Figured out alternator problem finally!!
 

Hey Guys,

For those of you who followed my problems with the constantly blowing alternators, today the problem was found by a mechanic friend of mine (props to Glen!)

The problem was the "Choke and Check Relay". Something had gone seriously wrong inside it and it was the reason for my alternators continuing to blow. Once that was identified I grabbed one from my other 7 and sure enough I've put 60km on the car today with nary an issue!


The question then becomes, where can I get another Choke and Check relay? I need one for the other 7 (Keiko) now and I can't find it at Mazdatrix, Black Dragon or the local autoparts store... Anyone have one?

So the total parts I needed to replace because of damage:

- Both ignitors
- Alt (3 times before we got it right)
- Fuel Pump Relay (still looking for two, one for each of my 7s, jumped the wire)
- Choke and Check Relay (Looking for one, since I stole one from my other 7)
- Fuses, multiple
- Gauge Cluster
- Signal Light Relay


I still need to find a source for the fuel pump relays and the one Choke and Check relay I took from Keiko... and I'm hoping the local parts store can get the Signal Light relay.

Jon

Wow, how the hell did he figure that one out?! Congrats on the solution...

If I knew, I could tell ya. I'll have to remember to ask him next time I see him, but I remember him mentioning that it was "the only one that bounced", *laughs*

Jon

Depending on how special it may be; might be that a standard relay can stand in for it.

My guess is that he checked it with an ohm meter and found a short therefore getting the bounce. Just a guess from an old Navy Electronics Technician.

That's one of the oddest failure/solutions I've heard in a long time, congrats on sussing it out. I never would have guessed it was tied into the charging system. Sucks when one has to do the shotgun approach at replacing parts to finally find a solution. PM me for parts, that's the least I can do for you. Not sure what or where the signal relay is located, but I've saved most of the those types of parts from cars I've parted out.

Yeah it was incredibly weird.

The interesting thing is how hindsight is 20/20. Once I knew it was the Choke and Check relay, I looked it up in the wiring diagram and there it was, right beside the picture of the alternator, connected directly to it. Then I did a search on it and found people saying that if you want to put an S2-S3 alt in an SA you would need that relay if you wanted the light to work properly.

How ironic is it that the relay for the alternator warning light was blowing the alternator?

Jon

Luckily I found somebody in Georgia who's got all the relays. They've already shipped out (thanks RX3SP!). That should fix the signal light relay and fuel pump relay on my car, as well as the Choke and Check relay and Fuel Pump relay for Project Keiko.

Now all I need to do is get a response from the guy who said he had a gauge cluster for me, and button down and get work done on Keiko before the end of the week.

Jon

Looking at the WD... yeah, a short inside that relay could really play hell with your electrical system; it's got an unfused connection to the alternator.