My car has been having some problems with the electrical system for the last couple of months that have recently been getting worse. Sorry if this gets a little long, but every time I try to drive it something different happens:

Yesterday, I try to start the car and it doesn't start "normally." Meaning, when the engine starts, it doesn't rev to ~1000 RPM at first before settling to idle at 650-700 RPM. Instead, it barely makes it to 500 RPM, and then just holds there, not running very well, lights are dimming, etc. I let it run at about 1000 RPM (giving it a little gas) for about a minute and then it seemed to be OK.

Today, I try to start my car and none of the electrical systems work. I put the key in the ignition, gauges don't come on, no lights, nothing. This has happened before, and I managed to fix it by tightening down the negative battery terminal. So I leave to go to class, and when I park on campus, the second I turn the car off, everything dies and won't come back.

So when I get back from class, I figured disconnecting and reconnecting the negative terminal would solve it temporarily (at this point I was thinking the battery and/or terminal needed to be replaced). But, that doesn't work (car won't start, no power to anything), so I take the battery to Checker, figuring I need a new battery. They check it out, tell me it's very low but still OK, and I leave it there so they can try to charge it.

Once I get the battery back from Checker, I drop it in and all the electrical stuff fires up right away, no problem. Then I try to start the car, and it does the same thing it did yesterday (engine barely fires up, RPMs hold around 500). So, I tried solving it the same way I did the day before, except that as soon as I put the car in reverse and try backing out of the parking space, the engine dies. Power is still on, but the engine is dead and won't restart.

Now, here's the weird part. I push the car back in the space, and was about ready to just leave it for the time being. But, as a last shot, I try starting it one more time. It starts perfectly, runs completely normally, and I drive it home without any problems.

So I'm completely at a loss for what could be causing all of this. It seems like it could be multiple problems...

 

Pull your alternator and have it checked. It kinda sounds like the alt isn't charging the battery.

 

Forgot to mention that I did that a few weeks back. Pulled the alternator and it passed with flying colors...

 

Are the alt guages on the LT1 cars pretty inaccurate ? I have a 9 month old
rebuilt alt, a 1 1/2 year old battery, new battery cables, and I cleaned the
ground post on the the passenger side inner fender, but sitting at idle the alt
guage will read in the red zone, like below 12 volts. The A/C is on too. Alt belt seems right tension . Reading about your problem made me think of mine, my car sometimes sits for a week or two so I put it on a charger and so far it has not failed to start the car, but sometimes I also get the brake/abs & check engine lights on.

 

mvnatedog,

I would suggest checking the grounding cables from the battery and + cable running to the Alternator. Make sure the connections are CLEAN. Use some steal wool, wire brush, fine sandpaper, or acetone to clean them. If you have a volt meter check the resistance through the wires (you want as close to 0hms as possible)

Good luck