{ELECTRIC} alternator - I am I overlooking something?

[Mercmarquis]

My car was working great for about 2 weeks. Then on tuesday I started my car and it seemed to start hard but it was still ok and I thought it was just me. Then my window wouldnt go up so I relaced the motor. I took off my battery cables and when I put them on my old problem came back where my car looses it's charge. I think my alternator is not turning on. I had it tested off the car and it is ok. I am really fed up and I am considering taking it to a shop and letting them deal with it, but that is my last resort. It was terrible driving at night with lights so dim you can barley see 5 feet in front and my blinker just lights up and doesnt flash at all. There is no drain while the car is off, it is like when it is running it runs off the battery only, therefore draining its power. It has a new battery, cables, alternator, voltage regulator, the timing is set right, and the fusible links are ok. What the hell is wrong with it?

[Grand Marquis GT]

Have you installed a set of triple gauges?

I have, and its great in helping diagnose screwy problems like that...

[85crownHPP]

are you sure all connections are clean and tight?

Have you given your alternator wiring a good inspection?
Did you include the alternators fuse link in your inspection? Check out that end of the link and its ring terminal at the starter solenoid also.
There is a factory splice in the wiring right off the alternator that is horrible. its literaly a skinned wire with another wire's end stuck to it, and wrapped in tape. I thought mine was wacky, untill i saw the same thing on another CFI box, this time still inside the factory wire wrappings. Pull off the tape and check that out. I never bothered to figure out what it does, but it could be the excite wire.
Also check the push-on connectors for the alternator, those can corrode and break the connection inside the rubber at the crimp.

The fact that it started acting up after you took loose the battery cables is wierd. Did you use a good terminal brush on them? Also Ive seen a few cheapo battery cables be bad from the start - a bad crimp on the terminal.
I had one on my 77... I couldnt figure out a no-crank one day, untill I grabbed the positive cable and the wire pulled out of the crimped end.

[Mercmarquis]

I bought a terminal brush a week ago and it works nice. Which wire is the exicte wire? Is it the small orange one above the big bolt in connection?
I checked all of the fuse links by the starter soleniod, is the one for the alternator there? The ring terminal is on the soleniod right? The battery cables are good ones, and dont look like cheapo ones and shouldnt be because I spent like 10 bucks a cable. I'm sorry for the retarded questions but I am trying to get this figured out. Oh and "wierd", you bet it is. It really sucks to think something is fixed and have it let you down when you really need it.

[85crownHPP]

glad 2 help!

Im not sure which one is the excite wire, and I cant seem to firgure it out by looking at the EVTM diagram.

yeah the alt fuse link is on the solenoid too - it should be a green 14ga fuse link.

Have you had the new battery tested? Slim chance a cell failed prematurley... sometimes they will get dropped at the store and a plate breaks loose. Id guess that might cuase symptoms like that... barely providing enough power to run the car.

You could also try adding grounds to the frame and chassis... Ive heard of that solving mystery electrical problems.

[Mercmarquis]

I tested some more today and got pissed, I cleaned the connections again and it is still the same. I looked at that wire splice and mine looks like it was soldered and looked fine to me. So as I was testing I was trying to see if I was getting anything out of the alt. Should the orange wire have any electricity going to it, and the other small black one doesnt have any thing either. I get a reading from the big black one that has a nut on it only because it is from the battery. My alt was bench tested and was ok. Any body have a diagram for the charging system? My alt is not turning on wtf! :confused:

[85crownHPP]

here ya go... if your internet browser re-sizes it, you might need to save it to your computer. Its definitly big enough to see.

http://www.supermotors.org/getfile/233912/original/85evtmCP.JPG

I couldnt figure out whats what by the diagram... and the EVTM doesnt give any diagnostics. My only guess at this point is the field switch in the voltage regulator is bad, even though its new. You can always try one and take it back.
*** just be sure to NOT just plug it in and try. That thing must be grounded by the case to the chassis, or it will melt your whole harness.

Are the connectors on the alternator labeled? That would help to figure out the diagram.

[Mercmarquis]

Well I broke a harness testing my alt about ten minutes ago and now my car wont start. I will try to get a pic, ignore it if it does not show

[gadget73]

whatever that connector is for, it looks like its in fairly sad shape.

This may sound stupid, but does the amp light come on with the key in run and the engine not started? If not, try replacing the bulb. I don't know if this applies, but on some vehicles if that light doesnt work, the charging system won't function. My VW was like that, but that was a generator and a mechanical voltage regulator.

[Lincolnmania]

looks like you found your problem.........the alt harness in my bronco 2 looked like that

[Chachi]

if you rember in your last post i told you about that harness
. I had the same problem in my gm. that harness in your
picturehas a wire in it that turns on your altornator.. seeing
that it is all corroded it probly has a bad connection causing
it to fail.. it probably started workin after being touched.
which reconected the turn on wire. and then it stopped
working after a week because the problem never got fixed.

[85crownHPP]

yeah, Im pretty sure that harness has the coil wires in it too.

Time for a junkyard run!! I would just pull the whole harness from battery to the alt, regulator, coil, to the connector. That way you can minimize splicing.
Mine was corroded and bare at the regulator untill I found a good one.

[Pimp Hard Or Bust]

watch out for that harness dont get in a fire situation like mine.

there wouldnt be a fusable link between the alternator and battery like installed on mine after the fire?

you test the alt with a digi multimeter? or take the alt to canadian tire?

you have a spare oem alternator? cookstown auto sells em cheap or steal the one off your brothers car

you should grab the voltage relay(regulator?) as well while youre at the wreckers. i keep a few in my trunk as spares as ive had them go before.

[Mercmarquis]

Well to test some things out, I connected the wires for that plug and my car right started up, so I took it for a long drive to see if it was my problem, turns out every thing works great my alt is working and I can drive with lights and every thing and be ok. What happened I think is when I put on my valve covers and other stuff I took the car to the car wash to use the pressure washer to degrease every thing. And I must have hit that plug and screwed up some of the wires so they came out like Chachi said. Then my problem came back because the excite wire was disconnected from the plug(since it was so corroded). I'm happy, now I just need to go yardin for that harness. Now that I found out how to post pics I will get pics of my car soon.