Well I finally somehow got my car running in decent shape so I take it out to help a friend out that needs a ride. Everything seemed fine till I got on the way home and it died at a light. I call him up and he runs to where I am and helps me push the car out of the way and we take a look at it. Engine would turn over some of the times I tried and other times it would just click and do nothing. I happened to have a multimeter in my backseat so we checked the battery. 11 - 12 volts. He thinks my alternator is gone or going and I wanted a second opinion. Tell me what you think guys.

Man this car has been nothing but trouble ever since I got it in august. Replaced - water pump, heater core, distributor, heater control valve, ignition module, MAF sensor and associated relays, plugs and wires. Needs a full new exhaust and man I'm just dying to be at a point where I can drive it everyday reliably. I need help. Let me know what you guys think....

 

If its trying to crank, put some cables on it and jump it. Hopfully it will fire with the extra juice and get you home. Sounds like a starter to me but you may have the alternator tested first.

 

If you want to drive something reliably every day, you bought the wrong car. I can assure you that. Get ready to replace more items - ready for the kicker!?!? ...as well as the parts you've already replaced.

 

I wouldn't think the battery would give you a reading that high if the alternator were dying, but then again, I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to electrical, so take it FWIW. As another mentioned on here, I would think the starter would be worth looking into. The reliability thing I think will also come with time as you get to know your car sort of speak, in a sense that you will know what has been done, and you will get a feel for how it drives. But regardless, you will eventually learn how to fix problems a whole lot faster, so consider it a learning experience if nothing else.

 

Check the wiring...then if the MAF wiring is OK...check the pick up coil***Little round one Inside the distributor*** Not the primary coil.... when those go bad they will basically cause your car to die and not allow it to restart...

 

With 11 volts on the battery it's fully discharged. Should be 12.6-8 volts ignition off, 13.8 volts, engine running. Probably the alternator, bad battery, or a slipping belt.

 

Well that's good to know. I was under the impression it would probably read lower if fully discharged. My mistake.

 

check the voltage with a meter as you try and crank it. I bet it will be 8 volts or less.
I had a 3 week old alternator die on me last week. hopefully the new one lasts longer. I hate geting stranded due to electrical problems.

 

Yes Zepher, I forgot to mention that I checked it while cranking and it got as low as 3 volts I think. I just got home from work but tomorrow I'm going to get a battery and an alternator at advanced auto and put them in. Any tips for alternator change? Never done one.

 

Regarding the reliablity portion of my topic; I have a question. I've always thought that you could make practically any car reliable. Granted some vehicles have inhernt flaws but even those can be worked with. I'm under the impression that these cars can be made reliable and I was wondering how often you guys run into trouble with them. I've had about 2 weeks of being able to drive my car since I got it in August and that blows. Mabye I need some help from someone who actually owns a thirdgen, take a look at my car tell me some stuff I should do to improve my reliability. I'm still learning so this is frustrating. Thing is I love this car and I really love the potential.

 

I had a 1987 2.8 Camaro that never left me stranded in the 4 years I owned it (1999-2003) - only reason I had to get rid of it was because the frame was rotting out from under it. I had to put an alternator on it before I could take it home, and it had developed 2 oil leaks from losing the water pump, but not bad for a $1000 car!

 

Thanks for the reply but I'm talking specifically about the l98. I'm sorry for not making that clear. But that is good to hear in any case.

 

Changing the alternator on the car isn't too tough.
On my 88 LB9, which should resemble yours, it's 3 torx bolts to get the alternator off of the bracket and one screw terminal to get the power line off of the back of the alternator and the one plug in connector.

I use a large ratchet to release tension on the belt tensioner and slip the belt off of the alternator. Takes about 15-25 minutes taking your time.,
this is what my setup looks like,

 

Well, I'll let you know - my new camaro is a 1991 L98, and after doing all the work on it myself, if it breaks down on me, I only have myself to blame...

 

Zepher, nice dent free runners. I'm jealous

 

hey 30, what percentage of the time youve had the car would you say you've been not driving it due to a problem it's having? I would say I'm at about 80% right now...

 

as far as ur problem goes....i would start with the starter if it was my car......and as far as everything going wrong with ur car.....things will get better, i've had this camaro since april and for awhile it seemed like every time i started it up something went wrong. i've been driving her for about a month without any problems....well till yesterday but all in all.......things will get better.

 

They'll be for sale next year if you need them.
I am going with a Stealth Ram.

 

Well, if i were you, and i knew that when the car was cranking that the voltage was dropping as low as 3, i would first pick up a new battery, then look at the alternator, and then the starter. I doubt its the starter. you said that all it does is clicks? when you open your door does the dome light come on? also when you put your key in the ignition, with the door open, does the little chime sound? if not, replace the battery

 

Well, consider that I've had it for 8 weeks and I worked on it for the first 6 before putting it on the road (weekends and an occasional evening).
Since I've put it on the road I encountered two problems related to poor seals in the cooling system. Replaced the intake manifold and everything related only to have the crappy Murray's thermostat gasket blow out the next day. Was able to drive it during both these times, just had to leave the radiator cap cracked.

 

Jump start the car, hold something steel to the center of the back of the alternator. If it is working it should have a STRONG magnetic pull. If not, alt. is toast.

 

Don't feel bad. i bought my car brand new back at the end of 92. Got less than 150 miles on it, the alternator went out one night and left my stranded. Then within six months the arctic white paint on both the doors and both fenders turned yellow. Dealership repainted them after fighting with them, when i got it back it looked like they painted it with a can of spray paint late one night after drinking a case of beer, runs everywhere,fish eyes, missed spots. Took them three times to get it half decent. Then after a dismal time trying to get the TPI swap to work right, the other night i changed brake pads on both front brakes and got like 2 miles and the front brakes totally locked up at a red light,had to do a brake torque just to get it almost all the way off the road. $75 for a tow job, $26 for calipers and that still didn't fix it. $90 for a new distribution box and finally it was ready to go. Can't wait to find out what suprise will be next. Have fun with it.

 

I had a similar problem. My L-98 would die at a stoplight but would fire right up with jumper cables. I went old school and disconnected the battery cable while it was running and yes it died, I replaced the alternator only to be left stranded during my next test drive, WTF?? Jumped it and drove it home, took the Ign module and coil in for a test and the ign mod failed. I replaced the coil and module for around $70.00 from Summit and never encountered the problem again.
In response to reliability, I've owned my car since June 03 and have only encountered above problem. The car is a joy to drive, but I have been spending most of my free time on performance improvements. AFR 190's on the way!!

 

Hmm, interesting. I've had 3 3rd gens, and they have all been reliable, daily drivers. Do you have to keep them up, especially on a higher mileage car? Yeah. But I've got one I bought at 112k, and it's NEVER gone ANYWHERE on a tow truck. I think the kid that owned it barely even changed the oil, but it RUNS. Yeah, I've put some $$$ into it. But it's NEVER dropped me. Not when the fuel pump started going, not when the alternator started acting up, not when the PS pump started leaking, not when the tranny started acting up! I always managed to DRIVE it into the garage (or repair shop!) And frankly, with the lack of maint this car had, I think that's pretty good. I had a different 87 350 TPI that i had for 5 years, put 40,000 miles on and it only needed and alternator and waterpump, plus the tranny mount. NONE of those deposited me by the side of the road. (bought the car at 3 years, 30,000 and drove it until 69,000, when a guy in a jeep went thru an intersection and totalled it ) Anyway, regarding your issue, most Pep boys and such will help you check your charging system, almost always for free if you buy the parts there. If you can get it running long enough to get it down there, they can check your charging system. If not, you can take the battery out of the car, and have them check it at least.

 

Thanks for the replies guys this gives me a bit more confidence...

I bought a new battery and alternator yesterday and as soon as the weekend is over (I have monday/tuesday off work) I will go out to it and do some checking...

I'm toying with the idea of replacing the entire wiring harness, although I've heard thats a pain in the butt. And I'm still learning so I'm a newbie I suppose...

I'll give someone some beer and food to come help me!