5 Check engine codes - chugging, battery light on- Lost

[stevo1111]

Hey guys,

I am at a loss with this car. Everything keeps going on it. I just changed the alternator and since the battery light has been on. It throws 13.5 across the terminals, and I drove it like this with no problem for a few hundred miles. I drove it about 150 miles yesterday and it began acting up at the end of the trip, I barely made it home. After I merged onto the highway it through a CEL that turned on and off for about 20 minutes. It would turn on, run fine, turn off and then buck so badly I would almost get whiplash. After some time it would stop, run smooth and the light would kick back on and it would go through the same thing. Finally, the light just stayed on

This morning, it through codes 175, 176, 187, 524, 543.

I am not sure what I should even do?!

This car has cost me more to maintain this past year then it did to buy it ($2000) and I'm almost at whits end.

Please help me guys.

 

[topher5150]

it's times like these when i call the lincoln dealership

 

[billcu]

When you changed the alternator, did you check the battery with a load tester? Have you checked the battery since? Often, when the alternator goes bad, it takes the battery with it.

Also, where did you get your alternator? Cheap rebuilds often don't last long in these cars. If you had a battery light when you installed it, that means there was something wrong then.

How are the battery connections and cables?

I'd check these basics first.

 

[stevo1111]

I charged the battery before installing the new alternator. It is a brand new autozone unit. Should I go out and buy a new battery and see if that solves the problem?

All the connections look good, cables look very clean. Battery holds 13.4 volts between the terminals. The alt was outputting 14.5 between the output and a ground.

Could a bum battery do all this?

 

[billcu]

If you bought the alternator from Autozone, I'd take the alternator and battery to them and have them test both. I wouldn't just throw a battery in at this point.

They should have a battery load tester, just make sure that you charge the battery before it's load tested.

Bad batteries and alternators can cause lots of problems with these cars, It would be good to rule these out.

 

[stevo1111]

Okay,

The bad part is... I will have to get it towed to my house, I go to college 50 miles away.

It just crept up after driving for a while, it's strange really. I've never owned a car that needed so much.

 

[stevo1111]

I neglected to mention, the car was not running poorly before this. I got 27mpg up the Mass Pike, which is all nutso hills.