Hey all you brilliant car-knowledgable types! My car--at times--loses power

[joeybee12]

It just happened on the freeway--just lost it. I was able to pull over, and then when I restarted it, it was fine. Has happened before, mainly when it's warm and I leave it for a couple minutes--run into the store or something--then come back and it won't start. I've sort of hit the connections to the battery and that does the trick, or maybe it's just coincidental. Any ideas as to what might be causing this are greatly appreciated! :hi:

[MrCoffee]

1. Fuel problem?

Could be your fuel pump is going, or maybe a clog in the fuel line.

[joeybee12]

6. Would that make it lose power completely...when I shut it off and

then shut it back on, everything reset itself...the clock also.

[MrCoffee]

8. If it's electrical power, probably not

I misunderstood your OP. My bad.

[KitchenWitch]

2. Is it electrical power you are losing or acceleration power?

[joeybee12]

4. Electrical power...it just stopped right now...everything went...

...no lights, nothing. But then shutting it off and then turning it back on it was fine.

[KitchenWitch]

9. Is the alternator belt tight?

[haele]

3. Onboard computer flaking out?

Alternator going?

Both have caused that problem in my vehicles.

Good luck.

Haele

[joeybee12]

5. I think my car is too old for the onboard computer...

....would the alternator make it lose power completely?

Thanks!

[KitchenWitch]

12. If the alternator is going or the belt is not tight

your battery will lose charge and not get recharged. So the short answer is yes.

[Oeditpus Rex]

24. If the alternator isn't charging the battery

the car wouldn't start again.

[KitchenWitch]

26. But if the alternator is still charging it a little, it would

Maybe the alternator is on its way out.

[Oeditpus Rex]

33. If the alternator is bad enough that the engine stops running

it ain't charging the battery.

Cars have batteries for one purpose: to provide power to the starter to start the engine. When the engine is running, power to the primary ignition system (distributor and spark plugs) comes from the alternator, whose secondary function is to keep the battery charged.

When an engine dies from electrical starvation, the alternator isn't generating enough current to fire the plugs, so the battery takes over. But batteries won't run an ignition system for long on their own, so they're gonna lose the juice needed to crank the starter.

[joeybee12]

37. Could it be that the alternator is going...not gone...like KitchenWitch

suggested and causing these intermitten problems. Again, it seems to happen when it's warm out. Thanks.

[Oeditpus Rex]

42. Do me a favor and jump down to #22

I really need more to go on. Thanks.



Okay, wait — I overlooked something. Is this happening only after short trips? If that's the case, the alternator could be merely weak, not gone, and your battery could still have enough amperage to crank the starter.

[joeybee12]

47. I haven't gone on a long trip lately...and yes, it is short trips...

...again, but only when it's warm. 1995 Buick Lesabre...the battery is only about a year old.

[Oeditpus Rex]

50. Okay, then I'm going with my 'Oh, wait' guess above

And I underscore "guess," as that's what it is; it's very difficult to diagnose engine problems without actually messing with the engine (which is why mechanics always say "Bring it in").

There's a simple test you can do, though it's not conclusive, but it does help steer you in the right direction: With the engine running, pull the battery's ground cable from its post. (Don't worry, you won't get shocked — unless the terminal somehow touches the positive post.) If the engine immediately dies, the alternator's bad enough to warrant replacement.

By doing this, you eliminate the battery from the electrical system, letting the alternator do all the work on its own. If the engine dies, the alternator's not up to the job. If it keeps running, however, you're back to square one.



Edit: I was just poking around a carsurvey.org board for '95 LeSabres, and one guy said his was on its fifth alternator. Hmmm...

[joeybee12]

52. Thanks...I'll give it a try...

...5th, huh, mine's on its first.

[LisaM]

7. Check your alternator. We had this happen.

A few times the car wouldn't start but it seemed otherwise fine. All of a sudden it just lost power one day - the turn indicators wouldn't work and just starting it drained off electricity. We were about 70 miles away from home and managed to limp to a Shucks auto parts store which THANKFULLY was oepn (it was a Sunday night). We bought a brand new battery which gave us enough power to make it home and the next day we got a new alternator.

Check your distributor cap too.

[MrCoffee]

11. Most good auto parts stores will check your alternator for you

[LisaM]

16. They did check it for us

But they don't install alternators and we weren't really equipped to do so ourselves in a parking lot at night. But yeah, you're right.

[MrCoffee]

18. Oh, sorry, I was telling the OP and agreeing with your advice

lol, I need to get out of this thread, I'm just making a mess of it.

[LisaM]

23. I figured that out but decided that I would still tell the story

So that she would haste herself to an alternator store. Nothing worse than having the electricity suddenly stop on your car!

[LisaM]

17. They did check it for us

But they don't install alternators and we weren't really equipped to do so ourselves in a parking lot at night. But yeah, you're right.

[PVnRT]

32. Agreed, especially if it's an older GM

[flvegan]

10. Are the battery terminals heavily corroded?

That can sporadically interfere with your juice.

[joeybee12]

30. Could be...I tried cleaning them, but I'm not at all mechanically

inclined...I tend to think it's something else since this tends to happen when it's warm out.

[RebelOne]

13. I recently had that problem. My car just died.

I had to replace the alternator.

[BOSSHOG]

14. How many miles do you have on your fuel filter?

You may need a new one. What you describe MAY be caused by a clogged fuel filter. Hope it works out alright for you.

[joeybee12]

27. Is that vapor lock?

It does happen when it's warm out...cold weather and it's fine!

[Oeditpus Rex]

40. Vapor lock is a result of fuel in the fuel line overheating

to the point that it vaporizes, like boiling water, and the fuel pump won't pump it because of the change in pressure.

Modern cars don't get vapor lock because the fuel pump is in the tank and pushes the fuel instead of sucking it out of the tank.

Nature may abhor a vacuum, but she also often relies on one.

[joeybee12]

43. My car is a 95 Buick...probably old enough to still experience

vapor lock if that's what it is. Could that cause a car to completely lose power?

[Oeditpus Rex]

46. No

Vapor lock was eliminated long before 1995. The only car I ever personally knew of to get it was a '63 Ford Galaxie, and that was at altitude — en route to Lake Tahoe — where the lower air pressure affects the fuel vaporization temperature. And even then, the engine didn't die, just ran sluggishly.

[Inchworm]

15. That was a common thing that happened to my last van

I got it for a steal because the mechanics couldnt figure out what was causing it.

A few buds and I got a couple cases of beer and started poking around. After a few hours we solved it. There was a short in the wiring harness. The way the harness was routed it was located directly under the drain on radiator.

We figured the antifreeze corroded the wire. We spliced it with some speaker wire. (ok- we were pretty buzzed at this point)

It never gave me any more trouble.

Good luck.

:)

[VenusRising]

19. Is there nothing Southern men can't fix

with a case of beer and a few buds?

:rofl:

[Inchworm]

34. Once we turned our hats around backwards

It was game on :P

:rofl:

[VenusRising]

39. I know that scene well.

I miss being in the South.

Also from my observations, poke things with sticks. I don't know how that figures in, but it always seems to spur on some kind of breakthrough.

:rofl:

[Inchworm]

41. Oh shit, I'm crying

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

The way we found the short in the wire is a big boy sat on the fender and it died. That was our breakthrough. For like 45 minutes we'd start van, he'd sit on fender and the van would die. We traced everywhere the stuff moved under there and poked stuff with a screwdriver.

Voila!

Oh.. too funny you made that observation!!

:loveya:

[VenusRising]

45. That's a great story.

:rofl:

:toast:

:loveya: back!!

[BOSSHOG]

25. Damn straight

There is nothing that can't be fixed without a couple of beers. I need to go out back and chainsaw the tree in my backyard mother nature decided to topple yesterday. But a few beers are in order first.

[Inchworm]

36. I have the same task ahead of me

I'm using the excuse that I'll wait til the wood dries first. That'll buy me a little time :P

:hi:

[BOSSHOG]

48. My Lazy Genes are kicking in

and I've been perusing the yellow pages for tree removal services. Also have a hellacious brush pile just since the fall. Its to such a size now that I don't want to burn it.

[CreekDog]

20. Vapor Lock!

Remember what I told you:



(ps-I really do lean towards vapor lock because of the warm engine/won't start thing)

[joeybee12]

28. Oh Lord! I was thinking of this episode the entire drive home!

Where's Joe Namath when you need him???

[TrogL]

49. That picture is creeping me out

What episode is taht from and :wtf: is going on?

[CreekDog]

55. I think it was the episode where Homer coaches the team

makes Bart the quarterback, even though he's terrible and Bart asks Joe Namath for advice. Joe was in the neighborhood because his car had a problem. After giving no advice to Bart, because he was interrupted by the lady in his car saying, "it was just vapor lock", he says to Bart, "remember what I told you."

this episode is partially a take off on the Brady Bunch episode with Namath.

[krispos42]

21. What kind of car? What year?

Might be relevent.

[joeybee12]

29. Old car...95 Buick LeSabre.

[Oeditpus Rex]

22. Can't make a diagnosis based on this

For starters (no pun intended), can we have the make and model of the car?

When it doesn't start, what does it do? Does the starter crank the engine? If so, at normal speed or slowly? If not, does the solenoid make that "click"? Or is there nothing at all?

Does it do this only shortly after it's been driven or does it also happen with a cold engine?

Approximately how many times has this happened? Is the result always the same — it eventually starts?

Do you know how old the battery is?

[joeybee12]

44. 1995 Bucik LeSabre...doesn't happen cold, only after gone for a while...

...most often happens when it has been running and I stop for a few minutes, and then try to start it--dead. Happened on the highway today...after 2 minutes into the drive after having driven it to the post office, sat for 10 minutes, started, and then lost power, as I said, abotu 2 minutes after re-starting it. Always starts right back up, though. Thanks.

[TrogL]

51. Check the connection to the starter motor

...and the starter solenoid. Sounds like something's getting hot and breaking a connection. When it cools down, the connection is back.

When you turn on the ignition switch, do you get anything at all ie. lights, some stuff works?

[joeybee12]

53. Everything seems to go, but once I shut everything off and retry,

then everything is fine and dandy.

[TrogL]

54. "go"?

That's not an answer.

When you turn the key, EXACTLY what happens?

When I turn my key in my car:

1. Clicking noises as the key turns.
2. When it hits the "on" position, various lights start up on the dashboard, the radio turns on, the heater fans turns on, the turn signals turn on (I often forget to centre them after pulling into the curb), the windshield wipers start up, and the gas gauge starts to move up.
3. When I go to "start" there's a loud click from somewhere up front, most of the lights go dim, the radio cuts out and the starter noise makes noise. When it starts, I release the key back to "on"
4. I turn key to start again, it makes horrible noises.

[joeybee12]

56. Go, as in normal...the dashboard lightsd up--the ABS light, security,

etc...all come on for a few seconds and then go off...as they should. No funny sounds, no grating...it's as if nothing had happened.

[TrogL]

57. You've got a short in your electrical system

Possibly in the alternator, but it could be anywhere. Left untreated, it could blow your alternator or battery.

Time to have it looked at.

[TrogL]

31. your onboard computer should tell you what's wrong

But you'll have to take it into a shop that has the diagnostics monitor to hook it up to.

Could be the oxygen sensor.

[BrotherBuzz]

35. Your Engine Control Computer may be failing

Hitting the connections on the battery is just fooling yourself, but keep doing it until the Engine Control Computer (ECC ECM PCM Module etc.) completely fails and you will be forced to replace it.

[DainBramaged]

38. Let me put on my thinking cap and diagnose it with brain waves

Take it to a shop. You didn't even tell us what it is.:eyes: