It should be interesting to see the responses from an earlier post another
member made on not push starting; on Friday I popped my clutch to get her
going when she stalled.  Hey,  I thought, I'm barely moving, on a downhill,
why not?  I don't know if that is the source of my problem, but here goes
my story, hopefully someone can help.

I'll relay as much of the story as I can in three single day installments.

FRIDAY
As stated above I popped the clutch.  After about a half-hour of driving I
started losing voltage.  I first noticed it when static came across the
radio when I applied the brakes.  Turn on the headlights and nothing comes
across on the radio.  The gas and temp. gauges slowly lose power.  I start
heading to the mechanic, she stalls and there is no power (no lights for
oil or temp, I mean no power) when the key is turned.  I wait a few minutes
and there is power, but not enough to turn it over.  I'm thinking
alternator.

I push start it, get to the mechanic, turn it off, try to start it, it
starts right back up.  I park it and let the mechanic know I've arrived.
After a few minutes we try to start it and get it in the garage -- nothing.
 Get it started with a battery booster, do the computer diagnostic which
yields I have a bad battery.  Put in a new battery and everything seems
fine.

SATURDAY
Do a bunch of running around, put about fifty miles on her and everything
is great.  Then I have to make about a fifty mile (100 miles round trip)
drive.  About ten miles into it the charge (idiot) light comes on.  I check
the electrical connections and everything seems fine to me.  I keep going.
The strange thing is the light is only on at high rpm (about 35 in third,
55 in fourth).  As long as I keep it below this, the light stays off.  I
get there.

I leave there, the light does not come on till I get the rpm's up in fourth
gear, then stays on.  There is nothing noticeably wrong while I'm driving.
I try the radio, brakelights, headlight thing and everything seems fine.  I
get home.

SUNDAY
I go for a drive to check things out, she's running great, but the light is
still on.  I notice that the light for the secondary battery is green with
the engine shut down, but yellow with the engine on.  I post to the list
thinking that must be the problem.

After about thirty miles I shut off the engine (I've already done this a
couple times today and had no problem).  Try to start it, it's doggy but I
get going.  Then the same thing starts happening with the radio,
headlights, brakelights, the gauges once again start losing power.

This time it dies and will not start again, even with the aid of a state
trooper trying to push her.

Any ideas?
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Scott Durrant (scott.durrant@earthling.net) | ... send lawyers, guns
Work Phone 801.464.6205                     |       and money ...
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