i just bought a 92 cutlass ciara S and i also bought a new battery and alternator for it. the reason for buying these parts was cause i was driving and car down the road and it stopped running the radio was still going and lights where still on but the car wasnt running anymore so i went and bought those new parts for it. but the thing is i was driving the next day after getting and fixing these parts and it stopped running again. now it wont start. it turns for a minute then goes silent. but when i get a jump it starts but only i put it in drive gear to go it stalls out again. i dont know what else i can do to fix this problem and need help to figure out what could be wrong with it.
Always diagnose what the problem really is before trying to fix it. Offhand I would say your battery is not charging up. You need to have a mechanic check out the laternator, and all the electrical connections. It’s imposssible for us here to diagnose exactly what is wrong, but the battery could have been part of the problem. Be prepared to have to buy an alternator, but I hope it’s just bad connections.
You need to get some diagnostics done. First, get the car started and check whether the new alternator is actually putting out a good output, around 13.6 volts, I think. Secondly, I would do a trickle charge on the battery to make sure it is in top shape. Battery and alternator may be only one part of the problem.
If the stalling occurs only when in drive, you may have a fuel/injector/air/idle issue, which would not be solved by battery and alternator. Are you getting any check engine lights? If so, need to get the codes read and posted here.
Frankly I don’t know why you replaced anything. It could be electrical but your comment “…it stopped running the radio was still going and lights where still on” would tend to indicate they were OK. It might be out of fuel, a clogged fuel filter an ignition problem… or many others.
In order to fix it you need to find out what is wrong.
How about a little more information. How many miles on the car? When it stops running, could you describe that with a little more detail. There is a gap between "It stopped running and I was driving the next day" what happened in between.
“when i get a jump it starts but only i put it in drive gear to go it stalls out again” That does not sound like a battery/charging system problem.
When was the last time you had the plugs and wires, fuel filter oil and filter etc replaced?
[b] i dont know what else i can do to fix this problem and need help to figure out what could be wrong with it.
[/b]
That is the first step. Find out what the problem is and then fix that. Sometimes it is a good idea to rule out a few things that need to be done anyway, like plugs wires filters etc first.