Engine sputtering out.. need help

[KAed 240]

I've had the car for 2 weeks or so and it has been running mint until today.

The car had been sitting for 14 years before I bought it, it had 63,031 miles on it.

When we got it to my house I changed the oil, oil filter, radiator fluid, flushed the cooling system, changed spark plugs gaped to 43 and the wires, and changed the battery. After all that I filled the tank with premium to help dissolve the old gas that was still in the car. I had finished that tank 2 days ago and put a quarter tank of regular in it, and everything was fine.

Well today I was headed to a friends and I head some grinding noise coming from my rear passenger rotor, so I pulled over to check it out. Well I couldn't see anything but I decided I'd better head home just in case. I tried to start the car and it would click but not turn over, so I had my dad come to jump me off.

We got it started and I started to head home, not even 100ft after that it started to sputter real bad and whenever the rpm's would reach 1200 it would drop back down and sputter bad, so I had to pull off the road, and we ended up towing it home.

What I'm asking is:

1) What's causing it to not start?

2) What's causing it to sputter and die out?

3) Do any of you think these are related?

*Side note* What was causing that rotor noise??

Thanks for looking and reading the novel. Please help

P.S. I also took it for emissions about 3 hours prior and it passed.

Thanks, Bryan

[KAed 240]

Could it be the vacuum lines??

[btm88]

The clicking you are hearing is from the starter not getting enough juice from the battery, try a known good battery and see if that fixes the starting and sputter problem.

[ILoveMyRHS13]

Sounds like alternator to me.

[KAed 240]

Sounds like alternator to me.

Even for the sputtering?

[btm88]

Yes even for the sputtering. If the alternator isn't working then all your electrical components will fail from lack of power to them, I mean the battery will power them for a little but it drains very quick. That's why I say check it with a known good battery first... actually better yet, take your battery and alternator up to Advanced Auto and have them test it for free. Then you can rule out one of those as the problem hopefully.

[s13drifter88]

take a multimeter and check voltage at the battery terminals while the car is running. it should be between 13.7-14.2, if not clean youre battery terminals (replace cables and cable terminals in needed) and repeat the test. If voltage does not pick up its a bad alternator. make sure u have a good ground connection from the engine to the body also. if u get 13.7-14.2 at the battery, keep the test lead on the pos+ side and place the ground- lead on the intake manifold and see if u have the same voltage. if not u probably have an engine that is insufficiently grounding. check your batt to body ground as well

[KAed 240]

Sweet, I went ahead and took the hoses off to be replaced, so I will take the alternator off as well and head up there. Thanks guys, I'll keep you posted.

[s13drifter88]

just check voltage with it on the car. its a whooooole lot easier. if its bad then take it off. work smarter, not harder

[KAed 240]

Went ahead and took it off, not that big of a deal honestly. The alternator checked out, so I put it back in and replaced all the vacuum hoses. There is a 5 inch hose that runs to the throttle body that had a kink, problem solved. Now onto electrical.. >.< Thanks guys!

[s13drifter88]

no prob man