SC_COUTURE

thanks for the suggestions :) how much would the pump run me or can i fix it without replacing it? you were right about it not staying on for long. a few hours after i drove and the lights were off....are sensors replacable? and how can i find out for sure?

I was cleaning my car today and the TRAC OFF light came on while the car was in idle with the stereo playing. A second later the TRAC indicator inside the speedometer came on as well. I was putting back on the dash panel to the left of the steering wheel right before this happened (I had to check some fuses yesterday but now the problem is most likely a ground wire somewhere) Could I have pushed something that turned on the TRAC OFF light on the cluster itself? - I looked but I didnt see any button for traction so I figured something's up. Also, I've been reading up and it seems that there could be a something that is preventing the alternator from charging my battery. The alternator itself's been replaced 2 (warrantied) and it was the first thing my mechanic suggested. However after the second alternator the problem persisted and now I'm on my third battery. Any idea whether the TRAC lights and my car dying every month have anything to do with each other? And if not, then should I even bother fixing the TRAC light for the winter? I plan to get rid of this ride in April (hopefully it lasts until then) because my mom's '01 IS300 lease will be up and I'm gonna buy it out for me :D My car's got 293K on it and it's a 92 SC400. I am the third owner and the first two weren't very nice to it. There is a whole list of problems but it seems that they are never the most obvious. The car runs pretty smooth with very minimal engine noise and according to the mechanics the engine is in excellent condition (unlike everything else lol). I am hoping to junk it or ideally sell the parts. Except I am not really sure how to take apart an entire car :D So for now I need to make it last at least through the winter. Anyway is the TRAC light and the TRAC OFF going to affect my winter driving at all?? I'm assuming it controls the car's traction since it's rear wheel drive but that's all I know about it. We get a loooot of snow in Toronto so I'm kinda worried it might not last the winter. And should I be checking for any other serious signs of wear n tear since it's soo old?? This is my first car, so I am welcome to any ideas anyone may have. Thaaaaankss guyys

the more i read these forums the more sense all of my problems make lol i got the car a year ago and everything was fine for about a month....until one day i was driving the limit and the car just died in the middle of the road with the red battery light that came on...had the alternator replaced and it worked for a couple more weeks...then one day it did the same thing and the car almost died at a red light but i gave it gas and kept the car moving which got me home...then i had the battery replaced at canadian tire i figured even if it is a ground somewhere than i can at least drive it until i can diagnose the problem....the new battery was working but i felt pretty paranoid so i went back to canadian tire and got them to do a system charge check which includes the starter, the alternator and the battery. the alternator was fine as i expected since i had it replaced twice. turned out that the battery that they sold me was in the computer listed under 92 sc400 but that in reality it didnt even fit according to the measurements. they warrantied the battery for me and gave me a much more powerful one. they also replaced my battery terminals with marine ones for 20 bux because mine were from 1992!!! lol and they were corroded to sh*ttt. the whole thing cost me about $150 and ct promised that there is no short anywhere in the system. for now the car seems okay but i have a feeling that the problem is still not fixed and that once the battery dies the ground will show itself. i don't really understand how this works but it seems that everytime i replace the battery it works for a bit and then one day the light comes on and im calling a cabbie to get a boost. can anyone suggest any specific grounds that it can be? i had my alternator checked, new battery...what does this leave?? i have an aftermarket deck but not sub or amp so it cant be what's causing it... my dash flickers as well...but from what i gather in the forums soooo does everybody else's lol any ideas as to what to check next?? for now i will be driving with that fear of being stuckk somewhere :S