Is this alternator??? Weird Prob.....

[bski224]

Driving car to work and ABS light comes on, then radio goes out, then electric climate controls go blank, no heat etc.... tach not working then car dies. Tried to start and NOTHING. Sits for approx 5 min and ligth go on battery clicks but no start. Jump battery and car starts. Aprox 5 miles later same thing. I put boost pack on battery and car will run much longer. Think this is bad alternator or something diff. 1995 SHO Auto

 

[jelloslug]

I would have the battery tested first. It could be anything from a corroded battery connection to a bad battery to a failed alternator.

 

[1993MTXSHO]

get the alternator tested at autozone or somethign fro free. Iv herd when alternators start to die or die our cars start doing a lot of weird stuff.

 

[cowsareholy]

my 94atx did the same thing when the alt died a few weeks ago. i would go somewhere that tests the charging system free just to make sure

 

[Blanik_SHO]

yep it seem like alternator problem, each of my ford do some crazy stuff with the RPM and speedmeter and light before the alternator became very poor and finnally give-up

But check your battery and connexion first, it less expensive to check first.............

 

[bski224]

Thanks guys,
Well my car is stuck at work 30 miles away. HAVE to get this car home. Im not paying a tow for 30 miles. Should i get a new battery and drive home on battery power, then fix car when get home. I put a volt test on alt while at work and it was showing 5.7 while running. Once I hooked up boost pack it went to 10 volts.
I know i should be pushing 12- 14 volts on alt but why would it jump up if ihad the boost pack on, wouldnt that be battery related??? Giving battery more juice. I dont think that would effect the alt volt output would it??????

 

[hawkeye18]

I would do that, get another battery and drive it home. The car will last anywhere from 30-60 miles depending on loads (A/C,stereo,etc) so if you don't absolutely need it, don't turn it on! I'm including turn signals and brakes (don't drag them or stop slowly). I know, this makes you a bad driver but getting stuck in the middle of an intersection cos your car died is worse, IMHO. Your alternator is definitely dead.

Your battery is putting out 5 volts because the alternator is not charging it. When you put the boost pack on, it goes to 10 volts because the boost pack is taking over the job of charging it. Obviously, the boost pack does not have the capacity to charge the severely depleted battery so it doesn't go all the way up to 12 volts.

FYI, you may go through more than a few autozone/AAP alternators before you get one that works for more than a few miles. They're well known for not working well. I would recommend a rebuild by a professional alternator/starter rebuild shop.

I've had this happen to my SHO too. I feel your pain, bro. Good luck to you.

 

[bski224]

Hey thanks Bro!! Im going to do just that, thanks again, and if your overseas fighting for this AWESOME country, God Bless and be SAFE!!!!!!!!!