Mpm

 

Thanks - I will check for signs of corrosion. I've owned the car for the past 9 years. I have had an issue with some water getting into the driver's side floor area, but never noticed any in the trunk.

 

This morning, over a month later, the problem cropped-up again. After it started, I noticed that when I would accelerate, the radio would cut out, displays go dead, and errors would come-up... Usually the car drives ok, but if one of the errors is a transmission fault (like this morning), I need to limp along in 3rd gear..

I got out the voltmeter, and the voltage is definitely dropping when the engine revs. I don't know if my meter is accurately capturing the voltage, but it looks more like the voltage briefly cuts-out completely, then tries to recover.

Fairly certain with the voltage info from this morning that it's the alternator... Time to change it!

Thanks for all the help!

 

Just to close the loop - it was the alternator. It was outputting 11V, and when it couldn't deliver enough current, the car was shutting down non-essential systems. The alternator has been replaced and all is good. I'm not sure if it's my imagination, but the it even seems to shift more smoothly...