So I am driving down the freeway, radio goes out, my dials all go to 0, I continue for 3 or 4 miles, then the engine cuts out. Can't start the car back up. Take out the battery, take the battery to the store, they say its bad, sell me a new battery, and I plop it in, car starts fine. Drive home. Next day, driving from work the car does the exact same thing. Check engine and battery lights are on along with the cruise control and srs. I let the car sit and it will allow me to start up and go for a few minutes then cuts out.

Its a 01 CIVIC EX with about 110,000 miles. I cant figure out whats wrong here.

 

alternator probably

 

In the Civic Manual, I think when the battery light is on, the battery is not receiving a charge from the alternator. The battery was probably not bad unless it was old, it just needed a recharge. This is why I favor diesel engines occasionally, the engine doesn't need a battery to run...

 

1) Check whether the alternator belt snapped.



2) Check whether fuse 19 or 20 under the hood or fuse 4 under the dash is blown.

3) Charge the battery and drive to AutoZone where they will check the alternator free of charge.

 

um... what he said ^^^ lol

 

thanks so much guys, you are the whip! hopefully i dont stall out on the way to auto zone!

 

I had the exact same thing happen to me on the autobahn. turned out that a car wash undercarrige wash had sprayed water all over my alternator and it fried. If you've washed your engine bay recently that could have caused your problem. as soon as I replaced the alternator the problem cleared right up. I would suggest covering the alternator with a plastic bag when you wash the engine bay.