[kales]

My focus has been having some crazy power failures. It started with the whole car turning off and on again (radio resets, air turns off, everything basically turns off).
We checked the fuses/relays and we checked to see if they were all in securely. Checked the battery and that was all connected. It has now started to die when I'm idle, so I have to take the key out and try and restart (sometimes it takes a few tries).

I'm thinking about replacing the alternator but I don't want to just throw parts at it if it is not the alternator messing up. I do hear a clicking sound when I'm driving, I've heard it may be the IAC
Has anyone else had problems like this?? I don't know what to do

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Any time the radio resets, that points towards a negative battery terminal problem. Sure, you looked at it, now go remove it, clean under it, and connect it again if you didn't it. Also pay very close attention to the 2 small black wires that terminate on a stud on the terminal. I had problems with those connectors breaking on me. Remove the nut holding those 2 wires on, pull the wires off the stud, and wiggle on the ring terminals to be sure yours aren't cracked.

There is no sense in replacing any alternator before you're sure it will charge. Even if an alternator was to suddenly stop putting out power, and then start again- the car wouldn't stop running. Think of the alternator as a river filling a lake, and the power you need is what runs out of the dam on the other side of the lake. If that river stops filling the lake, it's not like water will stop going through the dam right away. That's the relationship between the alternator, battery, and your car.

The clicking you're hearing is probably the AC clutch, not the IAC. If the IAC was causing you to have a low enough idle that the car died at stoplights- it wouldn't reset the radio.

Finally, use the electronic odometer trick in the link I provided you. Read through the How-To and continue pressing and releasing the odometer trip button until your display reads [bat 12.3] or some similar voltage. Now, start the engine, and the display will remain in test mode, and you should see the voltage go up to 13.2-14.8. Higher or lower could indicate a problem with the alternator- but I still am sure that your problem is most likely the negative terminal. On a really strange note, it could be the negative connection to the engine or transmission- the other side of the negative battery cable.