Yup...I know what ails my car...

[chaosdrifter06]

Drove it to get inspected today. Dropped it off at the inspection station then when I tried to start it up, it wouldn't start anymore. Hear the starter motor clicking, so it's definitely the alternator not charging the battery anymore. Hopefully my new ALT comes in today....

Before anyone asks why I did this, it's because the state will start bugging me about not getting my car inspected. They will literally send you a letter about forking over your plates or pay an insane fine. So as long as they see that I got it inspected, they won't bug me. Plus, I get 30 days to fix the darn thing.

On the plus side, this car is awesome.

[ejp2fast]

I know you already got your alternator coming, but did you verify it was the alternator? starter relay, battery, starter solenoid are other things that come to mind.. regardless, hope it passes inspection soon!

[chaosdrifter06]

The starter clicks when I turn the key so the starter is okay. The battery is obviously dead, since the I drove the car 5 miles through Providence traffic and it wasn't charged by the ALT. The mechanic jumped the battery with the jump box and it started right up.

[htchbck]

Have you tested the alternator with the engine running to verify the output?

Also:

The starter clicks when I turn the key so the starter is okay.

Does NOT mean that the starter is ok... just means the ignition key circuit is working, and the solenoid is doing something (not necessarily even doing its job). Could be the starter or possibly a bad connection between the starter and the battery. Sometimes with a jump box you get the extra oomph to get it to arc off and start, even if the connection isn't great. IIRC on a Festiva if you have the solenoid trigger wire hooked up but not the main power to the starter (big fat wire with ring terminal) it will still click. The click you hear is the solenoid, not the starter itself. All that said, there is a good chance it is just the alternator not charging. But the point is and always will be this: "Diagnose, THEN replace". Unless you have unlimited funds to throw at replacing parts without knowing the exact problem you're dealing with, in which case, have at it!

[chaosdrifter06]

Well, it's at the mechanic's now. If there is anything I missed, he will gladly let me know. Maybe it's just an alternator, maybe it's a lot more things. This car has been sitting for a while and its safe to say that I should be replacing everything.