Someone Please Help Me!

[blageo23]

Alrighty, I have got a 98 Eclipse spyder GST with 73,000 Miles on it. No Mods(YET!). Anyways, I started my car tonight and the RPMs droped(to like 200 or so) and the check engine light came on, then the RPMs went up and the light went off. So i said o well and went on my way. Then I got to a stop sign and pulled it out of gear and the RPMs droped way low and the check engine light came on. When i pushed the clutch in the light went off when i took my foot off the clutch no in a gear it would come back on. Then on my way home i tried to turn my brights on and as soon as i hit the switch it died. So i turned the brights off again and it started back up. All this was when i was going 50 MPH with the cruise control on and radio going with fog lights on and the radar detector. Then i get up a little further and try the brights again this time the car died and didnt start up agian. Then i sat on the side of the road for a min and tried it again but it started then died again. So I turned off all the lights the radio and whatnot and waited a min and then it finally started up again. What is wrong with it, this all happend at 12 at night so i havent taken a look at it yet. Im thinking its the battery but its a new battery. The only thing i did unusual today is left my light/brights on for like 5 min with the car off. But that didnt seem to effect it when i started it up right after that. Please respect my problems and only give positive advise.
Thank You,
Mike

[Matt D.]

Check in this order:
Alternator fuse
Alternator
Battery

The electrical system should be something like 13.7-14.0 volts when the car is running, which would prove that the alternator is working. If the system is not charging check the fuse, is 80 or 90 amps I believe. If the fuse is good then it's your alternator.

When the car is off the battery should read close to 12 volts which would prove that the battery is good.

[blageo23]

So today i checked my car out and everything looked in order. So i brought it to checkers and had them do a battery and alternator check on it and everything checked out ok. Whats going on and today its running alot better then it was yesterday. Yesterday it wasnt smooth like the timing was off or something and today it runs like a gem. Im confused!

[Matt D.]

Originally posted by blageo23@Jul 21 2004, 11:09 AM
Yesterday it wasnt smooth like the timing was off or something and today it runs like a gem. Im confused!
Welcome to DSMs. :goodluck:

[SlowWhite]

exactly

Buty I still think your battery is getting old. if it's getting low on fluids it'll have these simptoms.

At least that's what my experience has been. If it happens again in the near future then check it again.

[Darth_Laser]

i had a similar problem with my 92 laser, do you have and corrosion on the battery wires at all. I didn't think i did then I cleaned them off and dipped them in Coke (that will clean anything) and now it runs fine!

[Enes]

Contacts.. had same problem on my car a few times..

Still looking for a good set of batery terminals that are not fully bling and gold..

-E

[blageo23]

After the car died on me again, I started it up and noticed that the connection was bad. The bolt didnt get tight. So tomorrow im going to get some new terminal thingys. Anyone know of a good place to get them?? checkers?