wiring issue, car shutoff suddenly

[phil85ltd]

alright i have a 85 crown vic and i may have a wiring issue, could be blown fuse or fried connection or pulled wire. i checked battery, alternator, and volt regulator but still having issue. also car shuts off suddenly while turning so it has to be a faulty connection. i may have shorted a connection i f#$%ed up the battery cables and switched positive with negative and may have shorted more than just a fuse. could be a few things but i dont know for sure

[johnunit]

Is this a fuel injected ("CFI") car, or carbureted?

Does the car only shutoff when turning? bumps? Only heavy or light throttle? Warm weather or cold? Car fully warmed up? I think we need more details. I will say though that the wiring on and around the voltage regulator tends to get corroded. I go over alllll of the connections in that area with an emory board at least once a year. It has caused non-start conditions for me in the past. When the car dies do all the electricals stop working, like the interior lights, horn, etc? Does it crank over but not start, or is there no sign of life from the starter?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but this should help narrow it down.


Also, Welcome from a fellow 85 LTD owner. I hope you find this forum helpful.

[Dave804]

+1 to what John said about does anything work when it quits firing. Did the '85 have fusible link fuses John?

That was my first reaction when reading your issue Phil. Would make sense one blew if the battery cables swapped. Good to know they'll still do their job haha. Depending on which ones Ford put in your car you'll either be able to see visible cracks in it, or grab either end of the rubber cover and pull them apart like a stretch armstrong.

[phil85ltd]

its throttle body and everything still turns on and works lights, horn etc.. when the car dies the motor cuts off but everything electrical stays on. starter sounds like theres no power getting to it thats why i think it may be a connection issue or the batterys dead. doesnt crank or turn over, just the starter goes. i think i may have fried my connection from battery to alternator because i had them tested and they are both good. and to answer the "barrage" the cars fine over bumps and around turns just this one time it happened before it was at a stop, cars a california car buts in arizona now so heat maybe? and light throttle so far it has happened twice now and only when stopped and started to move again.. appreciate the help fellas

[gadget73]

not sure I understand. What do you mean the starter goes, but it won't crank or turn over? Does the starter just make a whirring noise without actually rotating the engine?

[phil85ltd]

yea it just makes the whirring noise but that might be because the batteries close to dead my main problem is that the alternator may not be recharging the battery and im afraid i might have fried a connection or shorted something out.

[phil85ltd]

ok upon closer inspection and reading another post about the "red" battery light being on (same issue) i saw a split wire at my volt regulator and patched it. have to wait for battery recharge, and im wondering if i need a new alternator even though it tested fine could it be problem? and wet weather may be contributing to issue

[fmansfield444]

I had a problem similar to this before and it turned out one of my fuse links by the starter solenoid were bad

If the alternator tested fine, it should be doing its job so long as there are no wiring faults. But if you tested it and its only giving off 12 volts I wouldn't say its fine, I feel safe with atleast 14