alternator replaced = still problems
 

so i finally had my alt replaced a few hours ago. dash/cluster bat light still comes on then goes away after a while. Now my instrument cluster is going crazy... it shuts off while driving then starts back on. It goes on like when you turn the ignition on = all the gauges go to the max then settle down, like a reset. Car is not struggling, bogging or showing any physical problems at all.

WTF is going on with my fofo? :( [scratch]

anyone got any recommendations or troubleshooting ideas? a fuse? wires? grounds? the cluster wasn't doing this after the alt. change

You mean before the salt change right? Bad cluster maybe, if your battery isn't dieing and no loss of power that's all I can think of. If It was a fuse it wouldn't work at all.

Check you power wires. I had similar if not the same exact problems in Ole' Yeller' turned out to be the power wires coming from the alternator to the starter, then to the battery. Replaced that and never had any problems since. Also did you check the alternator pigtail? The middle wire tends to come out and causes problems too.


You should post this in the Technical Chat area so you can get some more help.

Are your lights pulsing? Monitor the voltage at the battery. Most likely a bad pigtail connector at the alt. Very common on the focus.

Good luck, alternators and electrical problems can be a pain in the ass..

no sir, everything runs perfect! with a/c and radio on, no pulsing at all! idle is smooth, all lights inside and out work. traction control still works too! that light comes on and off even when the cluster appears to be off, seat belt warning light also works fine when cluster shuts off

copy that! will check tom then. is it a mess of wires? or just simple wires all tied up together? I hate wire work and harnesses and all that crap!

Flylow, Look for a small black box, located around your alternator, should have two wires coming off of it. One of the wires, ground, should be grounded to the right strut mount, and the other is a hot wire. If the hot wire is grounding out intermittently it can cause some of your problems.

Good Luck.

Let me know how it goes. You can get the pigtail for the alternator from the dealership or maybe even a local autoparts store since it's a ford alternator pigtail harness. The power wire isn't a mess of wires. It's just one wire that has a terminal in the middle of it to connect to the starter. I just bought a couple of 4g battery wire with the terminals on the ends. Also if you do replace the power wires be very careful not to strip the brass terminal on the starter where the wire bolts onto. I've stripped that darn thing and had to swap the starter out. If you want I can take a look at it too or help you replace the wires. I work tonight but I am off Wednesday and Thursday just let me know.

woke up this morn, had breakfast and was getting ready to start dealing with the car... got a call from work "we need you here asap" FML!!!!!!! my off day, great. Got the remot key = nothing, open the door, ignition on = nothing, car is dead. Good excuse to ride my bike to work i guess.

thanks guys for all the help and tips, will work with this tonight and ill let you guys know how it went

since im working today im off tom. where in HOU are you located? you prob told me once but i forgot :( I live right next to reliant staduim