92 Buick Lesabre, thought my alternator died, but now what??? Very strange

[libertykeys]

I have a 92 Buick Lesabre.

I was driving it and suddenly the battery meter light came on and showed the battery losing power.

A few seconds later the car stalled, I lost power steering and brakes (the pedal could not be pushed) But I still had lights and radio etc....

I then put in a new car battery. Drove the car for about 10 miles and the same thing happened.

So then I had a new aternator put in, I was sure it was the alternator. Then I drove it for 10 miles, same thing happened.

The funny thing is that I waited about 20 minutes after the car died, and tried to restart it. The car then worked perfectly.

It does this every time now, stops after 10 miles or so, I wait 15 minutes and everything is fine. Sometimes it will run longer.

We thought it might be water in the gas tank, and I put in some dry gas. That has not solved the problem as of yet.


Can you think of anything this might be?? Possibly ignition coil, computer system?? I have no idea.

[HotZ28]

Put a volt meter across the battery terminals with the car running. You should read 13.6 to 14.5v. Now, turn the engine and all acessories off and check voltage on the battery again. This time, it should read 12.6v. If all this checks OK, time to consider replacing the crank position sensor (CKPS) or the ignition control module. BTW, I assume that your battery cables and alternator feed wire are clean & tight.

[spinne1]

Also, check your error codes if any. To check:

Pulling the computer codes:

When the "Check Engine" light comes on, it means you should open the hoodand check the engine. Yup, that's an engine all right :-) Now what?
Don't waste your money on one of the "scanners" from the parts store. A full fledged diagnostic machine is another matter, but a paperclip can accomplish all that the parts store scanners can.

Under the steering wheel by the driver's knees you'll see a connector with two rows of pins. That is the ALDL (Assembly Line Diagnostic Link) connector.Pin A is in the upper right-hand corner (as you're looking at it), PinB is right beside it.
Bend a paper clip or small piece of wire into a U shape and insert it into both pins A and B so that they are connected together.
Turn the ignition switch to the ON position, but don't start the car.
You'll see the "Check Engine" (or "Service Engine Soon" on some models) light flash some codes.
Error codes are two digits, and the light flashes out the first digit, pauses, and then the second digit. It will repeat each code two more times (total of three) before displaying the next one. The first and last code will always be a code 12 (flash, pause, flash, flash, long pause, repeat). This code is normal and means that no tach signals are making it to the computer (because the engine isn't started). If you don't get a code 12, something is wrong with your jumper or your computer.
Make a note of any codes that come up and look them up on the internet (or post here and someone will help you)

Remember to remove the jumper before running the car.
If you think you've fixed a problem and need to clear the existing computer error codes, just disconnect the battery (for a few seconds is plenty) and reconnect it.

[richtazz]

Have you checked to see if you have serp belt driven pulley that is going bad? How's the belt look? If the belt is shiny and/or frayed, if a pulley bearing is getting hot and binding/locking up, it would cause what you describe.