alternator not even the problem,electrical things started to go out then car stalled

alright update....the lights that seem to be staying on are the battery light, abs...and traction control

ran the car for almost an hour, turned it off...tried to restart, sounded real weak again and wouldnt start

just a battery issue where i should get a new one? or more serious and ill have to take it to the shop? hmmmm
 
Autozone is good, I have a Duralast Gold in my explorer which draws way more power than an LS with all my audio and electronics and it's never let me down even after 7 hours of above listening level stereo haha
 
i had a problem similar to this about three weeks ago, my shifter and dash lights went out and one of my headlights wouldn't come on. i took it to the dealership and they replaced a fuse in the fuse box in the trunk and all the lights came back on, i also had to replace the battery about a week later. check all your fuses i that rear power distribution box before serious repair, i paid 119.00 for a diagnostic charge and only needed a 2 dollar fuse. i have a 2002 LS V8. if your advancetrac lights and :q:q:q:q are flashing that's battery failure. check your battery terminals
 
Id go for a new battery ASAP, you can get a great one at AutoZone for 70ish bucks, and then go through ALL of your fuses, in the box by the battery, and the box under the hood. It cant hurt to check.

I would almost say try a new set of battery cables too, that again cant hurt. But im assuming that would be quite a job on an LS with the battery all the way in the trunk.
 
BrianDye said:
Id go for a new battery ASAP, you can get a great one at AutoZone for 70ish bucks, ...
Click to expand...

Yes, you can, but you will be setting yourself up for an explosion hazard. The factory battery seals to an external vent tube. All lead-acid batteries vent hydrogen (some more than others). Hydrogen can build up in the trunk and vent into the cabin.
 
well havent gotten the battery yet, tested the car today...battery almost completely dead again when i tried to start, alarm sounded off real real faint

i charge it up for a few hours, car starts up again...battery light stays on (charging system)

started and was running, but was kinda "shuddering" a little bit.

i dont know if its worth wasting 70 bucks on a new battery before taking it right to the shop, or saving that 70 and putting it towards my shop bill lol

hmmmm
 
Aviation said:
well havent gotten the battery yet, tested the car today...battery almost completely dead again when i tried to start, alarm sounded off real real faint

i charge it up for a few hours, car starts up again...battery light stays on (charging system)

started and was running, but was kinda "shuddering" a little bit.

i dont know if its worth wasting 70 bucks on a new battery before taking it right to the shop, or saving that 70 and putting it towards my shop bill lol

hmmmm
Click to expand...

Are you taking it to a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealer, or to an independent garage? If a dealer, then they will insist that the correct (safe) battery be installed before they will do any work, so your $70 battery would be a waste.
 
ok took 5 or 6 hours to give it a full charge, car started as expected...still was kinda shuddering in idle though. and the battery light(charging system) was still on

what does the "charging system" include...alternator....battery....

but i can almost guarantee by later tonight or tomm morning the battery will be dead again

now when you recharge a battery...is it just temporarily good or what?

or if i re charge it and its dead by tomm morning that means something is draining it or something to or from the battery is messed up?

Basically i am asking since i fully charged it and it runs, but tomm if its dead again, if its a good chance its just the battery and its worth purchasing a new one and trying that before taking it to the shop?
 
Update...

been about 90 mins or so since it had a full charge...it still started but seemed a little weaker, the abs light came on and off like twice and it just seems like the battery is slowly draining again

if i try it in another few hours it may barely start or may not have juice at all, ill have another update when i try but that would be my guess

damn battery or charging system ahhhhhhhhh
 
Well you can fully charge it and see if the cars turns on then disconnect the cables from the battery and tom morning connect them again and see if it starts the car. Process of elimination. If it does turn it on, fully charge it again and then leave it connected the whole night to see if it will start the car the next day with it connected all night. If it doesn't turn on after the first night then you prob have a bad battery
 
alright, been 6 hours since the full charge, the car starts but noticeably weaker and longer to start...now the radio isnt working again and the advance track button and symbol were flashing as well as the battery light still on

its like the battery is getting weaker and weaker probably wont start by tomm morning...does that mean it was dead and is slowly dying from the re-charge? or is it another issue in the charging system, like a messed up wire or post etc
 
Running a battery below 10V causes damage to it, so that is probably at least part of your problem. It sounds like something is wrong with the replacement alternator, or that something is wrong about the installation. You are in a complicated area to troubleshoot, and likely over your head. It's time to take it somewhere...
 
nah i dont think its the alternator install...everything was plugged and hooked up right, showing the same symptoms as before the new alternator was put in so its looking like its something other then the alternator. some part of the "charging system" like the battery light indicates.

just seeing if its possible it was just a dead battery before taking it in, i gotta wait for another check to come anyway so its gonna be close to a week before i can take it in.
 
just tried to start her for the first time since last night, been 24 or 25 hours, and it started...just barely it was a weak start but it still started.

so it sounds like its def NOT the battery, it will be a waste of 70 bucks to get one and just wait to take it into the shop? that is the consensus?
 
Andrizzle said:
do you not have someone who you can borrow their battery from?
Click to expand...

good call, you just reminded me to do that

at the time i thought of it they werent home and i forgot all about it, yeah thats probably what ill try tomm
 
well, let it run for 30 mins with the doors locked, took the clicker with me...i go to open the door and the clicker didnt work, had to get the spare key and open manually, odd.

tried to start it again 5 mins after i ran it, wouldnt start...wouldnt even click or try to start at all, battery is like dead again.

odd. guess ill test someone elses battery tomm, and wait to put it in the shop
 
Aviation said:
well, let it run for 30 mins with the doors locked, took the clicker with me...i go to open the door and the clicker didnt work, had to get the spare key and open manually, odd.

tried to start it again 5 mins after i ran it, wouldnt start...wouldnt even click or try to start at all, battery is like dead again.

odd. guess ill test someone elses battery tomm, and wait to put it in the shop
Click to expand...



could be the battery cable that runs from the trunk to the starter
 
the car sat for a day or 2, battery went TOTALLY DEAD, the red light for the alarm wasnt even flashing and couldnt use the clicker, had to open the door with the key lol

after another full charge the car starts fine again, so something keeps draining the battery it seems

ill be testing someone elses battery probably tomm, hopefully have it in the shop by the end of this week or next week if a new battery dont do the trick

noticed im missing 2 or 3 fuses in the power distribution box in the trunk as well, dont know if thats contributing
 
Aviation said:
the car sat for a day or 2, battery went TOTALLY DEAD, the red light for the alarm wasnt even flashing and couldnt use the clicker, had to open the door with the key lol

after another full charge the car starts fine again, so something keeps draining the battery it seems

ill be testing someone elses battery probably tomm, hopefully have it in the shop by the end of this week or next week if a new battery dont do the trick

noticed im missing 2 or 3 fuses in the power distribution box in the trunk as well, dont know if thats contributing
Click to expand...

maybe the battery is too dead to be charged
 
so you mean itll work right after i charge it like its doing now, then if it dies and dont hold a charge the next day it could be too dead to bring back to life for good you mean? and a new battery could solve the issue?

wish that was the case, only problem is the battery light is on, indicating the charging system so i guess that cant be the case.
 
so i charge the battery to take it to the car wash and test it out a little, dont step on it very much, just enough to cruise...works fine, on the way back...i step on it a little bit and all of a sudden it just bogs down, the throttle and almost shuts off, so i drift home barely hitting the pedal, felt like it was gonna cut out if i tried to accelerate more, made it home real slow.

so i recharge the battery again, and this time the throttle is back to normal and it drove fine when we tested it, just a 5 minute drive

car is acting really weird, when to 2 places today for a new battery but they didnt have it, trying another place tomm

but i dunno seems like too many odd things to be just the battery, when it bogged down real slow it was weird how it didnt do it the next time it started, hmmmm
 
frustrating, im hoping the new battery does the trick but for some reason i really doubt it, cuz if its something else depending on the cost it might take a week or 2 for me to get some more checks and put aside some money to get in in the shop, blah!

hopefully its something inexpensive
 
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