My 2001 monte carlo ss is having electrical problems and I'm not sure what the cause for them is? The car starts just fine. After driving it a couple of miles i get the check battery light on the dash and the gauge drops from 12 to 0 but after a minute or two it goes back up and the light shuts off. I kept driving and it starting happening more frequently and staying on for longer periods of time. It eventually got stuck at zero with the light on. then my traction control off light came on along with my anti-lock brake light. so now the battery is reading zero and all three of those lights are on. My top break lights no longer came on, my turn signals didnt work but my primary breaks and headlights still worked. I replaced the battery with a brand new one and it hasnt fixed anything and it didnt not recharge the new battery. it was dead when i got home. I'm not sure if its the alternator the voltage regulator or something totally different? Please help me out. I'm stuck and out of my comfort zone.

 

Check all connections for battery (terminals/starter/ground point) and at the alternator making sure they are clean and tight. With engine running check voltage output of the alternator at the battery with a multi-meter. With accessories turned on you should see approximately 14.2 volts. If not, check the alternator feed line and have the alternator checked for proper output.

 

First, the top lights in your brake lights are only for your hazards and blinkers. Unless you have a Custom housing. So the top lights not coming on when you brake is normal.
To go with what 03SSLE said, disconnect your negative battery terminal while the car is running. If your alligator is good, the car should continue to run. If it is bad the engine will stall. Also check your belt for tightness and ware. If the belt is warn or slipping, or the tensioner is bad, that could cause this too.
From the description you gave I would say it's your altenator. But the other thing I mentioned should Also be checked.

 

This practice was acceptable years ago for vehicles equipped with a generator, but not an advisable practice for cars with alternators. The chance of popping a diode in the rectifier bridge is quite high. The alternator will still charge, but not to full capacity. Checking voltage with a meter at the battery and/or the output terminal of the alternator is a much safer and accurate method.

 

See, I know a lot about cars, But some of the practices I used a Millennium ago Are out of date. Thank you 03SSLSLE, you learned me something today! And I always want to be Learning something!

P.S. I have a charging system tester that I got from R and S Struase when they were still around. You hook it up to the battery terminals and is if the car is running it tells you the condition of the Alternator, if the car is off it tells you the condition of the Battery. It's a Very handy gadget to have!

 

Or u can go to a auto shop that test those things for free and if they both turn out goodu may have a bad stepper motor in the cluster. I heard those things make the weirdest things happen on the dash