Hi I have a 93 FD and its dead right now. The car sat for like 10 years and didn't run so when I got it I took it to Chips Motorsports ( up in michigan where my car is, im in FL for college) and got new everything. The car ran for about a week but then stopped. the battery would not charge like it supposed to. I have a volt meter and it only gets to 12.4 max. it will drop down to 11 but go back to 12.4 when the fans turn off. so I charged the battery and the car ran for a day... I was stupid and knew I shouldn't turn the headlights on because of hte volts but I was curious, so about a block away from my house I turned them on. And immediately the car shut off and would not turn back on. I cruised to the shoulder and had to be towed. The battery still worked because the light would turn on when the door would be open and I rolled up the window. This was about 3 weeks ago and still has not been able to turn on. Some have told me to get the alternator checked and tested, or it would be the grounding wires. (I really don't know what grounding wires are though). Does anyone have any thoughts or anything about it? I really want it back on the road.

 

Your description of events doesn't help a whole lot to determine what could be wrong. The clearest issue described is the voltage problem. For this circumstance, the alternator will put out 13.x-14.x volts for any given load. For an issue like what you're describing you need to check your electrical system 1 part at a time.

Start with the battery. An improperly relocated battery will cause all sorts of issues. A properly relocated battery with poor components will cause problems.

The alternator can be tested at most parts stores for free and it will tell you if it's performing as it should and charging at full power. Its possible its the entire issue.

Ground wires are heavy gauge wires that go from the engine and select components to the chassis. They are not powered. With improper or inadequate grounding, you will have intermittent, erratic and inconsistent electrical problems.

Based on what i can gather, you may have multiple issues but the most prevalent seems to be the charging issue. Chase 1 thing at a time. So check the above and focus the troubleshooting efforts on solving the charging issue first.

 

This sounds like an alternator to me. When you read voltage off the battery, was that with the car running? Do you have a charging light on in the cluster when the car runs? I believe battery voltage should be up in the 14s measured while the car is running, otherwise you have a bad alternator.

 

Yea I think it might be the alternator. With the car running it reaches 12.4 max. when I rev for a few seconds it will drop to 12, then with the fans on down to 11. But then when the fans turn off it only charges back up to 12.2-12.4. So I think it could be just the alternator.

 

thank you for this, I will definitely get these checked out and the charging issue!

 

If your car is still close to stock like mine is, you can go through troubleshooting in the factory service manual. In a pinch, wright-here has PDFs of them -
https://www.wright-here.net/cars/rx7/93_manual.htm
you're looking for section G on engine electrical. The troubleshooting section is pretty straightforward to follow.

 

Yea it is completely stock other than a cold air intake and a short throw shifter, so ill look into this as well, thank you!

 

If you're in the Tampa, FL area and need a mechanic to troubleshoot, @FDAUTO sounds like a good mechanic. There are a few others in FL as well - Pettit, Kilo,

 

Definitely sounds like a bad alternator. The original alternators fail quite frequently on these cars around 25-30 years old. Mine failed exactly the same way.
Make sure you or your mechanic sources a high quality replacement. A lot of the "Remanufactured" and aftermarket stuff is junk and will fail again very soon.

 

Do you have any ideas of where to get a high quality replacement?

 

I've had good luck with whoever rebuilds alternators for O'Rielly's for my Miata but I'm sure NAPA and Autozone have decent options and a warranty on the parts.

 

If you are looking to upgrade over stock you can check out the options from Japan from sites like RHDJapan or Nengun. Really doesn't take long to receive as long as they are in stock. I will personally go this route when I'm due for a new one. If you are just looking cheap and getting on the road, then Rockauto is a decent source. If you are looking for rebuilt, then make sure to search the different brands to see if anybody has had issues with those rebuilds recently. I've seen different manufactures over the years have good products, then fall into a slump possibly from changing the source of parts or procedures when rebuilding. Some just replace specific components while others replace everything but the frame.

I feel they have a much better selection in Japan. I'm not a fan of the coloring but I've heard good things about the ARD alternators like this one
ARD Low Resistance High Output Alternator Blue - FD3S - RHDJapan

What part of Florida are you in? I'm near Tampa

 

Take your alternator to your local alternator/starter repair shop. That's the cheapest and fastest route that I know of.

 

This is a good option if you can locate one, unfortunately these shops are few and far between at least in the area's I've been in recently. I used to rebuild them myself, but it is getting harder to source the individual parts without having a business account with distributors as well

 

Thanks I will look into this one and they seem to be in stock so thats good. Im in Orlando for college but my brother lives in Tampa so I am there a lot. I found a shop that could potentially help me if it is not the alternator in Tampa so hopefully all goes well.