capn

hey all

ok hers my delima, my project fc has a little electrical prob, the idiot light area has ALL the the lights illuminated. it happened last night when my car had a low battery prolly about 10volts, and i was listening to the radio and lookin at my LED dash, then EVERY warning light came on so i was lik ewhat the hell? so i just thought that because of the low voltage all the sensors and such gave them bad signals.

so this morning i charged it up back to 13 volts and everythng is brighter but the warning lights are still ALL on what do i do? more resoldering cold joints or what?

Scott 89t2

all the lights come on when the voltage is too low.

capn

ok, well they wont go off now

Icemark

All the idiot lights on while the engine is running indcates that your alternator has failed.

Of course that would explain why your battery was dead as well.

Syonyk

What's the voltage across the battery terminals (measure with a voltmeter)?

It should be around 12.5-12.8 off, and above 13.5 running (normally in the 14-14.5 range).

If there's no difference between off & on, your alternator is fried (though I think everyone's pretty sure of that at this point).

-=Russ=-

capn

well thats sorta the problem here i cant really get my car started (i believe its flooded), the battery has @13 volts on it i just charged it and i cant turn it on so i cant really test the alternator output right now

MRX_Rotary

Well, they all come on when the key is in the "on" postition when it isn't running.

capn

so this is normal? when im trying to start and the key is on accesories they all should be on?

MRX_Rotary

Yes, it is normal. Get it running and see if they are still on with the car running.

Icemark

No, they should come on when the key is in the ON position, not accessory position, and they should stay on until the engine is running.

MRX_Rotary

That's what I meant to say, read his post wrong.

SmogSUX

iTrader: (12)

I was driving my FC and quick shifted @ about 4-4.5k and all the lights came on xcept the emergency brake light( which comes on when i use the e-brake) The car is running fine and everything, but all the lights are on.(xcept the e-brake) I turned the car off and on, but they still wont go out. Any guesses?
Thanks
Nick

Icemark

Your alt failed, or is disconnected, or your belt broke

why do you think you are differnet than anyone else with the warning lights on???

cwsttu

im guessing cause his ebrake light did not come on... but i think that the ebrake light is not really a warning light because it is not controlled by the computer... isnt it just engaged by a lever in the brake? if so thats why the ebrake light did not come on

WAYNE88N/A

"Brake" light is on a different circuit, controlled by the master cylinder fluid level switch, and the e-brake switch, both to ground, IIRC...

Syonyk

Criminy! Doesn't anyone learn to use the zerking voltmeter?

If all the lights go on, and the voltmeter is reading significantly lower than normal (or, more accurately, where it sits when the engine isn't running), your alternator is no longer charging the battery. If you have no air pump and a single alternator belt (or even a dual belt), this is a really good time to stop the car as soon as safely possible (preferably within about the next 30 seconds or less) and confirm that your water pump & fan are still turning. If they're not, replace the belt with the spare you should keep in your car. If they're still turning, the alternator most likely gave up the ghost, and you should run with the bare minimum electrical load (no radio, AC, blowers, headlights if at all possible) until you get somewhere to fix it.

Alternately, if the voltmeter swings dramatically with RPM, your voltage regulator is fried. Anything more than 14-15v is really bad for things, so either keep your RPMs low or disconnect the alternator.

-=Russ=-

SmogSUX

iTrader: (12)

Everything works and turns. I was driving home and all the lights came on. Now when I went to the store and back...on the way back the turbo timer started flickering, then the headlights got really dim. Then my radar detector turned off. (ac, radio, etc wasnt on) I turned off the headlights and drove home in the dark (yeah im dumb) This damn alternator is new and it is already dieing i think... Ill check voltage tomorrow morning.

Agent_D

iTrader: (2)

hmmm, im scurious as tow why peopl keep postiong sutggestions when icemark clearly answered the question

Agent_D

iTrader: (2)

err answer, bleh i have no idea what im saying, sorry