Later on I noticed the charge light and rear taillamp light were on...figured the rain was doing screwy things, or maybe the alternator was dying...thought nothing of it.
Then it started getting weird.
The radio started cutting in and out...the guages started dropping...the radio shut off completely...the wipers started slowing down...
dubya tee eff?
Long story short...very nervous drive home, nursing the car really...brought my friend home, then barely made it home myself. Parked her in the driveway and popped the hood...
Yup...alternator belt was missing.
It had been squealing for awhile but I was always too damned lazy to tighten it, so first reaction was...oh...a/c compressor seized...broke the belt.
Bought a new belt earlier today...just the alt since the p/s was still on there, and figured out how to put it on. It wasn't that bad really...just had to make sure it was on tight, and all lined up. Shining the flashlight down...making sure the belt was on completely...I noticed something laying on the splash guard below. Go underneath...pull it out...and...
It broke across...as if a rock hit hit it. Regardless, I had put on a shorter belt so it would bypass the a/c compressor, since that doesn't do anything right now anyway, so that'll free up a tid bit of power. Went to start her up and the battery is dead (no surprise) so I'll just wait for someone to give me a jumpstart and all should be well.
I'm getting my tax refunds back next week, and I'm going to use half to fix up my car, mainly the motor mounts and exhaust as first priority. I priced out the parts, but not sure how much the labor will be. I'm not comfortable at all with doing it myself, I'll leave it to the pros.
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