Help, My Car Wont Stay Started!?

so i was driving down the road and my little battery like came on.. i thought ok great battery going bad i'll get a new one. Well then my abs light came on and would turn off and on.. After a couple mins, everytime i pressed the brakes the radio would shut off. I stopped at a house and then it just died!! all the lights in the car still on windows still went up (alittle slower). i got someone to jump it, and started right up i went to drive it and it died as soon as it started moving. I have a sweeky belt if that has anything to do with it or anything.. but its a 99 mazda and kinda want to know if this sounds like the alternator or just the battery or if it could be the belt tensioner or something… please help! i dont want to take the alternator off and bring it in because for 1 its at someones house tht i dont know and 2 its all the was on the bottom and hard to get at…

Suggestion:

If the squeaky belt is the alternator belt, that may be a place to start, but it sounds like the alternator. This is not an impossible fix. You can even rebuild the alternator you have rather than buy a new one since they do cost a bit of money.

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

Test the battery with the engine off with a DC volt meter. Should show 13.5 to 15 volts.

If lower, do next…….

Start the car and test again. If now 13.5 to 15 volts, battery is bad. If still lower than 13.5 volts… bad alternator.

ALTERNATOR BELT YOO

charging system has failed you are running on battery alone. it will not last very long like that.

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