# Car quitting on freeway **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** lesabre, buick\ **Created:** [November 10, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-quitting-on-freeway/57408 "2010-11-10T19:18:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kaluhalea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b77776/32.png) [@kaluhalea](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kaluhalea)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-quitting-on-freeway/57408/1 "2010-11-10T19:18:43Z")
My car gave a jolt and the battery and temperature light came one. I pulled over and checked the antifreeze and added about a quart in the overflow tank. Got back in the car and the lights went off but am now scared to drive it outside of town. What caused this? ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-quitting-on-freeway/57408/2 "2010-11-10T19:35:15Z")
Perhaps if you told us the age and mileage of your LeSabre it would help. ---
**Author:** ![kaluhalea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b77776/32.png) [@kaluhalea](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kaluhalea)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-quitting-on-freeway/57408/3 "2010-11-10T19:44:32Z")
The car in question is a 1995 Buick LeSabre with 234,500 miles on it. It has a new crankshaft sensor, new camshaft sensor, new Mass airflow sensor (idle solinoid), new ignition module, new computer and new radiator due to problems during a recent trip to Illinois. The above was done two weeks ago and now the new problem with the jolt and the battery and temp. light coming on. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-quitting-on-freeway/57408/4 "2010-11-10T22:46:33Z")
If my battery/alternator warning light and my temperature light both lit up, the first thing that I would do is to verify that the serpentine belt is still in place, and that it has proper tension. I can’t explain how adding a qt of coolant to the overflow tank might extinguish the battery/alternator warning light, but I am still suspicious of the serpentine belt being the underlying cause of the problem. ---
**Author:** ![kaluhalea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b77776/32.png) [@kaluhalea](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kaluhalea)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-quitting-on-freeway/57408/5 "2010-11-11T01:47:22Z")
Thanks so much for the info. I will have my nephew take a look at this for me. I tried to go to the grocery store awhile ago and it totally died at a stop sign and will not start at all. No spark. I am at my wits end as I just spent mega buck (to me) on it a couple of weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-quitting-on-freeway/57408/6 "2010-11-11T06:06:03Z")
More evidence of a snapped belt, and–by now–a dead battery as a result of the belt. ---
**Author:** ![kaluhalea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b77776/32.png) [@kaluhalea](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kaluhalea)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-quitting-on-freeway/57408/7 "2010-11-11T15:50:39Z")
Thanks again. I have a friend coming over to check the belt for me today and the car is on a charger so battery should be fine and if not, I do have a new battery that I took out of one I junked. I will let you know and thanks again for responding. As a widowed old lady I feel kind of helpless at times and of course, the money is limited which doesn’t help much. ---
**Author:** ![kaluhalea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b77776/32.png) [@kaluhalea](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kaluhalea)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-quitting-on-freeway/57408/8 "2010-11-11T19:38:28Z")
The belt is fine. Got the car started after my son’s friend wiggled some wires and it has been running ever since. Have to take it on the road to see if that did it entirely. Am afraid to trust it now. ---
**Author:** ![oldschool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e19adc/32.png) [@oldschool](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldschool)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-quitting-on-freeway/57408/9 "2010-11-11T20:27:12Z")
You are correct in not trusting your car. Moving wires around is not a good fix. May I ask how you came to the conclusion you had “no spark”? Me knowing that you know the correct way to come to this conclusion would tell me alot about your technical abilities. I will go out on a limb and say this condition may be related to something simply being left loose during one of the repairs you had done or did yourself. Second guess is also simple, your battery leaked acid from the postive terminal and your postive battery cable is damaged. ---
**Author:** ![kaluhalea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b77776/32.png) [@kaluhalea](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kaluhalea)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-quitting-on-freeway/57408/10 "2010-11-12T22:48:03Z")
My nephew is a mechanic and he was the one who said it wasn’t getting a spark. I think the wire that was loose was most likely moved when the crankshaft and camshaft sensor was replaced as it was in that area. Seems to be running great now. The battery cable is fine - we checked that out.