So I was driving tonight and my radio shut off, then came back on, and it did this about 4 times. my dash lights seemed a bit dimer than usual too, and at one point everything went off! Just the battery light was on.

The car also seemed to idle a bit funny, but it never came close to stalling.


Is it possible for a bad battery to do this? My battery isn't that old, but I guess it's possible that it could be pretty weak by now. I do have fog lights and a sub installed.

Or could this be the alternator?

 

As the car is running diconnect the battery, if the car continues to run then your alternator is good, if it dies then your alternator is bad

 

Get a DMM and check your voltage. If your h/u shut off then might be some connections problem. Check to see if all wires and connections are tight and free from corrosion or paint...

 

Cool I'll try that.



Everything should be fine with my head unit, but I guess it's worth a try.



Also could a bad ground somewhere cause this?

 

why not just go to autozone and have them test your battery. also make sure your terminals are clean. if you have a volt meter you should be able to check your alt. start the car and turn all the accessory on like headlights, radio, a/c, ect... and see how much voltage your battery reads.

 

X2

 

Not 100% true... even if it staya running it may still be going bad just enough to keep car running but not enough to charge batt n keep it running....


But its prob alternator cause the car shouldnt run off the batt when its running its only there to start the car... it runs off alternator so if it shut off its the alternator...

 

let us know wat it is though

 

OP -- Avoid ^this test as it is risky. It has potential to damage delicate electrical components, such as the ECU.

 

Check your battery terminals and the voltage your battery is giving out. Then if your battery is good check your grounds. Because if the battery is not grounded to the chassis correctly the battery light on the cluster would stay on even if the key is out the ignition. Then if its not that check your alternator wire if thats good then it could be your alternator.

For me before I got my grounding kit. I only grounded my battery to the chassis, sometimes the car wouldnt crank at all(starter would click but not spin) and it would idle really funny sometimes close to stalling. Then sometimes it would stall. :/

I thought it was the alternator going bad but my friend unplugged the battery while the car was running and all my lights would be bright has hell. (Dont't try this test, chances of frying some **** cuz the sudden charge flowing through the circuits. ECUs doesnt have fuses for odd reasons. For my car there would be a no ha fuse indicating the ECU fuse.)