While coming home from work, suddenly all the dashboard indicators lit up, and the truck went herky jerky and stalled. I was able to get it to the shoulder. I let it sit for a minute or so, then started it - it started normally. When I put it in drive, same thing. It stalled.

A couple minutes later I started it again and revved it up a bit. All gauges indicated normal. I left and was able to get home, about 20 miles away. While passing a car going up a steep hill, the truck shuddered and the engine sort of sputtered. I had hit the accelerator to pass. After that, it ran fine at about 62 mph.

One other thing. I had a CD in the player. It suddenly stopped and went black just a minute before I parked.

I went into a grocery store to run an errand. When I came back, it wouldn't start - I got the dreaded clicking noise.

My wife came and we tried to jump it. Maybe we didn't wait long enough, but it wouldn't start.

So what do you thinnk? Alternator or battery? I replaced the alternator 3 or 4 years ago. Battery posts were pretty corroded.

 

Hi GL,

You may not need either.
You saw the problem and you might consider cleaning the battery cable connections. If there is sufficient resistance due to poor connections at the battery, the alt thinks the battery doesn't want any more charging so when the battery runs out of power we think there is a problem with either the battery or the alternator when it is only poor connections.
The best way to handle this is,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,charge the battery if necessary, clean the connections, start the engine and make sure the alternator is charging.
If it is and the battery will hold a charge you saved some $$$. and time.

Somewhere along the line, somebody failed to notice and do something about the corrosion taking place and unfortunately this is what can happen.

Seeing the problem and tending to it might have spared a lot of inconvenience , worry and all that stuff.
I prefer to call it programmed maintenance because you will either do it or have it done ,but it will get done, then the preventive benefit comes.

 

Look at the ground connection at the engine block where the negative cable bolts at.. If you clamped the jumper cables on the battery post and the truck still wouldn't crank, that would rule out a high resistant battery connection, unless the battery had an issue and was lugging down the donor battery.. It still should be cleaned up if needed.Every time I had an alternator issue, the alternator light would light up without the whole dash lighting up.Sometimes I even had a code set.