I read a few posts here similar to this one, and they all mentioned a bad alternator. I just replaced my battery and that got rid of the check engine light, but the dash lights remain on and headlights are dim. Battery is normally dead in the morning and needs to be jumped, but will SOMETIMES turn on fine after 8 hours at work.

AutoZone said alternator was fine. If I remove the negative terminal clamp while the car is running, the alternator keeps the car running fine. Headlights brighten, but dash lights remain on.

The dash lights do go off while I'm braking or after 2-3 minutes of idle, but come back on as soon as I accelerate. If I turn on all the vents, radio, headlights, dome lights on, the dash lights flicker, but the braking will turn the dash lights off completely.

Thanks for any insight!

 

A bad battery shouldn't cause a check engine light. Did autozone read the codes when you had the battery/alternator tested?

It sounds like you have something draining the battery in your car. Look up parasitic draw testing to learn how to narrow down the culprit.

 

The check engine light was something related to my v-tech. If I don't change my oil every 3,000 miles or so the check engine light will come on and my engine will bog down between 3,000 - 4,000rpm and I'm forced to shift into a higher gear to accelerate.

I went ahead and bought a multimeter and am going to be checking for a parasitic drain, as you suggested, probably after today's snowstorm. I just wanted to mention that last night my battery straight up died at a stop sign. I'm not sure if it was the temperature (about 26 Fahrenheit) that was causing the battery to struggle more. I thought at that point I had a problem with my alternator, but as I pushed it down the street, the lights started coming back on after maybe 5 feet. I tried to pop-start the engine but I don't think it had charged quite enough for that. Any new insight? Is it possible I have a malfunctioning alternator, as opposed to a non-functioning one?

 

If your car just stopped then check the cables. Clean the connectors and check for corrosion. That would be the only way it just cut off. If you got lights afterwards your battery and alternator should be good because it had a charge.

 

It was more of a deterioration than a dead stop. First the radio, then the speedometer, then the dash lights, then the engine as I pulled up to a stop. All a few miles between each.

 

Can you drive it or have the means to remove it. If so take it to advance auto and have them do a load test. That will give you your answer

 

I'm wondering if a ground wire attached to the core support has broken off. When it does, it seems to stop the car.