Hey all. I'm fairly new to the forums but I have owned my 91' Automatic (which I believe from my earlier reading is a s5? 13b engine)for about 4 years now. I haven't had much time to spend with my RX in the past, but now I got it and want to fix her up.

Problem(s): Stalling during stops. I found a post earlier that had possible suggestions but I forgot to bookmark it at work and can't seem to find it again. Possible transmission (blown) issue?

Also, the electric is really screwy. I can charge my battery and then over night its dead. I have taken it to a guy in Tucson, AZ (RX for your 7)but he charged waaay to much and didn't fix my problem but said I had a leak somewhere...

I have also been told that I should disconnect the security system because that may be a prime suspect to electricity issue.

I am not mechanically inclined but I would love to start working on my RX to get her up to speed. Any help is appreciated.

 

A blown transmission would not cause stalling during stops.. Sounds exactly like your alternator is fucked, stalling when stopping with brakes, fan and whatever else on...Not keeping battery charged. Go to local shop get an AVR test and verify its the alternator.

 

He charged you a bunch of money to tell you there was an electrical leak?
Have you looked under the car for puddled electrons?

Aftermarket radio and security system installs are notorious for screwing up the electrical system. Every Homer around thinks he can do it...very few can.
There's nothing rotary related to an electrical issue, any qualified auto electrical tech should be able to find your problem.

If you're not mechanically inclined, why would you even want to start working on your car?
Wax it and drive it, let someone with the know-how and tools do the bleeding.

 

The Electrical problem can also be a short somewhere. Chances are the install of an aftermarket stereo could have been screwed up and a wire or 2 could be touching a metal part underneath the dashboard. I know anytime I install a stereo there is usually a dimmer wire which I don't use and tape off, also the amp wire is usually unused. I think theres also an antenna wire that usually doesn't end up being used. You should try pulling out your stereo and taping off any exposed wires.

 

Hey thanks for the replies Mike and clokker. This will at least let me know where to start looking. I will talk it to a shop in town to get an AVR check and hopefully get some results.

As for the stero it is stock...as far as I know. The previous owner could have had an aftermarket one put in and just threw the stock one back in but missed a few wires.

And while not mechanically inclined, it's never too late to learn something new. But I appreciate your concern.

 

another thing with the alternator is to make sure the belt is tensioned properly. i had the same issue and it ended up that the belt was to loose. i had to use a crowbar to prop it up and tighten the bolt.

 

When your driving or idling in neutral, does the volt gauge in your dash show around 14vdc? How 'bout 13-14vdc? Should.

Are you SURE your key is in the OFF positon when you take it out , and not accidently left in the ACC position?????? For the next couple of days make sure it's OFF and not some other positon.

No meter I assume. Here is a thought I have never written on before........ You have an interior fuse box. Right? Say yes. Well, if the key is OFF, the only rows of fuses that will have power are the ones on the BATT bus. The BATT bus in turn is fed from the BTN fuse in the engine bay fuse box.

So now that you know (or already knew) that, then what you Might do, is, at the end of the day, remove the BTN fuse after making sure the key is to OFF. Then the next day try to start the car. If the batt is not dead vs being dead as you mentioned, then suspect an item on the BATT bus in the interior as the bad actor.

Or if the batt is dead the next day, and you have all the time in the world to fix this car, pull the EGI fuse in the engine bay fuse box at the end of the day and after making sure the key is to OFF. Try again the next morning. IF the batt is not dead, suspect the alternator as being a possible bad actor. To prove it's the alt, pull the small plug off the alt at the end of the day after making sure the key is to OFF. Try again the next day. Small plug on the alt is tied to the EGI fuse all day long no matter what and the EGI is tied to the batt all day and night long. IF the problem goes south, then suspect one of the diodes in the alt as bad. Replace alt as the fix if so.

This does not work for series four cars.

I always assume you checked the battery and its a good battery and this problem is not related to a bad battery. I assume a lot of stuff.

Attached jpg shows the row of fuses that are on the Batt bus. The other rows should be dead if the key is OFF. Can't bleed the batt dead if the key is OFF, whereas the Batt bus fuse could cause a dead batt even if the key was OFF. Pulling the BTN fuse makes even the batt buss row of fuses dead.

 

Jay is a ripoff and a general ******* ( if you can still say that here) I can fix your car for Waaaaaaaaaaay less money.

 

PM sent.


And I'm gonna try all that this week/weekend. Thanks for your input everyone!

 

I jumped the car (the battery was bought brand new littles less than a year ago now, I believe it to be good still) and yes the volts showed 13-14vdc. And yes the key was in the OFF / LOCK position.

I have taken the BTN fuse out before and then the next morning plugged it in and the car did not start, no lights no nothing. This morning I jumped the car, let it run for 15-20min, turned it off and pulled the EGI fuse (Key position is OFF / LOCK).

About 10mins ago (8 hours later) I plugged the EGI fuse back in and the car did not start, but all the lights still came on (headlights and interior lights, dash, etc.). The definition of dead would be nothing starts correct? Not even lights?

So my next step is to suspect that the alternator is going bad and should pull the small plug next? When I do this should I also pull the EGI and the BTN again or just the small plug?