Timmy11

Got myself a multimeter, only measured when the car was off and when it was running as I didn't have a second person to measure when starting. Battery measured 7v when the car was off, so very low on that one. It sat at 14.5v while the car was running, still with the old belt in as I haven't got the new one yet. Am I right to assume that this means that the slipping belt may have caused some damage to the battery (or that the battery was on its way out already and just happened to break cause of the cold or something..), and that my alternator (sans belt) is fine but the battery needs replacing? Also, thanks for all the help thus far, has been very useful.

I checked the alternator belt as suggested and found that it is worn and at one point frayed, and after a bit more research I've come to the conclusion that the belt was slipping (I did have noises for a while after starting the car which apparently fit the bill for a slipping belt). As blind_elk said the slipping belt may have been the reason for the lights dimming and electrical things turning off, not sure if that can also damage the battery, which seems to be the case since the car jump starts fine, but won't start under it's own power. I'll get a multimeter next chance I get, after that I'll probably have to get a new battery as well, and I've already got a new alternator belt arriving soon.

It jump starts just fine, but the lights and clock are dim and the radio doesn't start up at all, I also noticed a slight dip in idling revs when I turned the headlights on. After that I tried starting it by itself and all I got was the sound of the starter motor trying but nothing more. Does the electrical stuff work through the battery even when the car is running or is the battery used only to start the car, and everything after that goes through the alternator? Edit: Never mind that question, just had another look at one of the posts above where that is answered. So from what I understand the alternator may not be working and my driving it home with that problem killed the battery thus not allowing me to start the car now. While the car was running yesterday and just now the alternator light was never on though..

I don't currently have any way to measure the voltage on the battery beyond what the lights on the battery charger showed, started out on a yellow light when I first put the charger on it and was green when I tried to start the car later on. I'll try to jump start the car to see if it'll start at all.

Hey, I was driving home yesterday night when I started having some strange electrical problems. First the radio started cutting out, later the airbag light started flashing periodically, then the rev counter went dead and the headlights became dim. Just before I got home the tacho went dead everytime I hit the brakes (whenever the brake lights came on) and at one point the power steering died, but worked again a few seconds later. This morning I tried to start the car but it wouldn't turn over, so I hooked the battery to a recharger. Couple of hours later I went to try and start the car and this time nothing at all happened when I turned the key. The battery/alternator light did not come on at any time yesterday or today other than when I tried to start the car, together with all the usual start up lights. I've pretty much no idea when it comes to mechanical or electrical issues, all I can think of is that the battery is dead. But before I go and buy a new battery I thought I'd see if anyone has any ideas or input. The car is a 1995 Skyline R33 GTS-T, only modifications on it are an air filter and exhaust, nothing to do with the electrics. First time posting on Skylines Australia, so be nice