Low oil car shut off

[billyc666]

hello i have a 2003 grand am auto with a 2.2 the other day the battery light came on and my car just died. it started right back up, went sluggish for a mile and stalled again. thinking a battery problem a couple of hours later a friend came with some cables, but oddly enough it started up on its own again. only to stall out in less than a mile. my friend suggested i check the oil, which was about quart and a half low, the car started right up . it seemed to run pretty well, the battery light came on again but the car seemed okay. the second i touched the rear defrost button the car all the lights went on, my dash looked like a Christmas tree. im at a loss. i know my air filter needs changing as well but not sure how that would come into play.

[billyc666]

it does seem like its not getting something, its got fuel and turns over after setting for a few hours, but it just seems like somethings clogged. thats why i was wondering about the air filter.

[Tech II]

low oil did not shut the car off.....by the way, when was last oil change? Have you checked for leaks?

Your battery reserve is low probably because of the alternator not charging....reason car restarted without a jump was, because battery is still good and able to "recover"....but any kind of load(like rear defroster), will kill the car because the alternator is not charging enough....once the battery voltage drops to 9.6 volts, the PCM(computer) can't function....

Easy to check alternator.....put voltmeter across the battery......should read 12.6 volts on a fully charged battery(yours will be less)....start car....should read over 13.0 volts, closer to 14.0 volts....now load the system....put on wipers, lights, heater blower on high, rear defogger.....as you turn each on, the voltage should drop, but finally not much less than 12......and if you rev the engine to 1500 rpms, should easily go towards 13.0 volts.....if it doesn't, then it's an alternator......

If due for an oil change, change it, don't just add....get an air filter.....get an alternator(many places like Sears, AutoZone, etc., will check it for free).....

By the way, last tuneup? sounds like maintenance on this vehicle is lacking....

Also, once oil is changed, keep checking the oil level on a consistant basis.....
GM considers a loss of a quart under 2000 miles a concern....

[thephantom1492]

I agree with tech II about the alternator being the prime suspect.
There is some case where the battery light won't turn on when the alternator is faulty. It also explain all of your symptoms and problem. The car basically need 2 things to work: fuel and electricity. The electricity is made by the alternator and stored in the battery for when the alternator can't provide enought power and for when it simply do not run. Your friend when he boosted you actually put more energy in the battery than what it needed to start the car (remember, he started with the boost cable connected, so actually used his battery to start your car). You then run a bit before running out of electricity.

When you run out... the car computerS (yes, plurial) go crazy: some reset, other crash and reset... You have a few computers: ECU (also called PCM, it control the engine and transmission), BCM (control the body: lights, trunk release, anti-theif and other), ABS/cruise control, airbag, the radio (yes, it's part of the system), the instrument cluster... And possibly more computers here and there, depending on the options.

Bro's car... when the dealer broke the alternator wire (no comment on that one), bro said that the battery light was on, the car felt weird, lacking power. Then he lost the speedometer, then the RPM gauge starting going totally crazy, from 0 to max to 0 and so on, until it stopped working. He turned in an appart parking as to not block the street, engine died... He tried to start it back, trunk opened! Yup, the BCM crashed and opened the trunk, before resetting itself back to proper function... and crashing again at next start attempt and so on... This prove that weirdness can happend.