uwnit
Member
- Location
- vancouver bc
Out of the blue one morning last month my FX started having what I figured was an alternator problem.
While driving, the gauges would flicker and dash lights would die. Then the throttle would stop working and i could only drive along at idle speed. sporadically throttle would let me go faster than walking speed for a couple seconds then go back to idle, the gas pedal doing nothing. It would slowly sputter and then just die. This is the sequence of what happens now every time I run it. Sometimes I can start it back up again, and sometimes the starter will just click a couple times. After jumping from another car it will start and run, for a while, depending on how long I used the jumper car to charge up my battery. Best was a charge of about 20 minutes got me maybe 10 mins of driving before quitting on me. This is why I figure it's an alternator problem, but maybe I don't know enough about alternators.
I bought a new alternator and removed the old one. I ran both alternator with an impact gun on the pully's to check their voltages.. I got about the same voltage on each alternator. So this got me wondering if maybe my old alternator is OK? Tonight I put the old alternator back in, and she started up fine. I revved it up and the voltage at the battery spiked over 14v. However at idle the voltage stays around the same as battery voltage, 12. after 10 minutes idling away I decided to take her around the block to test it out. As soon as I put it in reverse it seemed to have a big power draw and sounded weaker. Then the throttle stopped working and it died like all the other times.
Before I go removing the alternator AGAIN and putting in the new one (the new alternator would just be to check, as they gave me a close, but not exactly right, alternator - the steel wiring bracket arm won't attach) to see if it works.. Is there anything else I should be checking?? I don't understand how the voltage regulator works or where it is, and don't know if maybe a frayed connection in the voltage regulator wiring harness connection to the alternator could cause this? (in hind sight i should have tried unplugging the harness to see any difference.. will try that in the morning..
While driving, the gauges would flicker and dash lights would die. Then the throttle would stop working and i could only drive along at idle speed. sporadically throttle would let me go faster than walking speed for a couple seconds then go back to idle, the gas pedal doing nothing. It would slowly sputter and then just die. This is the sequence of what happens now every time I run it. Sometimes I can start it back up again, and sometimes the starter will just click a couple times. After jumping from another car it will start and run, for a while, depending on how long I used the jumper car to charge up my battery. Best was a charge of about 20 minutes got me maybe 10 mins of driving before quitting on me. This is why I figure it's an alternator problem, but maybe I don't know enough about alternators.
I bought a new alternator and removed the old one. I ran both alternator with an impact gun on the pully's to check their voltages.. I got about the same voltage on each alternator. So this got me wondering if maybe my old alternator is OK? Tonight I put the old alternator back in, and she started up fine. I revved it up and the voltage at the battery spiked over 14v. However at idle the voltage stays around the same as battery voltage, 12. after 10 minutes idling away I decided to take her around the block to test it out. As soon as I put it in reverse it seemed to have a big power draw and sounded weaker. Then the throttle stopped working and it died like all the other times.
Before I go removing the alternator AGAIN and putting in the new one (the new alternator would just be to check, as they gave me a close, but not exactly right, alternator - the steel wiring bracket arm won't attach) to see if it works.. Is there anything else I should be checking?? I don't understand how the voltage regulator works or where it is, and don't know if maybe a frayed connection in the voltage regulator wiring harness connection to the alternator could cause this? (in hind sight i should have tried unplugging the harness to see any difference.. will try that in the morning..