Little Backround, 1990 240sx ~150k Miles. Well i got home from work today, took out my keys etc, ran inside. Came back out, and low and behold the car wont start. I just get that clicking noise like your battery is dead or your car isnt getting any power. However just a few days ago i replaced my battery. So my thought it my alternator is trashed. I was wondering if any knew if that IS what is wrong. Im not exactly certain.

I attempted to jump the car, when jumped everything works fine, full power etc. As soon as the cables are disconnected i lose everything in about 5-10 seconds. I managed to push the car atleast off to the side of the driveway with some help. So i was just wondering if anybody could aid me before i go and spring for some alternator that the store isnt going to carry and i will have to special order .

Thanks in Advance

PS. Sorry wasnt sure which forum to post this in

 

We can not tell via the magical internet what IS exactly wrong with your car. Go to almost any auto parts store and they will test it for you for free.

And, the idea of disconnecting the battery cable while the car is running.....Yeah, that's not such a great idea, man. You could cause a BIG problem in your ECU or electrical system....

 

No, no... Sorry for the confusion. Not the cables to the battery, the jumper cables. Once you start it up with the jump and remove the cables, it dies. And sorry for the demands and what not. The problem is, i cannot get it to an autoparts store because it cant start. Unless i want to get it towed.

Sorry for the confusion, Thanks in advance

 

Then, it looks like your battery IS dead. The cause? We can't tell. Carry just your battery to the auto parts store and get them to charge it (again it should be free). Then, with the freshly charged battery, drive it straight to the auto parts place.

I'd do that, or carry the battery AND the alternator up there and let them test both....

 

Sorry for any of the confusion i caused. Today after work i removed the battery and the alternator. It was in fact the alternator. I was just trying to see if anybody had dealt with the same problem. Autozone did infact test it for free, so hopefully i can get a new alternator fairly soon. I never realized how pricey they were . Thanks for the help. Again sorry for any misunderstanding