I have a 93Z with 92,000 miles on it. It has been starting slower (1-2 seconds of cranking) than it used to for a while now. My wife and I took it to the furniture store to load it up and then I drove it to the front of the store to load it up. It started even slower than it did that day. I drove it to the front of the store and then turned it off again, big mistake. We load up the car and then I go to turn it back on and it cranks very very slow but does not turn over. $@$&! I held down the back hatch lock thinking the open hatch was affecting things, while my wife tried to start the car. No go. It got worse so that there was only some clicking (starter?) and then it got to the point where nothing was coming on, not even the dash lights. I got a jump and then it started up but was running horrible. It idled at 500 rpms and sounded like it was barely on. It's never like that. This has only happened one other time but not in 6+ months. So, then the next day it starts up like nothing happened. The clock time was reset as well as my radio stations. Would getting a jump reset things?

I got a new battery last year and new ignition coil 2 years ago. The alternator is at least 7 years old. The battery shows a 14 volt charge when started. No other sensors, relays have been replaced. What could cause this strange problem?

Help!

 

I had the same problem last year. I took the alternator to a local car parts store (can't remember name). It did show about 14-15 volts to the battery, but when they put a load on it, that figured dropped to 2-3 volts. My suggestion to you is to take the alternator and have it tested with a load on it. I believe you will find that the alternator is shot.

 

Your battery was dead. That will cause your car to run rough when it is restarted because the learned items in the pcm were erased. Of course, your stereo and clock will be affected.

Whether it is your battery or alternator, it is hard to tell (could even be both). Age is not always a sure gauge for electrical component failure. Maybe you had even left a light on.