Shiyo

iTrader: (1)

Ok I drive a 1986 RX7 with 120k on the chassis and 16k on the engine. I daily drive this car to and from work which is about 20miles on the freeway back and forth. It's been doing a good job but recently my car acted funny a few days ago. A few nights ago I was driving back home and my radio starts to turn off for some reason. I looked at the volts and it seem fine at ~13v so I really didnt know what was happening and I just turn the radio back on and forget about it. Then as I got home I turned off the car then tried to start it. The car was struggling for a bit to start up so I just turned it off and thought it was the alternator/battery.

The next day my car couldn't start at all and there were no volts. I then took the battery to carquest to charge it. After it was charged the guy told me the battery was really discharged or something so I was thinking it was my alternator which i replaced last year. I put the battery back in and my car started fine but I was worried about the 12v it was at.

The next day I tried to start my car but it wouldnt start at all again. I unplugged the battery and put it in then my car started fine but still at 12v. So as stupid as I was I drove to work. Then after work as I was driving home the lights on my gauges started to dim more and more. My volts were slowly going down from 12v to 8v. Then when it was at the 8v mark it was struggling to keep going and couldnt go any faster no matter how much I stepped on the gas. I pulled over on the side of the road then my car couldn't start again.

I towed my car to a shop nearby my house to have them check on it. They said the alternator and battery were fine but I don't believe they found the problem. I picked up my car after they checked on it. I started my car and to my suprise it still sits at 12v. I really have no idea what is happening now. For me and my car's safety I will not be driving it for now. Is there some electrical problem or alternator/battery or maybe the belts?

Kentetsu

If the volts are still at 12, then you have a charging system issue. That could mean a bad alternator, battery, or anything in between the two. Why didn't the shop continue to diagnose the issue, rather than simply saying that the battery and alternator were good?



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RotaryRocket88

iTrader: (7)

It sounds like a problem with the voltage regulator (in the alt.). How did this shop near your house test the battery and alternator? 12V is low. With the engine running, you should be seeing around 14V output from the alternator. If you go much below that level, the battery will be slowly discharging the entire time you're driving. I would suggest removing the alternator and taking it to an auto parts store equipped to test it. Most stores are able to load test them. You can also test the output voltage with a multimeter, while the alternator is still on your engine.

Oneiros

Could also be loose / faulty wires on the +ve side of the batt to alt or fuse boxes..

Shiyo

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll go get the alternator checked and see whats up. I just replaced it last year because it had a similar problem like this so hopefully it fixes the problem.

Shiyo

iTrader: (1)

Ok I found the culprit of all of this.


As I was removing my alternator, I was tugging on the cable connected to my alternator and it simply snapped off. It must have been hanging on to the alternator this whole time. Well now I know what the problem is but does anyone know how to fix this? Am I going to need to solder a new wire together?

RotaryRocket88

iTrader: (7)

It looks like you pulled the wire out of the crimp. You can clean everything up, maybe cut the wire back a little to get some fresh copper, crimp it down again, and solder it in place. A loose connection there will definitely lead to random charging problems.

jsvteck

if the car slowly dies out and seems like its running out of gas it cam be the main relay