HELP electical problem when i step on brakes

[e_c]

my battery died today, after i got it jumped, whenever i have my sterio on and i hit the brakes, my sub cuts out for a sec, like the amp doesnt get power for 1 second.... also when i hit the brakes the clock light in the hud dims for 1 sec, then back to normal.... any help is greatly appreciated...

[benemorius]

Sounds like your alternator is headed south in a hurry. Why was your battery dead?

[e_c]

i dunno why it was dead.... i took my car to get it aligned today after i put some nice goodies on it from spl, after the guy was done aligning it, it needed to be jumped, then he test drove it to make sure it was aligned, maybe 5-10 min... then he parked it and turn it off, i paid, maybe 10 min later i try to start it again, no luck... had to be jumped again... this was all before i put the faceplate to my deck on... deck on, listining to music, everything is fine.... put my foot on the brake to shift into reverse and leave, my sub skips, roll though the parking lot, hit the brakes again, same thing... i stop take a look at the power connections at the amp, all good, i drove home without the face plate on... when i would hit the brakes, the light in the clock in my hud would dim, then come back....

edit: also note that no hud lights are on, and i know the battery light works, cause a bit ago, the alternator belt broke, and the batt light came on
Modified by e_c at 6:01 AM 10/4/2005

[benemorius]

In that case let me change my mind. It sounds like your alternator is already pretty much gone. You could have a lose connection somewhere, but clearly neither your battery nor your car's electrical system is getting the current it needs. If the fact that your charging system light isn't on is causing doubt, measure the voltage at the battery with the engine running and headlights on to be sure. It shouldn't be less than 13ish volts.

At this point, if it's not a lose connection, it is probably safe to assume that your alternator needs to be replaced. Most parts stores will test an alternator for free, but you'll have to remove it yourself.

[e_c]

thanks.. il take a look tomarrow and post back if any issues

[e_c]

update....battery dead this morning... checked connections, all look good, nothing looks like it grounding out(in a bad way) i open my door/pass door, the seatbelts open fine(move toward windsheild) then i get in the car, close both doors, turn key to *on position, and both seatbelts move about 1 cm then stop, then 1 cm and stop, and the whole time, there is a clicking coming from the center console, it clicks everytime the seatbelts move... like click, click, click... over and over again until i turn key to off.... i really need to get my car running, help me....!
Modified by e_c at 9:02 PM 10/4/2005

[e_c]

update 2.... got it jumped... it started, sounded fine, closed my door, unhooked the jumper cables, opened my door to drive it, idle stumbled up and down b/t 500 and 1000, then went down below 500rpm, i tried to give it gas but it died, then i tried to start it again, and the clicking came back in center console... i think the battery is gone... any opinions?

[benemorius]

I don't know why you're still trying to make this thing work. Yeah your battery is probably toast by now. It likely would have been ok if you had fixed the problem earlier rather than messing with it so much, but at this point you may wind up having to replace both your alternator and your battery.

[e_c]

so, you think the alternator is gone also... can i get it tested with out having to remove it from the car?

[e_c]

well... did some more searching... looks as though i should just replace the alternator and the batter.... well... at least it gives me a reason to upgrade to teh 110volt alternator and an optima red top