need a hand finding electrical problem
- Thread starter bryantaylor
- Start date
bryantaylor
Dedicated LVC Member
ford dealer down the street from me wants $193 for a cobra one. they said its a day out.
bryantaylor
Dedicated LVC Member
heres an update, looks like i do need an alternator.
hooked everything back up yesterday, only had the car running for a min maybee two all day. just went out and it started fine, so the battery is holding a charge and the drain i have is not big enough to drain the battery.
drove it around for awhile and everything worked fine, out the voltmeter on it before i turned it off. the alternator is only making 12.8 volts at idle with the A/C and radio turned on. and i have 12.7 at the battery.
hooked everything back up yesterday, only had the car running for a min maybee two all day. just went out and it started fine, so the battery is holding a charge and the drain i have is not big enough to drain the battery.
drove it around for awhile and everything worked fine, out the voltmeter on it before i turned it off. the alternator is only making 12.8 volts at idle with the A/C and radio turned on. and i have 12.7 at the battery.
why do you resist the advice people here give you.
You'd rather pay MUCH more for a local compressor than to order one from MAX?
Max supports this community and we should all return the favor by supporting MAX.
his prices BEAT your local dealer, and the shipping cost will be offset by the lack of Sales Tax you wont be paying to Max.
Almost everyone pointed AT your alternator, you kept saying "the alternator tests good".
you should be a little more receptive to those that are merely trying to help you.
That is because they are having it overnighted from MAX to them.
Bypass the middle-man and call Max and save yourself money
bryantaylor
Dedicated LVC Member
i also rater would not buy an alternator unless i know that its the problem and i don't want to wait for a week either. i would rater just pay straight wholesale in town and have it now. napa has cobra ones in stock here, so i will pick up one from them if needed, and it has a 3 year warrenty, compared to a 1 year from ford.
i tend to trust a several thousand dollar machine and a guy that has been in the auto industry 20 years and little more than people that haven't even see what the car is doing. when i see the alt is putting out voltage, and it also tests good on the machine, i am not going to just blindly spend 150-200 bucks just to do it.
everyone says it might be a diode, but can anyone tell me how i can test that?
ford nut
Local nut case
No $hit.
Go ahead an buy the NAPA one.
Good luck....
Do an alternator search.
Do it on any of the MARK fourms.
They will tell you to buy ford ONLY, Or PA.
They will say how many NAPA, Carquest, Auto Zone alternators n00bs have gone thru.
They will also say how the alternator checks out ok by someone they trust.
Jesus Jones if you would have orderd one form Max you would have it by now.
Do your homework I am done trying to spoon feed you.
and I can assure you the combined experience you find here on this board is probably 100 years worth with this SINGLE platform.
Far better than they guy that told you "your alternator is fine" then allowed you to drive away to possibly becomed stranded.
We gave you a couple of suggestions, that are very likely the culprit based on many circumstances based on personal experience with this particular vehicle.
doubtful if I gave you any advice you'd listen, based on past/recent history...so..GO FISH.
"How to check the diode" www.google.com
rayner601
Dedicated LVC Member
A guy with 20 years in the industry should know that the machine that tests the alternators can also test the diodes. My $65 Wal-Whore special battery charger can do a basic alternator output test. To really test the diodes, you need to open the volt regulator, but doing so destroys it. You came here asking advice as to what is wrong or what to do. You got an overwhelming replace alt. with Motorcraft. You are deciding to go with aftermarket parts that use inferior cheap ass Chinese parts with a questionable build quality. Go ahead and spend that money on the NAPA alt. and in a month or so, you will prob be back here with the same issue. There's a reason for the 3 yr and lifetime warranties. They use that to build your confidence up in a cheap rebuild so they can get your money. It's marketing 101.
It gets frustrating seeing posts where one asks for advice and the OP does THE EXACT OPPOSITE of what was suggested....ok I will shut up now, I feel better.
No $hit.
I'm gonna apply the "Bizarr0" logic from now on.
anytime I tell someone something 99% of the time they do the exact opposite.
So from this point forward I'm gonna tell people exactly what they SHOULDN'T do and 99% of the people will do the opposite THUS solving their problem.
...BEGIN
rayner601
Dedicated LVC Member
Yup!
bryantaylor
Dedicated LVC Member
everyone says its the alt, but i took it off the car, went and had it tested and it passed every test on the machine. i haven't bought anything yet, and i will not buy anything untill i know what the problem is. blindly changing parts is no way to try and fix a car. it could be the alternator, in fact it probally is based on everyone's experience, but untill it fails any test i give it, i am not going to buy one. i just don't have the money right now to buy an alternator if mine is fine. if someone can't suggest any more tests i can do on the alternator, please let me know.
just drove it around with everything i can turn on turned on to try and re-create the light show it did last week. it didn't do that, but it did do something else, i have a CEL on from when i removed the EGR system. when i took off the CEL turned off and the car started bucking really bad, stoped after a few seconds, CEL turned back on, and all was well again.
came back home, the lowest the battery would go was 12.2 volts with wipers, a/c, rear defrost, lights, and radio turned on. ran the codes again, the only code there was 327 from having no EGR.
just drove it around with everything i can turn on turned on to try and re-create the light show it did last week. it didn't do that, but it did do something else, i have a CEL on from when i removed the EGR system. when i took off the CEL turned off and the car started bucking really bad, stoped after a few seconds, CEL turned back on, and all was well again.
came back home, the lowest the battery would go was 12.2 volts with wipers, a/c, rear defrost, lights, and radio turned on. ran the codes again, the only code there was 327 from having no EGR.
There is only a "quote" and a "reply" button
no button for "LISTEN".
the internet could use this very important upgrade, the "LISTEN" to the advice your given button.
(grins)
rayner601
Dedicated LVC Member
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, ALLAH, BUDDHA, and any other deity I forgot, reread this entire post....
but the problem is.. when you put it home on "your machine" it tests bad.
do you trust YOUR machine or HIS machine
ONE of the machines is wrong.
you need to do a bounce test
take it back off the car, go to the auto parts store and bounce it across the counter.
All of our suggestions are based on the assumption that you haven't neglected your car, you have clean and proper electrical connections.
If the above it true then your getting sound advice.
For the record, I said "battery" then alternator..
In the order of expense.
If you dont have 300.00 for potential repairs for your car then you.
1. have the wrong car
2. have the wrong job
If you cannot "chunk a hundred dollars" at your car to see if you need to "chunk 200.00 more" at it, then again, you really need to evaluate your vehicle choice or park it and drive the Miata until you CAN afford to properly deal with this.
At 50.00 tanks of fuel, I dont see how this is such a "huge debate" or issue over "cost".
Seriously, GO BUY A BATTERY or an ALTERNATOR.. or BOTH.
In the order of expense.
If you dont have 300.00 for potential repairs for your car then you.
1. have the wrong car
2. have the wrong job
If you cannot "chunk a hundred dollars" at your car to see if you need to "chunk 200.00 more" at it, then again, you really need to evaluate your vehicle choice or park it and drive the Miata until you CAN afford to properly deal with this.
At 50.00 tanks of fuel, I dont see how this is such a "huge debate" or issue over "cost".
Seriously, GO BUY A BATTERY or an ALTERNATOR.. or BOTH.
That listen option should include an open handed slap function would you like me to call the patent people now.
Man you need to call AL GORE RIGHT NOW.
Tell him to release the "listen button" with the next google chrome update!
While your at it, tell him that "sense of humor" version 2 is buggy and it needs to be completly re-written
bryantaylor
Dedicated LVC Member
OMG! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
well i have drove the car around some today, if it is dead in the morning i will buy a new alternator.
i have let it set for an hour or two, drove it about 10-20 minutes, the repeated about 3 times today. each time it restarted fine.
but yes, all connections are clean and tight. car has just shy of 130k on it.
