ok so i was driving the other night... and the car just like stopped sending power to random things... such as the radio, unless i turned the lights off... and the heat wouldnt work while i had the lights on either... so i figured the battery just wasnt holding charge, so i put in another battery... however tonight, i was driving again, and the lights on... the dash lights started diming... the radio went off, and the clock went out... the car wouldnt even go... i had to like release the clutch and get a jump out of it, then push the clutch back in to keep the car from sputtering and backfiring, and then release it again, and do it over and over to get home... i turned the lights off once i got off the highway and i could then drive it semi normally... but is this an indication of a main fuse going? i have no idea what is going on to be honest... any help is appreciated

 

Your alternator is probably not working, causing the battery to run down and then the whole car basically runs out of power. Some components are more sensitive to low voltage than others.

First check if the alternator belt is still there, or did it break? If the alternator is still turning like it should, measure the battery voltage with the engine running to check if the alternator is putting out any power.

 

well i thought it was the altenator too... but that would mean my battery light would come on if the altenator wasnt working... which it doesnt, i have a check engine light but that is due to my auto-manual conversion and i am still running the auto ecu... but other than that no idiot-lights in the dash

 

The charging light will not always turn ON when you have an alternator problem.

 

oh ok, i didnt know that, yeah that is definitely the problem then, now to find an alternator... hopefully i still have mine from the 92 i tore apart

 

Make sure the wire connections to the alternator are secure, if not you could have no output-- and no light. If you're going to put a wrench on the big wire terminal be sure to disconnect the battery first so there won't be any damage should you short it to ground.

 

Simple trick, with the car running at idle, disconnect the pos+ terminal to the battery. If the car dies, its the alternator. If it keeps running the alternator is still working, but it could be the voltage regulator or connection issue.

 

Most people know that warning lights on the instrument cluster are supposed to come on when the key is turned on, but you need to look at them. If your warning light isn't coming on when you think there is a problem, it should at least come on when the key is turned on. If it doesn't, you may have a bad bulb or anther issue with that diagnostic. Simple checks save moolah!

 

Don't disconnect the battery while the engine is running. The voltage can surge up out of control and cause major damage. An alternator can't quit generating electricity instantly when the load is reduced. The system depends on the battery being connected to absorb voltage surges.

 

Not a very clever trick at all, simple yes, stupid, also.