driller
Dedicated LVC Member
While attending Ray's funeral services, two Mark VIIIs were in attendance... and you know with two Mark VIIIs, there HAS to be an incident. 
The wife and I had brought the '96, waking it from it's winter slumber in the driveway. In preparation, I packed the toolbox and jump-box "just-in-case" the winter weather had any suprises in store.
MsM8tress had brought "Tux", her '96, and had just replaced the alternator in the last couple days.
Anyone see where this story is obviously going?
Before we departed for home, her battery light had come on. I offered for her to follow me to I-70, where she would go west and I would continue south. Sure enough, a very few miles later, her car conked out and we pulled off the shoulder of the busy 6 lane expressway.
I had neglected to bring my volt meter with the tool box, but a quick hook-up of the jump-box confirmed the alternator was not charging. After a few phone calls while waiting on a AAA tow truck, we had located an alternator at a NAPA store back where we came from. After the DOT truck stopped and put out some flares, the tow truck finally arrived. We elected to have her car towed to the NAPA store where I offered to change out the alternator. NAPA wasn't thrilled having someone working on a car in their parking lot, but after a few minutes, car was running, no battery light and MsM8tress was elated. Off we go to the gas station a couple hundred yards away before heading down the highway once again.
Now, I was worried she would turn the car off at the pump. To her credit, she left it idle while refueling. But Tux stalled and died pulling away from the pump! Battery light was on again! A quick jump and back to the NAPA store we go. Well, almost. LOL
Tux had run out of juice once again in the left turn lane in front of NAPA.
Again I hooked up the jump box. I told her we were going to 'do it NASCAR style' and I would signal her to start the car, disconnect the jump box and close the hood and she could dart across to the parking lot. Watching for a break in traffic, I cued her to start 'er up and I disconnected the jump box, closed the hood, and stepped back as Tux darts across the street into the parking lot... and stalled again.
The friendly NAPA crew suggested the battery was toast. :shifty: After a few miniutes on a charger, the one-year old CarQuest battery tested low(duh!) and we reluctantly replaced the battery. STILL, the battery light was on but obviously the car was running on new battery juice. We were ushered down the street to a garage to have the charging system checked out since NAPA was confident of the new alternator(I certainly wasn't).
Turns out the 20A fuse under the hood for the alternator was blown! No power was getting to the internal regulator. In all my years of being around Mark VIIIs and even more years with Fords, I have NEVER seen that fuse blow.
Weirder still, when we had left NAPA originally, the battery light was off, confirming it was charging. So the fuse had to have blown while at the gas station? I wish I would've had my volt meter during the trip.
Regardless, the rest of the journey was uneventful and everyone made it back home safe.
The wife and I had brought the '96, waking it from it's winter slumber in the driveway. In preparation, I packed the toolbox and jump-box "just-in-case" the winter weather had any suprises in store.
MsM8tress had brought "Tux", her '96, and had just replaced the alternator in the last couple days.
Anyone see where this story is obviously going?
Before we departed for home, her battery light had come on. I offered for her to follow me to I-70, where she would go west and I would continue south. Sure enough, a very few miles later, her car conked out and we pulled off the shoulder of the busy 6 lane expressway.
I had neglected to bring my volt meter with the tool box, but a quick hook-up of the jump-box confirmed the alternator was not charging. After a few phone calls while waiting on a AAA tow truck, we had located an alternator at a NAPA store back where we came from. After the DOT truck stopped and put out some flares, the tow truck finally arrived. We elected to have her car towed to the NAPA store where I offered to change out the alternator. NAPA wasn't thrilled having someone working on a car in their parking lot, but after a few minutes, car was running, no battery light and MsM8tress was elated. Off we go to the gas station a couple hundred yards away before heading down the highway once again.
Now, I was worried she would turn the car off at the pump. To her credit, she left it idle while refueling. But Tux stalled and died pulling away from the pump! Battery light was on again! A quick jump and back to the NAPA store we go. Well, almost. LOL
Tux had run out of juice once again in the left turn lane in front of NAPA.
Again I hooked up the jump box. I told her we were going to 'do it NASCAR style' and I would signal her to start the car, disconnect the jump box and close the hood and she could dart across to the parking lot. Watching for a break in traffic, I cued her to start 'er up and I disconnected the jump box, closed the hood, and stepped back as Tux darts across the street into the parking lot... and stalled again.
The friendly NAPA crew suggested the battery was toast. :shifty: After a few miniutes on a charger, the one-year old CarQuest battery tested low(duh!) and we reluctantly replaced the battery. STILL, the battery light was on but obviously the car was running on new battery juice. We were ushered down the street to a garage to have the charging system checked out since NAPA was confident of the new alternator(I certainly wasn't).
Turns out the 20A fuse under the hood for the alternator was blown! No power was getting to the internal regulator. In all my years of being around Mark VIIIs and even more years with Fords, I have NEVER seen that fuse blow.
Weirder still, when we had left NAPA originally, the battery light was off, confirming it was charging. So the fuse had to have blown while at the gas station? I wish I would've had my volt meter during the trip.
Regardless, the rest of the journey was uneventful and everyone made it back home safe.
