Major charging problem. Need ideas

[Paul_]

K, had the car up the road tonight and the lights got dimmer and dimmer until the car died. The amp light on the dash did not illuminate. The car was idling fine for a couple hours earlier, but the moment something starts drawing power(radio, driving the damn thing ) it dies.

[85crownHPP]

could be a bad connection, blown fuse link for the alternator wire... most likely its time for a new alternator.

[p71towny]

Damn, did you get that wiring fixed on the starter?

[Paul_]

There really wasn't an issue with the starters wiring, but I figure since I have an almost new starter on another car, I'll just use that as this one seems to be on its last legs. On another note, a friend of mine knows where he can get me two or 3 Taurus 3g alternators. I'll take them to Vato-Zone, and have 'em load tested. Whichever one does the best, I'll use that and do the 3g conversion.

[Paul_]

It's raining today so I'm not keen about doing electrical work under the hood,lol. I did get my voltage gauge hooked up though. The car reads at idle right after startup 10 volts and goes to hell from there,lol until it dies. So, assuming fair weather tomorrow I'm gonna throw in the regulator and take it from there.

[Freshmeat]

It's raining today so I'm not keen about doing electrical work

Woman.

[Paul_]

Woman.

Fuck you too. :p

I've been sick all week and I'm not really too keen on staying sick. Trying to breathe with a congested head and constantly sneezing sucks.

[Freshmeat]

Take a few shots of Jack to clear your head and inflate your apparently lacking testicular fortitude. You'll be fine.

[Paul_]

Alright, I installed the new regulator. The car now reads 11 volts at idle. I now have directionals again too(I thought the MFS had shit the bed completely-still need a new one though). When the directionals are in use though the gauge keeps bouncing in line with the directionals. Similar deal with the headlights. They come on and the gauge drops to 10 and stays there. I turn them off and the gauge goes back to 11. This time though the gauge is not constantly dropping and dropping like it was before I installed the new regulator. And yes, I did buy a regulator for the 100amp alternator, not a 65. And I know the battery is good because I had it charging all night and the meter read green this morning even after wiggling the clips just to see if there was any variance. Is it time to throw the new alternator in there you think?

[Paul_]

:bump:

Is it possible my battery's not cranking out enough power even though it tests good? It's not a group-65 battery if that's any indication. I bought it last year for the blue Vic when my starter and starter relay shit the bed. It was the only battery they had on the shelf, and I couldn't really be picky as my car was disabled in the mall parking lot across the street.

[Paul_]

:bump: :bump: :bump: :bump:

Alright, I installed the alternator. The gauge is showing 12 volts at idle and then it fluctuates some more when the accesories are run, such as directionals. It's not as violent a fluctuation as it was before the new alternator was installed, but it still fluctuates a bit. And the moment I tapped the gas, the gauge just dropped like a 100-ton weight and the car died. Could this be the battery this time around? Help, before I take the old alternator and chuck it at someone.

:bump: :bump: :bump: :bump:

[Archangel]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that once you start the car the alternator takes care of the electic supplies for all systems, and the battery gets charged from whatever alternator amps are not used by the rest of the car. If the alternator is okay you shouldn't notice alsmost any voltage drop when power demand increases (such as when you turn blinkers on) unless you have some powerful juice-thursty aftermarket sound system running at the same time. IIRC my alternator cranks out 14.2V at idle, battery with the engine shut off is 13.2V, or something like that - that's with all lights on and the radio running so loud the sound gets distorted.

[gadget73]

Makes little sense for the voltage to drop when you goose the throttle. Usually it will go the other way. A slight fluctuation with load like blinkers at idle is perfectly normal, tho it should still have voltage in the 13-14v area at idle with no load. A bad battery can make the whole charging system not function properly, as most alts have an internal overload protection circuit that effectively shuts them off if it detects a too low battery to keep it from frying. Usually the batt needs to be just about totally dead before that happens tho. I would pull and clean all the connections on that starter relay, as well as the ground cable to the block, the ground from engine to body, and the battery terminals before going any further. I'd also stick a test light from the output terminal on the back of the alt to ground. As long as it lights, you're OK. If not, the fuse link on the alternator harness has popped. Not sure where it is on yours. On my car, its near the starter relay, sort of behind the battery. On some, its in the harness between the fender and alternator. Not a clue about an external regulated model tho.

[Paul_]

ALRIGHTY now, here's the update. I couldn't find my test light. No biggie. I figured I'd start by cleaning my connections again. I got the car started, and the gauge was up to 12volts at idle. Then I noticed that the amp light was on and I'm thinking . I got out while the car was running and was examining everything under the hood. I then looked at the voltage regulator plug. The ground terminal was sticking out! :drug:

For now, I shut the car off, and pushed the connector back in. I started her up and the volts at idle hovered between 13-14 volts. There was some variance when I blasted the stereo and the HVAC controls, along with my hazards, and my high beams, but that's to be expected. The terminals in the regulator plug were nasty. I don't know why I didn't notice before. I think this might be resolved. I'm out the door now to get a new regulator plug.

[Grand Marquis GT]

Well, looks as if you solved the problem.

Enjoy driving him!