97 Century Custom Died While Driving

[CivicSpoon]

I've recently started driving my grandmothers '97 Buick Century Custom, because my car is off the road for various issues. Today, I suddenly had problems with it.

On the way to my friends house, I noticed a fairly loud belt noise. It wasn't a squeal, it was just loud, and clearly a belt. I didn't really think much about it, after it was parked in his driveway. This was around 2pm.

Around 9pm, he asked me to move my car, so I parked it in the street. At that point, I still wasn't thinking about the noise earlier. So I can't really recall if it made the noise or not, but I don't believe it did.

10pm comes around and I leave to go home. I definitely did not hear the noise. So I get about 3 miles down the road, and the ABS light goes on. We had a wheel bearing replaced a few months ago, so I thought maybe another one was bad, causing the light to go on again. So I hop on the highway, and get about halfway home (13 something miles for the total trip, so I'll say around 7 miles distance traveled). Suddenly my airbag light flashes quick, stays off for a good minute or so, and then comes back on, and stays lit. Closest exits were to the country area, so I kept driving. A minute later, the battery light comes on. Another minute my A/C stops blowing cold air. Dashboard lights begin to dim, headlights begin to dim. Finally realize I need to pull off the highway and park it. By the time I get to the stop light at the end of the offramp, my dash and headlights are almost completely dim, turn signals don't work (though they did light up on the dash briefly), and I have no idea if my brake lights weer working. Light turns green, and the car is struggling to even move. Pull into a BK parking lot and turn off the car.

I tried to restart the car, but it wouldn't even come close to turning over. I could hear the starter clanking once every time I turned the key over. I honestly don't have much expertise with automatic cars. But it just didn't sound right, it was just 1 loud clank, not 3 or more like I'd expect. I popped the hood and looked around for any loose wires (thank god for my cellphones bright flashlight app), as well as a loose connection at the battery. I didn't find anything that appeared out of the ordinary.

So that's basically where I'm at now. I can only think of 2 or 3 possibilities. 1 being the coil packs being bad (I'm not really all that sure about this possibility). 2 the battery being bad (not convinced about this either). Or 3, the alternator being shot or possibly seized. The reason I'm leaning towards the alternator is from the belt noise I heard earlier, and the electrical issues coming the way they did (lights not all coming on at once). I figure the alternator stopped working, and the battery slowly drained itself. Another occurrence today was that it was pouring rain for a while. Figured I'd throw that in, in case it throws any red flags for anyone (and it's what is leading me to believe there is a possibility of the coil packs going bad).

Not only is it not my vehicle, but it's also the only mode of transportation during the day for my mom and grandmother. I plan to take the alternator to autozone or pepboys tomorrow, and have it tested. Seeing as how it is so easy to get to (ironic that it's easier to get to than my Honda Civic ) I figure it will be the easiest to check first. But any and all ideas or suggestions are GREATLY appreciated.

[GTP Dad]

The alternator is bad and will need replaced. Also replace the belt and check the tensioner pulley to make sure everything is good. You will need to recharge the battery before you start the car because if it is not charged it will damage the new alternator. One other thing, make sure that the battery is disconnected before you connect the wires to the alternator otherwise you can damage the alternator.

[CivicSpoon]

Yup, the alternator was the problem. I didn't change the belt though, it looked almost brand new. No loss of grooves, no cracks or scrapes, no signs of deterioration at all. The identification paint on it was still bright, as it would be when you get it from an auto parts store. Only mind lapse of the day was trying to open the trunk with the keyless remote, when the battery was disconnected .

Thanks for the help GTP Dad, I appreciate it.