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Battery and Alternator Failure!!!!!!!!!!

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Posted by: Doc

So I am driving down the street minding my own business. All of a sudden the battery light comes on, then the charging system light comes on and then............the car dies.

To make a long story short I am in Rapid City SD on business and I now have to pay $900. to replace my battery and Alt. The freaking Alt. costs $500? What is it made of? Has anyone had this kind of catastrophic failure happen to them? How can this be prevented?

Doc

Posted by: JayAchTee

You can get the alternator online a Bob Utter's site for $153.66 (there may be better prices out there) and a $60.00 core charge.

It's right on top and easy to get to for replacement but it didn't happen n your garage so there is the price for convenience.

Posted by: 96mark8

i thought i saw one on ebay for 30$ must have been core or use. my mark does not charge battery whild idleing but charges when i am giving gas so if i don't idle for to long i am ok.

Posted by: Doc

Thats what happened to me for about a week before it went out. So now I am forced to drive a nissan altima for a few days untill I get repaired. So beware!

Posted by: Markviiiedrea

all I can say is www.car-part.com !

Posted by: 96mark8

yea i had to fully charge the battery and just can't idle for to long. It's been like that almost 2 months now. I think it helps that my battery is like 6 months old but i should still do somthing about it.

Posted by: Doc

When you are stranded in a strange place with a broken car you are f@cked! I am back on the road now $925. lighter in the wallet.

Posted by: torquemonkey

Good fix.

One of the best things you could do to monitor the electrical system, install Volt and Amp meters to see what is goinig on while the car is under load. Watching the volt & amp meters can tell you much about the system before the car is started, after the load/drain and recovery from the starter and under light and heavy loads while driving. Loads such as your headlamps, radio and accessories.

A voltmeter will cover most bases and is much easier to install. I have heard of a type/style of voltmeter that fits into your cigar lighter and has a quick reference chart for ease of monitoring. However a nice three gauge set up for oil pressure, engine temp and volt meter is great to aid in monitoring your car's vitals.

Posted by: marked8

You got screwed. Cost me less than $200 installed for an alternator (used 98) and a new battery.

Posted by: Icarus

The early Marks used a Mitsubishi alternator that is difficult to rebuild and quite pricey new. I ran into this on my '94 and ended up using a '96 Motorcraft Mark VIII alt and filed out the bracket mounting holes slightly to get it to fit.
Sounds like they changed it with what is called for, hence the high price. I've looked at a few part places diagrams for the Mark alt, and many show a externally regulated alt up to '98!

Posted by: MediumD

I had an alternator take a crap on me 400mi away from where I live in my 75... had it towed to an Autozone parking lot, and a $10 socket set and $80 alternator later I was back on the road.

Posted by: 96mark8

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc

When you are stranded in a strange place with a broken car you are f@cked! I am back on the road now $925. lighter in the wallet.

lol that blows i bet u could think of alot better ways of spending $995 dollers i know i can

Posted by: JMiles_T

One thing all my alternator failures have had in common is they have always died when there was an excessive drain on the electrical system, and I revved the engine to high RPMs.

I've also noticed on my own car that when the alternator is working extra hard to compensate for a drain, I'll hear a slight whining noise through my stereo speakers that changes with the engine speed.

My sound system is grounded well; engine whine through the speakers is not normal on my car.

I once heard the same noise through my stereo. I tried charging the battery, but it was still fully charged so that obviously wasn't what was making the alternator overwork. So until I could figure it out, I knew to keep the rpm low.

While on a subsequent trip, the car started overheating while I was at a light. It turned out that my radiator fan was struggling to spin, and was thus causing a higher than normal drain on the electrical system. I replaced the fan, and the problems were gone.

Just one example of how one component failure can take out other components.

That excessive drain from the fan could have caused the alternator to overheat and fail. Then the car runs off just the battery, and drains it dry.

Now you need a new fan, a new alternator, and possibly even a new battery. $$$

Hopefully this will be of use to someone. I don't know if other Marks will have that sign to warn of a problem, but mine does and I know what to watch for now.

BTW, the CTEK 3300 is a good battery charger. It cost me about $75, is very compact, and is safe to use on those hard to charge batteries like those from Optima.

Posted by: Brozly

My alt. died in St,Louis, AutoZone, Advance, and I believe the local Ford dealer were all about the same, around $250 for the rebuilt house brand and +$80 for the Motorola/motorcraft ? my battery tested good, that was last August.

Posted by: The Rev

my car would run on a brand new battery, and as soon as that new battery died the alt. couldnt charge it and it would die. 329 bucks for a new battery and alt. installed

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