1996 Chevy Beretta Battery replaced, new battery two days l

MGSTONE

MEMBER
1996 CHEVROLET BERETTA
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
132,000 MILES

Here is my issue, the car began jerking and died and would not restart. We replaced the battery with a new battery and the car ran well for two entire days. On the third day the car died again, all the lights lit up--check engine, abs, etc and then the headlight dimmed. THen the car started jerking again. It died again. What should I check now? I can not afford to take this car to the mechanic, PLEASE HELP!

Thursday, December 11th, 2008 AT 11:12 PM

1 Reply

BLUELIGHTNIN6

MECHANIC
16,542 POSTS

It sounds like your alternator is faulty. The vehicle uses power from the battery to start the engine, after that it runs off of the alternator. During this time, the alternator is keeping the battery charged. Once the alternator fails, the battery is the only thing keeping the engine running, which is way too much power output for the battery to keep up with. This in turn drains the battery of its power as well. You can have the alternator and battery tested for free at a local part store such as AutoZone, either off or on the vehicle. Once alternator is replaced, you will need to have the new battery boosted back up. This should get you going again.

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Thursday, December 11th, 2008 AT 11:20 PM