ok, im pretty sure this is aside fromt he CEL i have but....

last night i accidentally left the interior light on for around 5 hours.

well i was driving to the post office and when im coastin/stand still with no revs...my rpm starts to hover real low until the engine dies (if i thottle while in a stand still and keep the rpm up, im fine) but when the engine dies, the battery light comes on.

i tihnk its the battery and i just drained it...but my voltmeter says im at 14...so im kinda confused

anyone? any help would be really appreciated

 

Alternator. If you got the car started after leaving the light on, there's no way that a normally healthy charging system would allow you to stall. The only way that happens is if it's not charging. Possible culprits besides alternator include a worn/loose drive belt or a faulty voltage regulator.

 

alternator seems ok battery seems stuffed or drained, have the battery checked first it might just need topping up then a good charge or run "check fluid level in battery" if below the plates top it up with ionised/rain water then a good run or trickle charge over night

 

wow. im sorry, but could you put that in laymans terms? im just a lowly hotel chef without much knowledge of cars

 

Yeah if its charging at 14 then your alternator is fine. Likely a toasted battery.

 

If it was toasted enough that it it couldn't sustain the engine's operation but the car will still start, than it isn't the battery. Batteries require less than 5% of the current to RUN the car than it takes to start it.

 

Doesn't sound like a battery problem at all.

How many miles? When was the last time you changed spark plugs?

Sounds like either a vacuum leak, or dirty throttle body, or you need to do a throttle body adjustment.

Try the adjustment.

Turn the car ignition to on without starting or touching the gas. You should hear some electrical motor noises under the hood. Leave it alone for 5 minutes, turn the car to off, and then start the car and see if the problem persists.

If it is still there, check for vacuum leaks and if none found, try some throttle body cleaner (not carburator cleaner)

 

Yeah somehow I missed that the car actually stopped running...

Yeah, a car should be able to run without a battery, once it is started... although audi recommends against that.

 

its fixed. i tinhk i just drained the battery cause i let the car run for 3 hours on the driveway to see if the alternator would recharge the thing.

everything is fine now....excpet my CEL is still on


but thanks for the help guys