rx7b13

Last night when i was going to work my car started up just fine and ran great. but when i got oof work early this morning i went to start my car and i chuged and then it didnt want to start. so i figured my battery was dead an i was right and i got a jump from some one. but then as i hopped on the interstatei noticed my lights were dimming, then getting brighter, and them dimming and the same was happening with my guage cluster. then when i hit the brakes just enough to turn my brake lights on, and not to actually engauge my brakes the head lights completely shut off, guage cluster light shut off, radar detector shut off, well everything electrical in my shut off including my power steering and after about a half a second or less it all turns back on. so i got home at about 4:00am normal time for me to get home from work i pull my battery out to charge it and it was completely dead. So what i think is happening is my alternator is going out but if you think it is something else i like to see what the possibliteis could be. Thanx for the help and info

jono20

sounds def like an alternator to me

swartz

Unfortunately, seems like you're gonna' have to spend money to make sure you're right. If you rev'd the engine, did the lights get brighter? (forcing the alternator to work more than it wants to) If so, I'd say it's a bad alt. like you think

SureShot

It's got to be something near or at the battery.
Maybe a loose connection or bad primary cable or termination.
Could even be a connection inside the battery.
Probably something that can move when you decelerate.
VOLTAGE TEST
Engine running, headlights & heater fan on high:
Alternator post to alternator frame = 13.5-14 volts (verifies the alternator output)
alternator post to battery (+) = 0 volts (verifies the primary + wire)
alternator frame to battery (-) = 0 volts (verifies the primary ground)
Turn off the motor, but leave the lights on.
Battery (+) to battery (-) = ~12.5 volts and holds steady. (verifies battery)

Jiggle & bump the wires while the meter is clipped on - It's what NASA is doing with the shuttle right now.

johnnyg

Power steering is not powered electrically, so I'm not sure what's going on there, but your problem does sound like the alt. to me. There are usually a variety of rebuild places to choose from in most major centers.

Therotaryrocket85

My vert did this similar thing and the powersteering went dead as well along with all my electronics and my radio started buzzing to rpms. My volt guage worked and when id put on the brakes and the lights would illuminate the guage would jump all over the place( it would also jump to anything else too like my subs or the blinkers etc). To make a long story short it was a loose ground that caused the problem not my alternator. Does your volt guage show any readings? Usually if its reading half or above half way the alternator is fine its just having to make up for a faulty ground( which was the case for me) Otherwise i agree with the above on it being a bad alt. Just make sure all your grounds are clean and snug before you spend the money on an alt. Good luck.

rx7b13

which ground was bad when you had the borb rataryroket

Luv_Piece

Isn't there a computer that controls the power steering at low speeds? I also think the alt is weak or the belt is loose.

6port

I had a similar problem once, but while accelerating. Everything would dim or die out completely and you could hear something shorting.

Turned out that I forgot to put the battery hold down back on and the whole battery was rocking backwards. The battery cables were all chewed up from hitting the power steering pulley.

Atleast in my case it only cost me some new battery cables.

johnnyg

There were two types of assist "logic" - engine speed sensitive, and vehicle speed sensitive. I don't believe there's any sort of electronic component to the former (simply uses belt speed), but I'm pretty sure there is to the latter. So, if the car in question has vehicle speed sensitive power steering, then it may have changed the boost when the power went out, making it seem like there was no power steering. But the PS pump is still turning, so I doubt it would be gone completely.

Therotaryrocket85

The guy that owned it before me put those cheap style terminals on it that are the universal kind that have the bolts on each side that clamp the cable down and i guess from the heat down here and the vibration the ground side had worked its way loose. If you looked at it and giggled it with your hand it was tight as all get out but if you put a wrench on it the thing was loose. It was a bit deceiving because they looked and felt tight, but it wasnt tight enough. The reason i knew it was ground related was because i had a couple instances where it wouldnt start at all. It would go dead as a door nail and then if i set a second it would start right up like nothing ever happened. But when it failed while i was driving was when it did all the funky stuff with the guage and radio and steering that i posted earlier. I guess the moral to my story is buy the correct style cables and if you dont have them make sure they are tight and everything is a good connection.

rx7b13

well i charged my battery cause it was completely dead and i ran a test on it later to day and it is holding a charge and my alt is also good. could it be possible that if my radio is wired wrong it could do this because the guy at best buy had to do a custom harnes to wire it in and he said that my antenna was messed up and when he turned the radio on the antenna would go down but that never happened when i had the original radio in it

pinkfloyd

go yell at best buy

6port

Yeah, Best Buy installing anything is a scary prospect. I used to work for one and I asked one of the install techs to fill up a tire of mine that had a leak. It must have taken him atleast 15 mins of adding, removing, re-adding air and he still didn't get close to proper air pressure.

I wouldn't let Best Buy install a fuse.

theloudroom

The FC uses a different power antenna circuit than many other cars.

They may have not known/ignored this and messed up your electrical system.
Chances are, your antenna was fine before they got their hands on it.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hlight=antenna

rx7b13

yea well soon im not gonna have a radio so i dont think ill have to worry about it

theloudroom

You're not going to make them fix it?

It they were Leaving the antenna ON all the time it could be responsible for killing your battery.

rx7b13

i dont think so because the radio was installed over a year ago when they put it in and the is the secong time in the past 2 months this has happened

stockrex

happened to me as I was taking an exit in MO on hwy 435, found out my battery negative connection was loose.
I am cutting that sucker out an dputting in one from walmart soon.

rx7b13

how much does that cost i imagine not over 20 bucks right?

andrew lohaus

i vote for a weak battery connection. i had to run my car without the batter connected (except to start) a while back and it acted like this.

stockrex

brass ones $3
unsure of metal but with quick disconnect $3 also
walmart battery connectors, in my stock one, it is quite hard to screw it tight.

rx7b13

i cant find where is is grounded at