e5cmb

Hello all. I drove my 99GT today for the first time after storing it for the winter (5 months). I didn't pull the battery prior, so I needed to jump it with a quick start box. I then let it idle for nearly 15 minutes, occasionally revving the engine to higher RPMs.

I then left from the place I stored my vehicle. The car was sluggish for the first few minutes of my 30 minute drive. It hesitated and sputtered a few times during the first couple of miles. After about 5 miles, the car really began hesitating. It would hesitate real bad beginning around 3,000 RPMs and above. It just did not feel like it wanted to go, like it normally does. Right about the 6 mile mark, the battery light came on. It would stay on for 20 - 30 seconds, then go out for a few and right back on.

The hesitation became worse and worse the further into the trip I got. At about 8 miles, I decided to put some high octane gas in it, since I was low anyway. Nothing change. It seemed to just get worse and worse. I got to where I was going andshut the car off. About 2 hours later, it fired right back up for me, but again the issues came right back.....hesitation and sluggish performance and battery light.

I plan to take it to Auto Zone tomorrow and see what codes are coming up. Just wondering what you all think might be going on and would love to hear. I appreciate your time. Thanks. :-)

e5cmb

Bump....pls help. :-)

IROLLSALEEN

sounds like your alt is bad,running of the batt. is bad for perf

e5cmb

Thanks for the reply IROLLSALEEN! I am off to Auto Zone in a few minutes and will post their opinion when I get back. Thanks again.

e5cmb

Both Auto Zone and Advanced Auto's meters were broken....just my luck I guess.

When I first started my vehicle this morning it ran fine. Very strong without hesitation and the battery gauge was where it normally is and should be. It slowly started going down and so went the performance. I'm not talking about a little performance hit either. This is major....sputtering, hesitation, very rough idle.

So it probably is the alt, huh? I just don't care to replace it for $145 and not take care of the issue. Thanks again. I'm still learning. :-)

Brute03

it sounds to me like the battery is done, if you can get it load tested you'll be able to verify this

e5cmb

Would the battery alone, decrease the performance? I ask, because a friend of mine said that the alternator, if working correctly, would keep the vehicle running prime as it should, even if the battery was bad. It's all knew to me and I appreciate the replies and knowlegde here. Thanks.

waggs

the alternator's is going out. when i got my car the batt. light came on at higher rpm's. a new alt fixed it

everything in your car is powered by the battery. the alternatorkeeps chargingthe battery when it's running.

e5cmb

Here we go.....seems as though another issue that I had already fixed was part of the issue.

Prior to putting my Stang in storage, it developed a radiator fluid leak from the head gasket (I believe). My cousin tightened a few bolts, just slightly, and the leak dissappeared. Well, I then put the vehicle in storage without investigating the leak further. Today, my father-in-law pulled the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th spark plug boot and there was radiator fluid in 5, 6 &7. So we thought, problem solved.....sucked the fluid out, dried the rest up, checked the plugs and they looked good. Put them back in and test drove the car. Ran better. A bit hesitant still , but much stronger. (Only drove 3 miles max.

Later, I drove back home and the battery light again came on along with the issues I had prior to discovering the fluid in the spark plug area. It's been a frustrating day, but I am glad my father-in-law found the rad fluid. Also, the eye on my battery is red. I will get the battery fully charged, load test it and also check the alt again. He got good amps while the vehicle was running, which led him to believe the alt was good though.

Also, I stored the vehicle with a 1/4 tank of gas, but didn't put stabilizer in the tank over the winter (5 months). I've heard that water can build up in the tank and cause similar issues until you've ran a full tank or so through. Is this a common issue?

I will post a reply when I learn more or the issue is resolved. I learned a few things today, so all in all, I am a bit relieved. :-) Cya all.