Hi there,

My wife parked the car ('93 240 Wagon) and later went out to go to the store and the car was dead. I got out my handy dandy Portable power supply and jumped the battery - the car started. I went and bougt a new battery and thought everything was fine. BUT, as I was driving on the freeway and turned on the lights, the gas gauge started going down very quickly and steadily. The ABS light came on, and then the SRS light came on. The dash lights started dimming and the engine performance became erratic. I stopped at a gas station and looked under the hood. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I had the car checked at an auto parts store and even took out the coil and had it checked. The results were inconclusive.

When I drive it without the lights on, the car seems fine. But with the lights on, or the heater or the emergency flashers, the car has problems. I don't have the money to play the "buy a new electrical device" (alternator, or an ECM, or any other device) and find out that the problem still exists.

Has anyone had similar problems or have suggestions as to where to start?

Thanks,
Eric

 

Hi Eric,

Sure sounds like your alternator is toast. A good way to tell is to simply check it with a volt meter. You can buy a cheap digital VOM meter at Wal-Mart and check it yourself if you don't know of anyone that has one. Your battery voltage without the engine running should be around 12.8 to 13.2v. With the engine running the voltage should be anywhere from 13.8 to 14.2 volts. Good luck and be sure to report back as to what your problem is.

Dale