help, my car died on me..

[3 DeeJay]

I was driving through town and my car just died.. I had to drift off and stop on the side and restart it.. The only lights that came on were my oil light and battery light.. Anyone have a clue why this happened? I had though I left the clutch out and it died that way but it would have jumped and it didn't it just died...

[badassgrandam99]

...when my alternator died, my battery light came on... but my oil change light didn't (odd if you ask me) ...also... my service vehicle soon light came on, but the car didn't just die immediately when those lights came on... it drove for 5 minutes being powered by the battery... and then died in my driveway... but alternator is the first thing that comes to mind...

[Gimli]

Yep, sounds like a bad alternator.

[craig02GAGT]

Did the oil light and the battery light come on after you restarted or while the car was stalled? I don't think its a bad alternator since if the battery was dead enough to cause the car to stall, it would have never been able to crank the engine again. Does this problem happen a lot to you?

[2002GT]

arent u under warranty anywayz...

[3 DeeJay]

This is the first time is has happened. After is died the battery light and oil light came on... like right after.. and went off after I started it.

[craig02GAGT]

The battery light and oil light coming on when the engine stalls is normal. There is no oil pressure when the engine is not running and the alternator is not turning at all. If it happens again I would take it in, otherwise it may have been a fluke. There are so many reasons for a car to stall that unless it set a trouble code the dealer won't be able to diagnose it because they would be unable to reproduce the problem. If it happens again, try to see if you can narrow down when it happens. Does it always happen when the engine's warm or cold, accelerating or idle or decelerating, or any unique things that you can cause it to stall. There is nothing harder for a technician to diagnose that a car that intermittantly stalls for no known reason.

[shawn]

I'm having the same random problem when my 2000 Pontiac Grand Am GT. When decelerating it stalls and the battery and engine oil pressure lights both come on. I have new plugs and a new fuel filter. After the car stalls I'm able to immediately start my car with none of idiot lights coming on. Recently the only other problem is my car is idling when my car is coming to a complete stop. Any suggestions?