’94 Corolla Power Failure??? Help!!!

[gagi011usa]

Please help!

I have '94 Corolla with 1.8L engine, automatic. I've bought it recently with some 150,000 miles on it. I drove it 1000 miles without any problems, but some 3 weeks ago I started experiencing engine RPMs significantly drop when I'm at stop and when I put it in Drive or Reverse while having head lights turned on. When I would put it in neutral or parking engine would come to normal RPMs. If I would turn headlights off engine would work ok. Then a week later I started experiencing significant lost of engine power, and above symptoms even while in Neutral or Parking. The engine would start shaking even during driving. It was getting worst and worst each day. I thought it's alternator, and I changed it. After this same symptoms were present, but it was a bit better, actually it seemed better and better each time I drove it. Yesterday I drove the car and while I was driving all the lights on the car and on the dashboard started to go dimmer and dimmer. Car started to lose power and engine just shut down. The lights were barely shining, and obviously the battery got discharged during driving, like car have been using battery power instead of power from alternator. Battery is only few months old and it was just fine before I started this 10-mile ride. Please help me find out what happened.

Thank you.

[CraigW]

Do you have a voltmeter ?? 13.4-14.1 volts output when running is good. 12.0 or less and you have a charging problem.

[cobrajet25]

Sounds like either the battery (it is possible to get a bad one) or the battery connections. Make sure they are clean and tight. CraigW is right...get a voltmeter and check the output from the alternator. The reading should be closer to 14.5 volts in a healthy system (with all electical accessories OFF). It is also possible that you have a short in your electrical system that is causing a discharge condition. If that is the case, then the short could be ANYWHERE, and it would be a good idea to have it porfessionally diagnosed. Good luck!

[Raddman]

"Yesterday I drove the car and while I was driving all the lights on the car and on the dashboard started to go dimmer and dimmer. Car started to lose power and engine just shut down. The lights were barely shining, and obviously the battery got discharged during driving, like car have been using battery power instead of power from alternator. Battery is only few months old and it was just fine before I started this 10-mile ride. Please help me find out what happened".

Its not your battery, your not getting any/little output from your alternator even if its new...you didn't say if your battery was still charged after this happened...If you don't have a voltmeter try checking this while your car is running, take the positive or negative(be careful) cable off of your battery, if the car dies then its still a problem with your alternator...Another thing many people miss is if your belt is not tight it can drain a battery fast, also check every connection to see if their good and last there are some fuses that involve the charging system, check them out you just might have one blown......Raddman

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"DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLD IT"

[Raddman]

Sorry you did say your battery went dead....Raddman

[Ostornadoe]

If you can get the car going, and start driving, and then the lights and such go dead, your battery is not the problem. My guess would have been the alternator, but since you just replaced that..... Maybe the alternator belt, or maybe a connection between the alternator and battery?
Like Craigw said, check the voltage on your own, or take it to an auto store that will check it for free. Check voltage on the battery before turning car on, and then check to see the voltage it gets from the alternator.

[rated_w]

check all your ground connections for your engine, alternator ground, eng ground trannie ground, etc.. make sure battery cables are connected securely etc...