time ~5 minutes). When I got in it drive very well (no missing, exhaust smelled fine) and brakes didnt cause any hiccups.

When I got home from work (I left the car at home) I attempted to start it again. No go, same thing. I jumped it, let it run for about 15 minutes on idle, got in and touched the brake pedel. It died almost imediatly. the lights got dim again. no start. When i press the brake pedel without it running the dome light, lights on the dash and key dinger all dim to a very low level, while I hear a click coming from the passenger side....

Well I cleaned the engine 2 days ago - I may have let some water get into the alt, so I am thinking I may have killed the alt and or battery. but the brake issue has me stumped. what in the system could cause that much electrical drain? or is the battery simply low enough that simply turning on the brake lights kills all the other lights in the car?

Another oddity is that one time while hitting the brake I pressed it lightly, the lights dimmed and I let up, almost immediatly after I pressed very hard on the brake, and all the lights came back up to almost full power (still seemed a little dim).

Well any thoughts would be well appreciated. I unfortunatly have none of my tools here (including my multimeter DOH!). I would hate to have it towed to find out it is somthing simpler than the alt/battery.

Thanks

i'd put money on the alternator, and change the battery at the same time if it is. lots of batterys are crap after one deep cycle. and yes the brake lights will drain that much power. you do have nine of them back there(i can tell the different when i have my LED bulbs in or not)

hmm where did you get the LED bulbs and do you think they are worth it?

Thanks for the response..

update: today i had a chance to actually pull the battery out *and had my trusty multimeter*

battery was fine, fullly charged. however the positive battery terminal incredebly corroded. a stiff wire brush and a little elbow grease, and my car is running again! Alternator putting out a good 14.5v at idle and about 6-7 amps :) Im happy :)

the difference between regular bulbs and LEDs are like night and day, summer and winner, auto and manual trans. they both have their ups and down, and its realy personal option. the biggest difference is current draw, LEDs draw FAR less. i just took my ohm meter to a few old bulbs, if my math is right, the 94 sl2s nine brake lights draw about 2.25 amps i don't know the current draw with LEDs but i would guess it would be at most 0.9 amps for the same nine bulbs. however i couldn't find the right size LED for the center light, so i custom made one. the low current is fine for brake lights but not fine or turn signals, most flashers(thermal) work off of current, LEDs act like a bulb blew and makes the lights blink faster than superman. but you can buy electionic flashers that will fix this. they also turn on quickier(just a little bit), so as brake lights during an emerganicy stop, you may need that extra tenth of a second. some people say LEDs are brighter, others don't. i think that brightness depends on the qualtiy you buy. but one problem LEDs have is they're only bright when looking at them straight on (maybe 30 degrees each way) where regular bulbs light up in every angle. another difference (maybe its a problem, maybe not) is LEDs don't let off heat. normally thats not a big deal but if i'm in a snowstorm i want any snow on my taillights to melt off. lastly LEDs cost more then Regular Bulbs (maybe $7 vs. $1.50) but they won't burn out, they may even outlive your car.

some auto stores have a small selection of LED bulbs (mine are from AutoZone), but you'll have a better luck online, check Ebay or http://www.superbrightleds.com/ . if you do install them you'll need to double check the color ether on the wrapper or testing it first, all modern day LEDs are clear, dispite the lighted color. and many are polarized so if its installed backwards, it won't light right.

Are they worth it? depends, you decide