1997 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO Electrical Systemalternatorgeneratorregulator Problems

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR HOME ONE EVENING IT WAS IDLING HIGH AND AND EVERYTHING ELECTRICAL WAS ACTING LIKE IT WAS SHORT CIRCUTING AND THEN MY CAR DIED. THANK GOODNESS THAT NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME BECAUSE OF COURSE THE POWER STEERING THE FAILED AND THERE WAS A SOUND OF METAL AGAINST METAL. MY FATHER AND I THEN CHANGED THE ALTERNATOR THINKING THAT THAT MIGHT FIX THE PROBLEM. IT DIDN'T AND THE CAR HAS HAD THE PROBLEM MULTIPLE TIMES. NOW I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE IT FOR THE FEAR OF THIS HAPPENING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC OR OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE AND ME BE STUCK THERE. THE PROBLEM IS NOT A FAULTY ALTERNATOR SO I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY CLUE AS TO WHAT THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE. *AK

FIRST, THE A/C WENT OUT. AS I WAS DRIVING THE CAR IN FOR MAINTENANCE, SUDDENLY, WHILE DRIVING, ALL THE POWER WENT OUT. FORTUNATELY, NO OTHER CARS WERE ON THE ROAD, AND I WAS NOT TRAVELING VERY FAST. MY CAR BEGAN TO SLOW, BUT I WAS ABLE TO TURN INTO A PARKING LOT. AS I PULLED INTO A SPACE, I TRIED TO STEP ON MY BRAKES, BUT THEY DIDN'T WORK. IT TURNS OUT THAT MY ALTERNATOR WAS OUT, SO I DIDN'T HAVE ANY POWER. BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THERE SHOULD BE A BACK-UP SYSTEM FOR THE BRAKES, SO THAT THEY WOULD STILL WORK IN THIS SITUATION (OR IN A MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION, E.G., IF I HAD BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY). THE PARKING BRAKE IS A BACK-UP OF SORTS, BUT, REALLY, I DON'T BELIEVE THE BRAKES SHOULD FAIL WHEN THE POWER GOES OUT.*AK

PROBLEM HAS ALWAYS BEEN ROUGH IDLE OR NOT STARTING.IN THE CASE OF THE FUEL PUMP ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WAS NOT ON AND WE WERE TOLD THERE COULD NOT BE ANYTHING WRONG.BROKE DOWN ON WAY HOME.HAD SPARK PLUG WIRES/ ALTENATOR AND.FUELPUMP REPLACED.SPARKPLUGS HAVE ONLY BEEN CLEANED. *AK

FOURTH ALTERNATOR IN 18 MONTHS. REPAIRS WERE UNDER WARRANTY, BUT SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE. THE DEALERSHIP BLAMES THE FAILURE ON LIGHT WIEGHT, LESS DURABLE COMPONENTS USED TO MAKE THE ALTERNATORS. HOWEVER, THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS NOT A COMMON FAILURE FOR MONTE CARLOS. THEY SAY THAT I HAVE JUST HAD A STRING A "BACK LUCK WITH ALTERNATORS".

I HAVE HAD THIS CAR SINCE NOVEMBER OF 1998. WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER I BOUGHT IT FROM BECAUSE THE BRAKES "FELT FUNNY" AND THERE WAS A CONSTANT "SQUEAKING" WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED. ALSO STOPPING DISTANCES WERE INCREASED WITH WET PAVEMENT. THEY REPORTED THAT MY ROTORS WERE WARPED. THEY RESURFACED THE ROTORS. I THEN WENT BACK BECAUSE THE BRAKES WERE STILL "NOT RIGHT" . THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM AND I THEN WENT TO BOB MCDORMAN CHEVROLET. THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM EITHER.

I TOOK MY CAR TO BOB MCDORMAN CHEVROLET IN JANUARY (VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY) ABOUT SEVERAL CONCERNS I HAD. ONE CONCERN I POINTED OUT WAS THAT MY CAR "CRANKED" A LONG TIME TO START. I ALSO HAD THEM REPAIR MY DRIVER SEAT BELT, THAT WOULD NOT CONTRACT, HAD THEM CHECK MY BRAKES BECAUSE THEY WERE TAKING LONGER TO STOP ON WET PAVEMENT AND THEY WERE SQUEAKING. WELL, NEEDLESS TO SAY, NOTHING WAS FOUND TO BE WRONG WITH ANYTHING EXCEPT MY SEAT BELT. I ALSO REPORTED THAT THERE WAS A TICKING SOUND IN THE MORNING WHEN I STARTED THE CAR. THEY TOLD ME SOME TICKING IS NORMAL ON A COLD START. ON 03-29-99 I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN BECAUSE THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT KEPT FLASHING AND STAYING ON, THE IDLE WAS VERY ROUGH, CAR WAS MISSING TERRIBLY, SULFUR SMELL WAS PRESENT. BOB MCDORMAN CHEVROLET REPLACED THREE PLUGS AND WIRES....