On 22 Jul 2005 18:24:15 -0700, wrote:

>Hello!
>
>My 1998 prizm seems to be having a problem. When I star the vehicle it
>seems to be fine, when I turn on the lights, the engine stops. If I
>have the AC on, the car will flux between 1000 and 3000 RPM. then die
>again when lights are put on. If the lights are off and the AC is off,
>no problems.
>
>Does this sound like an alternator going bad?
>
>Thanks!!

This doesn't sound like the alternator to me. Even if the alternator
was dead and off the car if the battery had enough power to start the
engine it should keep it running for a little while with the lights
on.

Does the Prizm have two positive cables coming off the battery
(sandwiched together)? If it does remove them both, separate them and
clean the heck out of them.

If this isn't the problem then I would suspect a bad ground somewhere
or problems in the main power feed (loose connection somewhere that
gets overstressed by the lights coming on). Start checking ground and
B+ connections around the battery.

Steve B.