Serious electrical problem with videos
07-12-2009, 09:58 PM
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Serious electrical problem with videos A couple nights ago my car's electrical system suddenly went dead on my way home. It just slowly dipped to extremely low voltage over a few minutes of driving. I lost all lightning, radio, instrumentation, etc. I have not had previous issues and have not seen any warnings of this occurring. The car stalled as I pulled into the driveway and I checked the battery. It read 12.5 volts but the car was completely dead and would not even try to crank. It was late, so I put it on a charge and hit the sack.
The next morning it cranked over fine but on the second crank it had troubles. I checked the battery voltage as it was turning over and it dropped to 9 volts before it turned over and was back up to 12.5 volts. Had the battery load tested and it came back bad battery.
Replaced the battery today and it appears that I still have some low voltage issues. Since I have a voltmeter on my passport escort, I am able to see fluctuation inside the car of the volts. It has gone all the way up to 13.8V (normal) and now cruising I am seeing voltage in the low 12s. It should be right at or just under 14 volts.
Here is a video of the cranking problem. The battery has maybe 5 minutes of usage on it and after the car turns over, it does not rise to 14 volts where it should be. It only seems to be doing this if I crank it right after I turn the car off.
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=.../1/hHZtI6ogNVk
So my next guess was the alternator. However, while driving, it does not appear that the voltage is affected by the RPMs and turning on accessories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FW6i...er_profilepage
Hard to tell but the voltage ranges from 11.7-12.3
I would prefer to not get stranded again so could someone please help!
The next morning it cranked over fine but on the second crank it had troubles. I checked the battery voltage as it was turning over and it dropped to 9 volts before it turned over and was back up to 12.5 volts. Had the battery load tested and it came back bad battery.
Replaced the battery today and it appears that I still have some low voltage issues. Since I have a voltmeter on my passport escort, I am able to see fluctuation inside the car of the volts. It has gone all the way up to 13.8V (normal) and now cruising I am seeing voltage in the low 12s. It should be right at or just under 14 volts.
Here is a video of the cranking problem. The battery has maybe 5 minutes of usage on it and after the car turns over, it does not rise to 14 volts where it should be. It only seems to be doing this if I crank it right after I turn the car off.
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=.../1/hHZtI6ogNVk
So my next guess was the alternator. However, while driving, it does not appear that the voltage is affected by the RPMs and turning on accessories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FW6i...er_profilepage
Hard to tell but the voltage ranges from 11.7-12.3
I would prefer to not get stranded again so could someone please help!
Last edited by LS1Fury!; 07-12-2009 at 10:04 PM.
07-13-2009, 07:38 PM
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I just don't want to go in and replace the alternator if it's something else. I'm hoping someone will be able to chime in on some ideas.
07-13-2009, 07:58 PM
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My 3rd gen had a similar charging problem that I traced back to a intermittent connection at the alternator. With the car running try fiddling with the connections near the alternator and see what happens. On my car you didn't even need to look at a volt meter. When I wiggled the connection and made contact you could hear the RPMs drop as the alternator went under load to charge the battery.
I may be wrong, but wouldn't this make you think it was the alternator? I would think at higher RPM it would charge more as it spins faster.
So my next guess was the alternator. However, while driving, it does not appear that the voltage is affected by the RPMs
07-13-2009, 07:58 PM
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You may have already done that. Depends on whether you really meant what you said in your first post. A dead battery doesn't need replacing, it needs charging. I'd have probably gone the alternator route first from the way you described it. If you have an AutoZone close by, they'll test it all for free.
07-13-2009, 08:52 PM
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My 3rd gen had a similar charging problem that I traced back to a intermittent connection at the alternator. With the car running try fiddling with the connections near the alternator and see what happens. On my car you didn't even need to look at a volt meter. When I wiggled the connection and made contact you could hear the RPMs drop as the alternator went under load to charge the battery.
I may be wrong, but wouldn't this make you think it was the alternator? I would think at higher RPM it would charge more as it spins faster.
I may be wrong, but wouldn't this make you think it was the alternator? I would think at higher RPM it would charge more as it spins faster.
I would imagine if I had low voltage and revving the motor, which inturn spins the pulley system and alternator faster, the voltage would increase. Which it does not.
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07-13-2009, 08:54 PM
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You may have already done that. Depends on whether you really meant what you said in your first post. A dead battery doesn't need replacing, it needs charging. I'd have probably gone the alternator route first from the way you described it. If you have an AutoZone close by, they'll test it all for free.
About 5k miles/8 months ago, I had the alternator tested and was told it was "good"
07-13-2009, 09:11 PM
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Since you are familiar with the location of the connections on the alternator, I would use a multimeter and check the voltage at the source. I think it should be 14.xx volts, maybe someone can chime in. If you are getting 11.xx or 12.xx at the alternator then it might make sense to check the wiring again/pull it and have it tested. I know it was fine 5k miles ago, but your car was also charging 5k miles ago.
I would imagine if I had low voltage and revving the motor, which inturn spins the pulley system and alternator faster, the voltage would increase. Which it does not.
07-13-2009, 09:46 PM
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Since you are familiar with the location of the connections on the alternator, I would use a multimeter and check the voltage at the source. I think it should be 14.xx volts, maybe someone can chime in. If you are getting 11.xx or 12.xx at the alternator then it might make sense to check the wiring again/pull it and have it tested. I know it was fine 5k miles ago, but your car was also charging 5k miles ago.
How does this not point to a bad alternator/connection?
07-14-2009, 04:46 AM
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By upgrading the 3 main wires often referred to as the "Big 3" you are usually improving a better electrical charge from the alternator to the battery and overall, giving your charging system a larger surface area to travel over and it will stabilize power and relieve strain on the alternator and battery.
07-14-2009, 09:30 AM
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Don't take this the wrong way as I do not doubt your ability, but I'm not saying that putting larger wires hurt your alternator, just that maybe the connections you made might have come loose or something. More than likely it's the alternator itself though. Is it factory?
Alternator is factory. 75k miles '99. Bout to go read the voltage on it
07-15-2009, 10:46 PM
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FYI here is pictures of my upgraded engine to chasis ground and alternator power wire. Not pictured is my 0 gauge battery to ground wire. They do not replace the factory wiring, just an add on.
