Charging and starting issues

justi88 · Aug 18, 2013

Hey guys, I been having some problems with my car. I have this issue almost for a year but it has just gotten worse. First of all my alternator gauge would read a tad below the middle, and when i was in idle with my turning lights on or with the stereo the gauge would move slightly all the time. The problem has been persistent and my headlights would get dimmer and cluster lights also. 3 months ago my alternator gauge would go really low and sometimes the engine would shut off, when I would try to start her again it would hesitate for awhile and then start. I had my alternator "repaired" but it seems the problem is still there and i think its even worse. I have the car sitting for 2 months cause i havent had the time to fix it and have lost some interest in it jeje. About 3 weeks ago I tried turning it on but the car would just not start and my battery died of so much trying LOL.

I have some pictures because I have noticed the positive cable going to the fuse box has fried in certain places. Maybe I have a short somewhere and its also time to get a new alternator. If anyone can give me a hand ill appreciate it.

ttocs · Aug 18, 2013

Not running underdrive pullies are ya? Sounds like it could be a bad alt or possible the ground connections somewhere and of course with electrical problems we need to start simple. The bad insulation on the power wire isn't good but if its shorting you would know it but if the power wire is that bad the grounds are probably worse. Check the motor/chassis ground that is on the lower passenger side on below the firewall with the grounds straps as they are known to corrode after time. Be sure the connections are tight and can't wiggle at all. Don't forget the battery/chassis ground which is right next to the battery. It would probably be worth your time to disconnect the grounds, clean the connectors/connections and then tighten them back down.

CC'S95GT · Aug 18, 2013

Also, in the pic, it looks like the red wire is loose under the nut. tighten that sucka up...
I would also suggest looking under that cover to see if there is any other damage.

RichV · Aug 18, 2013

Just cleaning up the connections and replacing the damaged wires/terminals will go a long way. Bad connections can create heat from arcing worsening the connection. Just corrosion will eventually cause a failure.

justi88 · Aug 18, 2013

Im not too familiar with all the ground and power connections, does anyone have a layout? Im guessing that in the rebuild the shop didnt do all the connections properly.

Slipperman · Aug 18, 2013

RichV said:
Just cleaning up the connections and replacing the damaged wires/terminals will go a long way. Bad connections can create heat from arcing worsening the connection. Just corrosion will eventually cause a failure.

This!
That's where all the heat is coming from.