It's dead!

Well, I finally chanced taking my 99, 3.4l on a trip that takes more than an hour. It appears that although I won a bit in the slots in Reno, it will not be enough to resurrect this monstrosity.

On the way there, the temp gauge got up to 3/4 where it usually stays at one half. I just had the water pump replaced a month ago and the dealership said it was ready to go, but that bothered me, but it got me there and cooled back to normal, so I didn't think much about it.

But, on the way home last night, about 140 miles from home, the charging system, (battery), light came on, but the car seemed fine and being that far from home at 9:30 on a Sunday night, I kept going. About 20 miles later the antilock light came on, 10 more and the air bag started blinking, 5 more and the security light came on, 3 more the headlights and all of the instrument panel turned off. I got 2 more miles into a gas station parking lot so I was at least off the freeway and it just died out.

Trying to turn it back on and all the electrical was reset. The security light is on and the clock rest in the radio to 1:00. There is still power in the battery as all interior lights and the dash gauges worked when I tried to turn it back on to see if it was just a fluke that might reset itself. But since it had reset, the passlock was activated, so it doesn't turn over. I tried leaving it for the 10 minutes in the on position, but 6 minutes in there was a bunch of clicking under the hood and the headlights, which came on since it was dark, were flashing with the clicking, so I turned it back off.

Now to my question; does this sound like the alternator died, or do I have a much bigger problem? If it was the alternator, it appears to be at the top of the motor, is it something you can change all from above the car or is there a tensioner that I have to get under the car to deal with? Any thoughts of where I should start would be greatly appreciated!

Oh, just incase you want to hear the way the rest of the night went, we called AAA and they said a truck would be there within 2 hours. One got there in about an hour. The driver loaded us up and then realized we needed to go 100 miles as he had misheard our destination from his dispatch. He had already been working 14 hours and didn't feel safe driving that far, so we took a tour around the city of Davis while he found the other night driver. When we get there, it is determined that the second driver is not allowed to drive the truck that our car is on. They proceed to unload the car from one flatbed and then put it on a rickety old stand truck with no real room for 2 passengers, never mind the bird cage I had to now hold in my lap. (The original truck had a back seat and was automatic so the bird wasn't an issue). This new guy then says he has to backtrack to fuel up before he takes us home. It has now been 2.5 hours since we called AAA. Then after hitting every hole in the freeway that he could in a truck that I swear had no suspension and 2 full hours of driving to go 92 miles, he got in the parking lot of our apartment. I direct him to the far end of the lot where he has room to just pull straight forward and drop the car into a fairly wide space and he has the truck crooked and gets the car a foot into the next spot on an angle. He pulls forward and I say I need to move it over, but he takes off and then stops on the road in front of the complex and stays there the whole time I am pushing the car to get it into one spot, fun to do by yourself when the power steering isn't working and your wife is trying to calm the traumatized bird after being bounced off it's perch a few times during the trip. Then, just after I finish moving it, the driver then pulls away. I am thankful for the 100 mile towing limit for AAA, since I got close enough to home before it died that the tow was covered, but the extra 3 hours that it took and the back and butt pain from that nasty truck were not appreciated!

So please, tell me my repair won't cost me more than the 2 grand I paid for the car in March!!!!!!!


Thanks,

Now, as my name already said, I'mBroken

Problem sounds like a loss of 12 volts due to the various failures and indications. I would definitely suspect the alternator. Once the serpentine drive belt is loosened it is not that difficult to replace it DIY. There is a tensioner underneath the alternator where you can loosen the belt.

Interesting and bummer of a story but at least you made it back home safely.

BTW - Also, get the battery tested. Good luck!

Thanks bnaylor. I was waiting for your response as it seems you usually know what what ailes these creatures of evil.

I'll pull both the altenator and the battery after work tomorrow and bring them to Autozone the next day to get them tested.

Oh, since the electric died, I suppose the passlock on the radio will be activated. Is there a way to find out the reset code without going to the dealership?

Thanks again.

Thanks bnaylor. I was waiting for your response as it seems you usually know what what ailes these creatures of evil.

I'll pull both the altenator and the battery after work tomorrow and bring them to Autozone the next day to get them tested.

Oh, since the electric died, I suppose the passlock on the radio will be activated. Is there a way to find out the reset code without going to the dealership?

Thanks again.

You're welcome. You'll only have to worry about the radio Theftlock if you had a security code put in. When you get everything fixed and connect the battery just check to see if it says LOC. If it does the link below has the only procedure around lately that works on most GM/AC Delco radios and allows access:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=310354&highlight=theftlock

Good luck!

Thanks again!

Well, I got it off. Broke the eye connector for the positive input and took a big chuck out of my nuckle, but it is off. The double bolt for the eye was a bear even after I had it out of the car I had to put a pair of Mountain bike handlebars over the ratchet and a long pry bar in the box end of the wrench to break the nut free. Oh well, could have been worse.

I also didn't have a break bar for the tensioner, so I found that this little 3/8 ratchet I had was small enough to fit between the frame and the tensioner and with the handlebars to extend it, it worked to take the tension off.. Funny thing is, once I had the belt off and let the tensioner go, it goes farther out and closer to the frame, so my ratchet is staying in the tensioner until I put the altenator back in as it won't come out with it being so close to the frame.

I am going to drop both it and the battery off at Autozone in the morning to see if they are defective. It sounds funny, but I hope the altenator is bad, because it is the cheapest part to replace when you think that is might be the computer that has gone. That is possible though. When I went to smog it, the computer wouldn't tell the smog system the engine speed, so it may be the problem and I expect that costs much more than the altenator.

Wish me luck!

Thanks for the update. On the PCM computer there are a bunch for various years and engine size Aleros for around $55.00 or so up on Ebay. But the 12 volt input and sense input is critical for proper PCM operation to include proper grounding. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Ok, I can only hope it is fixed.

The fun just never stops with this problem. I brought the battery and alternator to Autozone this morning and the battery supposedly tested bad. I'm not sure if it really was though as both the staff member and the manager didn't know how to put the alternator on the tester to test it. Silly me bought a battery while I was there. I should of waited and had it tested at a place that can run their own test equipment!

I ask them where I can get the alternator tested and they say Midas about a mile away. I had to get to work, so I called Midas later in the day and they say they don't bench test parts like that. But they suggest I go to Kragen. Guess where Kragen is....right across the road from Autozone! Since I had been sent to Midas, I had assumed that Kragen didn't do testing. I guess Goober one and two at Autozone are a bit to dense to be think that customer service is important and think that they will profit by me comming back to buy from them after I get it tested elsewhere. Sorry about their luck!

At lunch I go to Kragen and the guy there has no trouble hooking up the alternator, on the identical machine as the one in Autozone. The strange thing is that as soon as the test starts, it says that all three parts of the test failed. It doesn't even spin the thing before it fails. Therefore I think, great, another person that can't use their own equipment. I don't want to buy a part when I'm not sure the old one is broken. I suggest that he hook up a new one to see if the tester is working. The new one tests out just fine, so I guess mine was really screwed. Here is a good part though. IO don't pay attention as I pay for it and when I get back to work, I look and see I paid 150 bucks! I look on-line and the thing is only 128 bucks. I call the store and they say that on-line is always cheaper and I need to bring a print of the web page if I want that price. The guy was nice about it though and said if I brought the page in he would refund the difference. I go in on my way home and he does the paperwork. I wait at the cashier and the credit card machine screws up. He then needs to do the paperwork again and I stand in line again to finally get the refund.

I ended up putting a battery terminal conector on the end of the positive wire for the alternator as none of the stores I went to had the right size connector to replace the one I broke yesterday.

I got it on and put the battery in. With all the troubles I have had I still just turned it to the on position for 14 minutes, turned it off and then started it. Amazingly, it all worked. Even the radio worked even though there is supposedly theftlock on the one I have. At least it says theftlock on the top of the radio.

I have driven it around the block and everything still appears ok. I may not have needed the battery, but if it keeps running, I guess I should be happy and leave well enough alone.

This ends my rant.....for now!!!!!!!!

Another interesting story and you can rant all you want. Alero and other GM "N" body car owners are normally quite adamant.

Hopefully everything hangs in there. As long as it works is all that matters.

Problem sounds like a loss of 12 volts due to the various failures and indications. I would definitely suspect the alternator. Once the serpentine drive belt is loosened it is not that difficult to replace it DIY. There is a tensioner underneath the alternator where you can loosen the belt.

Interesting and bummer of a story but at least you made it back home safely.

BTW - Also, get the battery tested. Good luck!

I have to agree with you on that one. alternator. I bet you thats what it is. I wouls also replace the batt. as well. The reason being is that a bad cell in a batt. can send a surge back to the alternater, and now you are back where you started. Thats my 2 cents or maybe 3 cents.mmmmmm

I am sorry, but I almost laughed out loud reading your story. You should make a movie. Maybe this is why the Gen'l killed Olds.

I am sorry, but I almost laughed out loud reading your story. You should make a movie. Maybe this is why the Gen'l killed Olds.

Nothing to be sorry about. Hell, it was just so ludicris that it was all I could do to not laugh about it.

To that end though, I dumped the car after I got it running again. I paid 2 grand for it in March, put about 1600 into it since then and got 3750 as a trade on a Nissan Frontier, so it worked out, but I would have never trusted that thing more than 100 miles from home where AAA would not drag me back!