lights went dim

[rhonsman]

hello. i am the guy who posted the thread "oil, oil everywhere". i still havent located the oil leak and now i have a new problem. i was driving the windstar on friday and the dash lights went dim, the radio went off, then the battery light on the dash came on and the headlights went very dim. the van also stated chugging and running rough when idling. what does this signify? alternator? will appreciate any responses. thanks.

[12Ounce]

How oil-wet is the belt?

[96wWindstar180K]

rhonsman
You could have any number of problems. As 12ounce asked how wet is the serpentine belt? Is the belt making any squeaking noise. Leave the engine running no lights on and see if you can pysically see the belt slipping. Also you could have got oil ino the alternator. Any burning smell? Did you check my suggestion about your leak to see if the power steering hose could be leaking. If the fluid is old and dirty it could look like oil. I have seen a few times where there appears to be no leak until you turn the wheel. It would give a good explanation of why there would be so much oil under the hood. Another test is to make sure the battery is charged. Remove the battery cable while the van is running. If it stays running the van is charging. Battery voltage across the terminals with the lights on should be around 14.0 to 14.7 volts. The reason the van runs rough is because the voltage is very low. If you turn off the headlights and turn on the flashers, keep the engine rpm up you can generally get it home if you have about ten minutes.

[rhonsman]

the serpentine belt appears to be dry. today the battery is dead. will check the power steering hose for leaking. dont know if this is the problem as there is sooo much fluid on driveway. thanks all for the help and suggestions. please keep em coming.

[rhonsman]

the alternator went bad on me. electrical system works like a charm now.