I've got major problems with my 98 Y87....and I have no job and not alot of knowledge about cars so its so frustrating, you have no idea.

Yesterday I noticed the alternator gauge is lower than it usually is and as the drive went on it didn't go up. Also I noticed that the Check Gauges, Security and the Brake lights on the dash were lit up, so that just pissed me off more because more and more sh|t has been going bad and I have no money to get it fixed.. and I don't know when I will.

Just now I see the gauge for the alternator or whatever is slightly lower than the previous day, I'm a thick headed bastard so I pull out of the driveway and go to put it in drive and NOTHING HAPPENS, the tach goes up and I hear the engine rev but Im not moving, I give it more gas and I eventually get going. I felt funny about the whole thing so I pull over in a big parking lot close to the house in case I have to walk back home. Well long story short it stalls and I try and start it again but all it does it click alot and the gauges go NUTS. The clock and the trip reset also, wtf? At this point I want to set it on fire and walk away. I sit and try it again a couple times and I get it to start but it sounds and feels funny so I just try to take it home.. but it stalls again as I go to pull away. Im ****ing pissed and I have no idea what to do, and I have no money to do anything about it anyway so its just gonna sit there for a while.

The SES light has been on for quite some time, because of a mass air flow sensor.. whatever the bull**** the dealership where I bought it from last August, said just recently as it was there to get scanned and an oil change and such. It has always started aweful to, it would take way too long for it to turn over. However when you go to start it after you fill up the tank or shortly after it has just been shut off than it starts fine. Most likely needs new fuel injectors to.. I dont know which ones or how much this is all going to cost.. but my Camaro aint running good and this isnt going to be a cheap fix. I wish I could find about a grand on the ground and give it to someone so they can fix it.

Any thoughts? Im angry, sad and depressed at the same time.. nothing ever works right for me


cliffs:
1. the SES and Check Gauges lights are on
2. she starts funny, runs horrible
3. now it stalls, clicks and gauges go wild when trying to start it
4. the clock and the trip reset when ^^that happened...wtf?
5. the alternator/battery is ****ed??
6. my camaro is ****ed
7. .....
8. help?

 

Now I'm no mechanic, but if it was me, I would take it to autozone, get the SES light scanned, battery and alternator tested, and make sure there is no corrosion on the battery termenials (SP?). I am almost positive that your battery is shot from the symptoms, but thats like trying to diagnose a disease over the phone. Just go to autozone and get it scanned, its FREE!

get that MAF sensor fixed as well, thats probably why it doesnt start so nice

 

check your battery cable connections and have your alternator tested. sound like your running low on power. your battery could be ****ting out on you or your alt.

 

its obviously your alternator, just buy a new one for like 50$... as for the MAF sensor, just because it doesnt start excellently doesnt mean that it wont run.. just drive it with a new alternator.

 

Get the battery and Alternator tested first.

Low/no Power can make a car do some crazy things.

Once you get those 2 things fixed, if its still acting up, at least you have those 2 out of the way, things will be easier to figure out from there.

 

$50 eh? Where would I find one for that price.

I was looking at Autozone and found this one here and its $110... I don't know too much about this kind of stuff so I guess this looks like a good one to get. Maybe I'm wrong?

 

www.ebay.com =)

 

Yea check the batt. and alt. at Autozone. My car wouldn't start just like you said about the ticking and the gauges going crazy. It has to be the battery or the alt. Luckly for me, it was my battery that was bad. Batteries are about $50, alternators are prolly $100 - 200 tho these don't go out that offend so i'm sure its the battery. With ur starting that takes a while and is rough, thats prolly ur MAF screwing up.

 

hey man the same thing happend to me in my 94, its your alternator.

 

you wrote---Just now I see the gauge for the alternator or whatever is slightly lower than the previous day, I'm a thick headed bastard so I pull out of the driveway and go to put it in drive and NOTHING HAPPENS, the tach goes up and I hear the engine rev but Im not moving, I give it more gas and I eventually get going.


I'm not sure if your alt was bad that it would effect the power in that way.. I do know that I had a similar problem with my 92 RS and my car needed a whole new distributer, not cap, internal distributer . It cost me about 500 at a garage to have it done.. good luck

 

That good info to know, althought he doesn't have a distributer/cap/rotor sysyem. His is the electronic one with the coils.

 

what do I know I'm just a girl lol.............................

 

It is your alternator, and the good news...since you kept driving it and zapped your battery more than likely you get the cost of replacing that also. Same thing happened to me, better yet it was about 3 am. Lights dimmed then idiot lights one after the other came on. Alternator took the deep six. If your battery miraculously survives...make sure its fully charged before you fire that bad boy back up or it will cause the alternator to work to hard and shorten the life of it. And i believe the cost was more around 60-70 bux from autozone for my 99.