Battery light on, car wont start, what could it be?

[urir10]

Hey all
I drive a 2003 Protege ES. The other day while driving i had the battery light come up, initially i didnt pay much attention to it but by the time i got home the radio stopped working, lights were dim and the horn sounded as if an elephant was crying, i managed to park it but now it wont start again.
The thing is only last year i got a brand new battery and a new alternator when i had the same problem.

What else can cause the car not to start? and if its the battery or the alternator again , what can cause it to break so fast (1 year)?

Any ideas?

 

[MaxPower]

Your alternator is dead, which is why the battery light went on. You drained enough juice from the battery while driving that your car won't start. Charge the battery and your car will start again, but your alternator still won't be recharging the battery.

The alternator failed because you either got a cheap rebuild or there's something dripping on it (like oil) that's killing it. There might be some other reasons I'm forgetting.

 

[urir10]

Thats what i was thinking too.
Funny thing is that if i leave the car off for about 20 min it will start again no problem and then die after another 5 min.

 

[Sport23]

Probably the alternator. You could also have a bad cell in your battery. Get the battery tested since it is easier, if it's good get the alternator tested. It could also be your cabling if the battery and alternator are good.

 

[urir10]

so i went to check it out and it was indeed the alternator.

My question is, how come it broke so fast? i only had it replaced less then a year ago, is there something wrong in my car?
I also change one of the belts (the smaller one) since it was completely ruined, could that be the cause ?


Sorry for my poor description of the problem, i just dont know much about cars.

 

[Scipio]

so i went to check it out and it was indeed the alternator.

My question is, how come it broke so fast? i only had it replaced less then a year ago, is there something wrong in my car?
I also change one of the belts (the smaller one) since it was completely ruined, could that be the cause ?


Sorry for my poor description of the problem, i just dont know much about cars.

I've got a 2003 Protege ES and my second alternator failed after less than 2 years, and it was a Remanufactured Bosch. When I replaced it the first two units I put in failed. I actually had to have Autozone bench test the third replacement just to make sure it wasn't DOA.

 

[MaxPower]

Make sure you don't have an oil leak dripping on the alternator.