DatDude512

My car turned off when I was driving. Can a car over heating or a bad alternator do this?? Its not the battery terminals making the car turne off and I just put in a new msd optispark in it Sunday.

RamAir95TA

iTrader: (2)

Drunk much?

DatDude512

well im pretty sure ita the alternator or the belt isnt tight enough. cause the battery was low. it sounds like it wants 2 turn on but it doesnt want 2 start up!!

69gto96z

iTrader: (13)

Does it have spark? If it isn't starting, and you just replaced the opti, there is a good chance it could not be getting spark.

DatDude512

Well not really. Like I turn the key and it wants 2 start but it doesn't. ? I really don't know what it could be???

69gto96z

iTrader: (13)

So it is cranking but won't fire is what you are saying?

Green3spd

iTrader: (7)

Be very clear here, "Like I turn the key and it wants 2 start but it doesn't." Could mean a lot of things.. Like, is it turning over real slow or just a spinning away and just not busting off? Or is it even turning over at all?
Did you have any other issue while you were driving? Was it sputtering at all? Running great THEN die?

Kris

fly pantera

iTrader: (9)

this is the story of barney its long so go warm up your food and grab a beer.

datdude bought a 93z28 with a 160,00 miles,test drove it and it ran good.He replaced the battery cause it was having starting issues.it lasted 2 days I believe,car was kinda bogging out,sputtering,cutting off.He took it to get checked and the test came out that it was the optispark.

2 months after the optispark failure,meaning car sat for about 2 months.my friend installed a msd optispark.drained the coolant to remove the fans and hoses.filled the radiator as musch as we could with out starting the car.so we tried to start it,car did not start over and over again.no start.After we left dat dude noticed the gas gauge was on empty so he went to the gas station got gas put it in the tank,tried to start it and it did not start.on the second attemp it started.so now the car is running,he drives it that day and all goes good.the very next day he attempts to start the car and it starts pefect.he drives the car about 30miles then the car cuts off,before it cuts off,the gage cluster reads check gages,after cutting off he attempts to start the car and it starts so he drives it home.the very next day he attempts to start the car and it starts perfect agian.he drives the car about 30 miles,on his way home the car cuts off again 2days in a row.he tries to start the car and the low coolant light comes on.he continues to start the car and no luck.now keep in mind he is very frustrated cause he has a car that he has owned and it has only worked good for 3 days so out of frustration he holds the ignition down over and over again till he kills the battery,and now the car does nothing.Now he has to call a tow truck.btw on the 3rd day after it was fixed I asked him while he was driving it where is gages were and he replied all good none in the red except that his temp gage had not moved its stuck on the bottom.so it does not work.

fly pantera

iTrader: (9)

so at this point im thinking the following cause the car started after optispark was installed and it had gas,but the next two days it would cut off after driving between 15-30 miles.

1.radiator was fully drained to install opti.we filled the radiator with the car not running,after we left he put gas,it started,he drove it.......So the cars radiator is not full cause it was filled with it not running and it was never bleed for air leaks.

a)its over heating cause its low on coolant,or air in the radiator.keep in mind his temp gauge does not work,also the low coolant light came on

2.maybe the alternator is bad cause he was having starting issues after he bought it and replaced the battery.it drives for about 15-30 miles then cuts off maybe the alternator is bad and killing his battery

fly pantera

iTrader: (9)

So I tell him to recharge his battery cause remember he killed it after being frustrated and holding the ignition down.takes it to get recharged and sure enough batterys dead but they recharge it and were off to his house with a recharged battery and more coolant to fill the radiotor.

so we put the recharged battery on the car.
Now I check his coolant level on the coolant stick and its barely reading so he does need coolant,so I open the cap to fill it up that way I can bleed his radiator by opening the two bleeders on the hoses.he put about 8oz of coolant then it fills up so we try to start the car with no success.I check the coolant level again just to make sure and sure enough its barely reading on the second line.......now im no mechanic so im kinda lost now.

maybe the recharged battery is not strong enough to start the car.cause if it had a bad alternator and a good battery it would start then eventually the alternator would kill the battery,right?
Or maybe somehow something else messed up.

fly pantera

iTrader: (9)

So now I think he should buy a brand new battery put it on to see if the car cranks.
1.if it does not crank he can always get his money back and now something else is wrong.
2.if it does crank fill up the radiator and bleed the system.go to local parts store and have them check the alternator and buy a temp sensor cause his does not work


What do yall guys think.

we fixed the opti,car ran good,the next 2 days it would cut off after driving it 15-30 miles.on the 2nd day the car refused to start.

69gto96z

iTrader: (13)

Why not just take the alternator off and give him a ride to the parts store so they can check it there. Then if the alternator is bad, he won't have to buy a battery if it is not needed.

fly pantera

iTrader: (9)

thats what I told him---to get the alternator tested

but if the alternator was bad and the battery good wouldnt the car still start,then die later.His car does not start at this moment.

69gto96z

iTrader: (13)

Yes it would, if the alternator was the problem and the battery had a charge. If the alternator was taken off during the opti install, did he remember to hook the harness back up to it?

fly pantera

iTrader: (9)

he got the car tested and the alternator was dead.he has a new alternator and car is back on the road.thanx 69gto

69gto96z

iTrader: (13)

Glad to hear he got it running again.