Not Again February 08, 2005, 11:21:33 AM Well guess what my car was running great and then it happened again my alternator went out. Same problem as last time and after replacing so many parts. My AMP light came on I pulled the cable off the battery it still ran, then last night driving home she just died and sure enough I blew another one. What would be causing this???? I have replaced everything except the brain---HELP--- Quote Selected
Re: Not Again Reply #1 – February 08, 2005, 01:22:31 PM I went through 7 alternators in one year.They were all from Autozone.I finally went and spent the money on a new one,and haven't had any more problems. Quote Selected
Re: Not Again Reply #2 – February 08, 2005, 01:30:49 PM Yeah I have had alot of parts from autozone too. The only thing I will buy there is oil, filter, and other various little parts. Quote Selected
Re: Not Again Reply #3 – February 08, 2005, 07:37:39 PM QuoteMy AMP light came on I pulled the cable off the battery it still ranAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!For the 10th time (or is it the 11th?) pulling the battery cable while the engine is running can destroy the alternator, along with any other electrical equipment on the car (computer, stereo, etc...). When mine did that, I just whacked the alternator body with a screwdriver handle, which loosened a stuck brush and started it charging again. Quote Selected
Re: Not Again Reply #4 – February 08, 2005, 09:06:53 PM Your alternators current hits a big brick wall when you pull the cable off. Then your diode blows! Then that kills your battery and VRM! Then you are shiznit out of luck. Back in the day when alternators didn't output much at all and nearly nothing at idle you could pull the cable off and not really hurt anything. Now alternators are 90 or better and almost all of them can charge at full capacity at an idle. Quote Selected
Re: Not Again Reply #5 – February 09, 2005, 11:19:24 AM Hi, Well I replaced the alternator and the brain yesterday and the amp light is still on. Oh yeah new battery as well. I was reading about the EXVR is this maybe a cause? I have replaced everything. The selinoid, map sensor, charcoal cannister,alternator (3 of them)distributor, ingnition control module, rotor and cap, plugs and wires, all kinds of parts. Please help once again I am at my wits end. I am a very sad girl Thanks for your replies thus far :( Quote Selected
Re: Not Again Reply #6 – February 09, 2005, 04:41:09 PM what year make model? If your stator wire isn't hooked up then the light will be on. Quote Selected
Re: Not Again Reply #7 – February 09, 2005, 05:04:53 PM she is a 1986 Mercury Cougar, 3.8 with a CFI and I have been working on her every weekend to fix all her ailments. Now they ail me HA HA HA Quote Selected
Re: Not Again Reply #8 – March 10, 2005, 01:35:07 AM Hi purrtycat,I can't help but have some sypathy, I to have had problems with the old style alternators that were installed in these cars. To make a long story short these alternators can only sustain about 40 or so amps without frying the diods. If you only have one diod out it will still charge but the voltege will be low at idle which could in turn charge a battery dry. Changing parts isn't the answer, this will only complate things. I have an 86 T-Bird with all options and it is capible of drawing over 100amps at idle with all accessores on. An alternator rated for a peak of 65 amps wont last long in these conditions! This is why I went to the 3G 130amp-200amp style alternator since then I have had no charging problems. If you have good auto skills this might be an option for you! If you would like to consider this upgrade let me know and I can supply more information. Another option is, if you don't want to change your alternator you can simply install a heavy duty staterplate. These are readily availabile, Renard Gold has one. Your currant will still max out but the solder wont melt on the diodes and cause your alternator to fail. Quote Selected
Re: Not Again Reply #9 – March 10, 2005, 08:02:43 PM Quote from: MasterBlasterI just whacked the alternator body with a screwdriver handle, which loosened a stuck brush and started it charging again.is that so? humm, taking notes......i read what all you replaced but you did not mention if they were new parts. Another thing you did not mention was if your failed alternators tested bad or not...? this happens to be important.Your new alternators should have come with new input and output connectors and im am sure you installed them as well , right?since you replaced a lot,, dont forget about the ign switch as well.dont be pulling the cable off again,, have you done that to this alternator? Quote Selected
Re: Not Again Reply #10 – March 10, 2005, 08:08:44 PM Quote from: MasterBlasterAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!For the 10th time (or is it the 11th?) no,, keep going :flame: Quote Selected
Re: Not Again Reply #11 – March 15, 2005, 02:25:31 PM Quote from: vinnietbirdI went through 7 alternators in one year.They were all from Autozone.I finally went and spent the money on a new one,and haven't had any more problems.I went through about 6 alternators in 2 years from autozone. It was around '96-00'. Considering my alternator gauge has never worked ( in any car, ever ) I would use the turn signal to determine if my battery was low or not. If it flashes pretty fast, I"m good. If it was taking a 2-3 seconds between flashes, my alternator or battery wasn't outputting enough.About the fourth or fifth one I took back to autozone the guys there started giving me about how it was my car frying them, or improper harness installation. Which I understand, and I would just reassure them that thier alternators are really and it's not me. Luckily the one time the guy at autozone really threw a fit that alternator's shaft was so badly misaligned that you could no longer hand turn the pulley. He tried to test it and the machine flung it. "Cleanup on isle 5" :)I had another one that was so badly internally shorted it would get hot enough to glow and occasionally spit out flaming bits of itself. After 4 years or so I went through the stock of alternators at the local autozone's and autzone switched brands. The new one came in a nice box, had a gold colored pulley nut, seemed heavier. I've had that one for 3-4 years now.However this doesn't help the original poster any, I'd say keep trying to figure out the root of the problem. Pull all of your fuses, put a voltmeter inline to show amperage draw on your battery. Put your fuses back in one at a time see if something is pulling amperage. ( with the car off of course.. you'll ruin a voltmeter in a hurry otherwise..or at least be buying voltmeter fuses ). Check where your wires go through the firewall, thats a good place for them to get cut. Check your negative and postive battery wires for corrosion, make sure they are clear of the exhaust. Good luck Squid Quote Selected
Topic: Not Again (Read 3116 times)
previous topic - next topic
