Starter, Alternator, or Battery?

Question

The other night I was letting my 93 Chevy Corsica warm up to drive home from work, and after about 5 minutes the car stalled and died. I tried to restart it, but when I did so the headlights and inside lights dimmed, and the car would not turn over. I tried a few times to start the car and once or twice there was a series of clicking sounds. When I turned the key all the way off and then back on, the power seemed to come back slightly, but the car gradually started to lose power all together. I came back to it yesterday, 2 days later, and it still had some power, but it was very low, and I still couldn't start it. I had it towed to the mechanic, assuming my alternator was bad. After he looked at the car he told me I needed a new starter. My question is could a bad starter drain my battery and cause my car to die while running? And if not does that mean that my alternator or battery is bad in addition to the starter? Thanks!

Answer 1

Sears can run the test for you.....

Answer 2

Aside from assuming your mechanic is trustworthy, your starter being bad seems highly unlikely. A starter does not cause a battery to drain nor an alternator to malfunction. The only thing a starter does is to spin the flywheel to spin the motor enough to crank it and get it going and that is it. After that, the starter does nothing.

The problem seems to lie more with the battery and the alternator. My guess: the battery. If you still have some power every time you try to start the car then I would assume the alternator is doing a good job of juicing up the battery but the battery may be too old and worn to be able to hold power any more. But there is always a chance that the alternator is bad but the battery is damn strong and still has some juice in it to turn on the accessories. Also, be sure to check the cable that run from you battery to your alternator and starter, along with all the grounds to make sure they are properly connected and there is no corrosion. Also, you may wanna check for a short that is leaking juice (electrical power flow).

If your luck is really bad, then perhaps the starter, the battery and the alternator are all failing from some reason either to wear and tear or bad maintenance.

At this point, get everything checked out. I know in my locality AutoZone (where I used to work) will test batteries, alternators and starters for free. Since your car is not running, you will have to remove each individual part and take it in.

Answer 3

If your car started okay with a jump it is not likely the starter and if it took a charge and held it for a while it is not likely the battery or alternator unless you have an intermittent open in the windings. The flickering headlights and interior lights could be anything from a corroded connection to a problem in your wiring harness, but the first thing you should look for is a loose ground. If it sits for a couple of days and the battery looses enough charge that it will not crank (turn the starter) you either have a dead cell or a short in your wiring that is putting a drain on your battery. A good auto shop will test both your battery and your alternator on the vehicle and tell you if one or both are bad. If you go across your battery terminals with a multimeter while the engine is running and read voltage above 16 you can pretty well plan on a bad alternator. If it is 14 or below but above or around 12.6 your alternator should be okay. Also consider the age of the battery, how frequently you run your car and how much of a load you put on your electrical system. If you rarely drive, you battery will gradually just run down but the cells will be okay and it will take a charge. Bottom line is be careful about suggesting to your mechanic or garage that you think you have a bad battery, alternator, or starter or you may wind up getting all three replaced. Sadly, such happens all to often. Good Luck. Note: If you disconnect a fuel injected vehicle with the engine running it absolutely will cut off. The battery runs the fuel injection. And never remove the positive terminal first. Always remove the negative cable first.

Answer 4

Once the car is running, the starter is no longer part of the system.
A bad alternator, which is responsible for keeping the battery charged, can cause the problems you describe.
But, a bad battery can also describe these same symptoms.
I suggest that you take your battery to Autozone and have them charge and test it for you. They will do this for free.
If the battery tests ok after the charge, then I would re-install it in the car, drive the car to Autozone, and have them test the alternator. They can do this with the alternator still in the car, and there is also, no charge for this.
If both test ok, then I would check the cables for corrosion. Both positive and negative. At times, the corrosion may not be too visible on the ends of the cables, as it can be built up on the inside.
It has to be one of these 3 problems. If it were the starter, then the car wouldn't have died after it was running.
Good luck to you.

Answer 5

I can't say exactly what is wrong with your car BUT I had the exact same thing happen to my 89 Suburban a few weeks ago. It was warming and then it just cut off. I got the clicks too and immediately thought it was the battery. Changed the battery and then while driving the lights started dimming, and it wouldn't start when I stopped the truck. It ended up being the alternator. When the starter goes bad you usually get a spinning noise when you start it. In my experience with bad starters I've never had one drain the battery.

Answer 6

ok the starter shouldnt drain the battery. the way you described it it sounds like adead battery.a bad alternator which shorted out could drain the battery . i had that happen. they drain the battery after the car is off.once you get it started as long as the alternator is working and there is enough charge in the battery it should stay running. the battery wont drain power from the car unless the alternator is faulty. one old redneck way to check the alternator is to start the car and then unhook the battery terminals(dont let them touch each other or metal though.if the car dies sure bet the alternator is bad. if not turn on all power assessories and if it then dies the alternator is weak and should be replaced asap.

Answer 7

If you can jump start it if it starts with no problem then it's definately your altinater. The starter will click if there's not enough juice in the battery which the altinater will drain when bad. AutoZone will test for free as will some other stores. If you can't drive it there maybe you can take out the altinater and they can still check it that way. Don't know you mechanical skills but removing the altinater is not that hard.

Answer 8

Sounds like the alternator. It will suck the juice out of your battery while your car is running. The battery & the starter will cause your car to not start to begin with. I've had plenty of battery problems in the past and have had a alternator go out.

Answer 9

There's no way it could be your starter. Once the engine is running, the starter does nothing. Since you said your car was running when the problem occurred, then you can rule the starter out as the cause of the problem. However, there's a slight possibility your starter or bendix was weakened after the problem occurred, but I doubt it. It sounds like your alternator. I'd change the solenoid, too while you're at it!

Answer 10

It is not the starter. It sounds like the alternator is not charging the battery. It's a simple test to see what's wrong. Also if the alternator goes out while you're driving, a red 'battery' light should come on.

Answer 11

I would get a second opinion, it does sound more likely that it would be your alternator, and that it drained your battery, does your car still start with a jump, if so then it is not your starter, sounds like the mechanic is trying to take you for a ride.