Please, please read this and give any advice you can give!!!

AntwaanRandleEL · 03-03-2003, 09:35 PM

Ok Im at the last straw with this car. Theres a little snow here and I was trying to back into my driveway tonight. The tires were spinning backing up the driveway and as I rocked to get up over the curb, the car died and all power was gone. I have no lights, nothing at all. I was able to push the car up out of the street but still no power of any kind. Whats going on here? I pulled the battery but my test light is lost and my charger is broke. Is it possible for the battery to just die while the car is running? The battery is old, so I know it was gonna need replaced soon, but could this be it? I didnt think it would die while the car was running. Any help would be great. My car is a 90 LX 5.0 5-speed, with about 96,000 miles and only minor bolt ons. (exhaust, intake, plugs wires, coil) Please , please someone help, im 18 and this is my first Mustang and I've had so many problems with it. Im almost ready to call it a loss and give up on the dream...

88workcar · 03-03-2003, 11:05 PM

I feel your pain buddy, I had three break downs last week. Two were my fault, and all three were easy.

It is possiable that the Alt is dead, and when the batt. got low enough it could not support the car alone. The best thing is to pull both Alt and Batt and go have them tested. Were the lights getting dim? Was it slow turning over to start? Good luck and keep us posted.

drtbiker · 03-03-2003, 11:23 PM

dont give up bro, if you need some help pm me, im in mount projects which is not to far from you. Besides someone can get you through this one

sounds like a alternator

later
raini

Coupe50h · 03-03-2003, 11:32 PM

Last time this happened to me, i hit a bump and my battery terminal came loose, not off, but loose.

also, like mentioned, could be alt, one time my regulator went out on the alt.
man i almost gave up on my car, thank goodness thes fine people here on this site talked me out of it, cuz im having more fun then ever with my stang......good luck, probaly something simple

AntwaanRandleEL · 03-04-2003, 12:42 AM

ok im hanging in there for now... thanks a lot guys, you have no idea what ive been through with this car. ill try to have the alternator checked tomorrrow. If its bad, should I get a regular replacement one, or would stepping up to a Cobra alt be a good improvement. I have a nice system (subs, speakers, 2 amps, head unit) so I thought that Cobra alt was a little more powerful, like 130 amps or something while the regular was only 80 or so amps. I really cant spend a ton of money but please give me ur suggestions. Thanks.

lx5091 · 03-04-2003, 08:12 AM

If you were in a bind for $$ then I'd say put in a replacement alt. But if you have the cash and a few extra minutes....buy an SN95 alt. intended for a '94-'95 5.0L Mustang they are 130amp and rewire it, there are many sources of info on how to do it.

Minor problems can be very frustrating if you don't know how to fix them, but once you've done it once, that is valuable information that you can take with you through life.....doing repairs gets insanely easier as you go on and one day you'll look back and laugh at yourself for wanting to ditch this car because of the problems you've had!

Good luck!

www.mralternator.com/mustang-130amp.html

www.racesystems.com/3gproj/index.htm

BLOCKER · 03-04-2003, 10:44 AM

before you go through replacing terminals ect... try cleaning your battery terminals and conections. I had similar problem, the car was sitting at idle then it just died, no power what so ever, it turned out the terminal had just enough gunk on it to cause a loss of conductivity. give it a shot with a wire brush/ terminal scrubber.

Ackbar00 · 03-04-2003, 12:36 PM

This happened to my brothers "other" stang on the highway. SOmewhere along the way the Alternator went out and started to drain the batt. He said is started to get dimmer and run like *** and it just died. Sounds alot like your problem. If you are going to replace the alternator, get a 130 amp. Read the links LX5091 gave you as well as run a search on 3G upgrade. If you get a PA alternator, they are a direct bolt up. If you use a 94 3G (like I did) there is some MINOR adjustments that have to be done, but are not hard. Good Luck!

richd · 03-04-2003, 12:47 PM

Check your starter solenoid also.

I stalled at a light once and when I restarted EVERYTHING died and I saw a puff of smoke. Turned out the solenoid was shorting battery positive to GROUND whenever I tried to start! I guess there's a circuit breaker somewhere because I'd have to wait 5-10 minutes before I'd get power back.

You can bypass the solenoid by turning the key on (not to start) and shorting the large posts on the solenoid with pliers (only for starting though). It won't short if you do it that way.

If battery power never comes back, then it's probably something else.

Good luck,

Rich D.

RoadWarrior · 03-04-2003, 01:48 PM

Definately check your battery terminals. I was rippin down one of the roads up here and my car died and wouldnt do anything. I got a boost and made it home and it turned out that the battery terminals were just getting dirty.

drtbiker · 03-04-2003, 07:03 PM

hey dont misunderstand this but i am not sure did u check the fuses? My buddy had a problem with his tbird and it was driving him insane the thing is he changed two diffenrnt alternators and 2 regulators and the thing still wouldnt charge. Then i checked the fuse and found the problem. Its always the little crap that gets ya

92Rustang · 03-04-2003, 10:51 PM

I would also check the cables. I had the same problem but everything was clean, good battery, good fuses. It turn out that my postive cable is corruded on the inside of the cable.

B2r3y · 03-05-2003, 12:42 AM

A VERY quick way to test if your ALT. is bad is to take somthing such as a knive or a screw driver (be sure it has a rubber handle) and look on the back of your alt, you should see a circle about the sizze of a 1/2 dollar. While your car is running, if you can jump it or something, take the knive or whatever and touch it to the back of the circle. If the ALT. is good then the cirlce will be magnitized and it wll hold the metal to it. If there is no magnitation then your ALT. is shot and its time to get a new one.
I learned this a long time ago and it comes in handy for this purpose. Let me know if you try this and how it works.
Bryan

superwillard · 03-06-2003, 06:14 PM

I also had this problem with my mustang it turned out to be the positive bat. cable. I replaced the cable and also ran another ground strap and the problem was solved

good luck

AntwaanRandleEL · 03-06-2003, 11:19 PM

ok I put in a new battery, and i got my alternator checked at 3 places and 2 out of 3 said it was good. I watched them test it. So i got a used alternator off of a buddy (its a fairly new ford alt that is in good working order) i installed it and the car starts and runs fine. The only think I notice is that at stop lights when im just sitting, the volt gauge drops down to about where the A is in normal. and this bothers me. is this normal? i do have the radio on but not loud and the heat on. when im at cruising speeds the gauge is dead in the middle. is my car maybe not charging well? as far as something other then the battery and the alternator? let me know what u think, thanks

B2r3y · 03-06-2003, 11:35 PM

As for getting a new battery and a used alt. you should be pretty well off for now but i would get a bigger alt. soemtime in the near future. The fact that its used i personally wouldnt like but i guess its yourthing hehe.
Now for your gauge dropping and moving around when your driving wiht your heat and lites and radio on, you might just have your battery 1/2 charged or not fully and your used alt. isnt fully charging it. Mine only moves like that when im running alot of power without the car on and i start it and it will usually move around for about a day or 2 while i drive untill the battery is fully charged again.
Stick a charger on your battery and let me know. Hope some of this helps.
Bryan

chuck88 · 03-08-2003, 08:09 AM

Ok my two cents. One thing nobody mentioned, but happened to me and it drove me nuts. check and make sure all of your grounds are clean and tight I had a Mercury (may it RIP), years ago and a loose ground on the engine block drove me nuts.

you mentioned that your guage drops a lot when the heat & radio are on and brakes are applied. is the fan running, becuase that fan is a huge amp draw espicailly on high.

My 81 stang (may it RIP) was blowing fuses occasionally when the brakes were hit and I finally traced it out and it turned out that when Ford built the car one wire was laid in the wrong palce with the gear select cover pinching the wire through to metal and it just took some years to wear through and cause a problem.

DO NOT give up on your dream. Some people have and are extremely sorry. I refuse to grow up when I was 18 and had zero money and my firends had some $$. they had the nice cars with the mods, now the roles are reversed and I am still living the dream.

feel free to email me if you wnat to BS or whatever (don't let my age scare you)

chuck88

03-03-2003, 09:35 PM	#1
AntwaanRandleEL Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Naperville, IL, USA Posts: 76	Please, please read this and give any advice you can give!!! Ok Im at the last straw with this car. Theres a little snow here and I was trying to back into my driveway tonight. The tires were spinning backing up the driveway and as I rocked to get up over the curb, the car died and all power was gone. I have no lights, nothing at all. I was able to push the car up out of the street but still no power of any kind. Whats going on here? I pulled the battery but my test light is lost and my charger is broke. Is it possible for the battery to just die while the car is running? The battery is old, so I know it was gonna need replaced soon, but could this be it? I didnt think it would die while the car was running. Any help would be great. My car is a 90 LX 5.0 5-speed, with about 96,000 miles and only minor bolt ons. (exhaust, intake, plugs wires, coil) Please , please someone help, im 18 and this is my first Mustang and I've had so many problems with it. Im almost ready to call it a loss and give up on the dream... __________________ There will always be someone faster then you.

03-03-2003, 11:05 PM	#2
88workcar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Pierre Part, La. U.S.A. Posts: 1,850	I feel your pain buddy, I had three break downs last week. Two were my fault, and all three were easy. It is possiable that the Alt is dead, and when the batt. got low enough it could not support the car alone. The best thing is to pull both Alt and Batt and go have them tested. Were the lights getting dim? Was it slow turning over to start? Good luck and keep us posted. __________________ 88workcar 1988 Mustang LX 342. 417rwhp @ 6800. 28 X 10 ET Drag, 4.30s, 10.69 @ 126.43 1.42 60ft. 11.13 @ 127.7 on BFGs 1.72 60ft Rice Hater # 42 To be old and wise, You must first be young and stupid I'm somewhere in tthe middle.

03-03-2003, 11:23 PM	#3
drtbiker Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Mt. Prospect,IL Posts: 474	dont give up bro, if you need some help pm me, im in mount projects which is not to far from you. Besides someone can get you through this one sounds like a alternator later raini __________________ 87-ford-mustang-SOLD! mods: 3:73's, off road h-pipe, b303 cam in gt- 40 motor w/ Power Plus intake, edelbrock 70mm tb & egr spacer, 72mm C&L, bbk long tubes, tremec tranny, centerforce dual friction clutch, upr and lwr CA's 255lph FP and soon more to come.... when i have money again SOME ADVICE Don't do burn outs in reverse it is very expensive New times with dead hook on dr's 13.27@103 with 2.0 60 foots w/100lb system Fastest time to date: 12.8@113

03-03-2003, 11:32 PM	#4
Coupe50h Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: SanAntonio, Tx Posts: 957	Last time this happened to me, i hit a bump and my battery terminal came loose, not off, but loose. also, like mentioned, could be alt, one time my regulator went out on the alt. man i almost gave up on my car, thank goodness thes fine people here on this site talked me out of it, cuz im having more fun then ever with my stang......good luck, probaly something simple __________________ X-Texas highway patrol ssp 1990 coupe - exploder Gt-40 iron heads, Explorer intake, 19 lber's. E-cam. crane 1.7 rollers. 190fp. 75mm maf. 65mm tb, tubular subframe connectors, mac cai, Asp crank pulley, T-5, king cobra clutch, flowtech 1-5/8 unequals, mac X-pipe Frpp driveshaft, lakewood Lca's. race weight 3,160 12.69 @ 107.35, 1.71 60' 26x8.5 drag's 3.90 gear 13.20 @ 106.91 - 235/60/15 firestones 2.3 60' 3.27 gear

03-04-2003, 12:42 AM	#5
AntwaanRandleEL Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Naperville, IL, USA Posts: 76	ok im hanging in there for now... thanks a lot guys, you have no idea what ive been through with this car. ill try to have the alternator checked tomorrrow. If its bad, should I get a regular replacement one, or would stepping up to a Cobra alt be a good improvement. I have a nice system (subs, speakers, 2 amps, head unit) so I thought that Cobra alt was a little more powerful, like 130 amps or something while the regular was only 80 or so amps. I really cant spend a ton of money but please give me ur suggestions. Thanks. __________________ There will always be someone faster then you.

03-04-2003, 08:12 AM	#6
lx5091 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Fall River, MA Posts: 467	If you were in a bind for $$ then I'd say put in a replacement alt. But if you have the cash and a few extra minutes....buy an SN95 alt. intended for a '94-'95 5.0L Mustang they are 130amp and rewire it, there are many sources of info on how to do it. Minor problems can be very frustrating if you don't know how to fix them, but once you've done it once, that is valuable information that you can take with you through life.....doing repairs gets insanely easier as you go on and one day you'll look back and laugh at yourself for wanting to ditch this car because of the problems you've had! Good luck! www.mralternator.com/mustang-130amp.html www.racesystems.com/3gproj/index.htm __________________ '02 Explorer XLT 4.0L --Nice Vehicle '97 Saturn SL1--Soon to be ditched for a Ford!

03-04-2003, 10:44 AM	#7
BLOCKER Registered Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada Posts: 232	before you go through replacing terminals ect... try cleaning your battery terminals and conections. I had similar problem, the car was sitting at idle then it just died, no power what so ever, it turned out the terminal had just enough gunk on it to cause a loss of conductivity. give it a shot with a wire brush/ terminal scrubber. __________________ -1988 MUSTANG COBRA GT (Canadian...eh!) -1987 Mustang LX coupe (2.3L) -1978 Harley Davidson FLH -2008 Harley Davidson Nightster 1200 -2008 Harley Davidson Night Rod Special -1997 Jaguar XK8 Convertable

03-04-2003, 12:36 PM	#8
Ackbar00 Rebel Fleet Commander Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Huber Heights, OH Posts: 1,003	This happened to my brothers "other" stang on the highway. SOmewhere along the way the Alternator went out and started to drain the batt. He said is started to get dimmer and run like *** and it just died. Sounds alot like your problem. If you are going to replace the alternator, get a 130 amp. Read the links LX5091 gave you as well as run a search on 3G upgrade. If you get a PA alternator, they are a direct bolt up. If you use a 94 3G (like I did) there is some MINOR adjustments that have to be done, but are not hard. Good Luck! __________________ 1993 Mustang GT, PTK w/ T-64 - My Cardomain Webpage 11.25@123.5 on only 8 psi. 10.84@121 on only 1 headgasket "The Truth is, Your the Weak, and I am the Tyranny of Evil Men!"

03-04-2003, 12:47 PM	#9
richd Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Edison, NJ, USA Posts: 125	Check your starter solenoid also. I stalled at a light once and when I restarted EVERYTHING died and I saw a puff of smoke. Turned out the solenoid was shorting battery positive to GROUND whenever I tried to start! I guess there's a circuit breaker somewhere because I'd have to wait 5-10 minutes before I'd get power back. You can bypass the solenoid by turning the key on (not to start) and shorting the large posts on the solenoid with pliers (only for starting though). It won't short if you do it that way. If battery power never comes back, then it's probably something else. Good luck, Rich D.

03-04-2003, 01:48 PM	#10
RoadWarrior Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Edmonton,Alberta,Canada Posts: 317	Definately check your battery terminals. I was rippin down one of the roads up here and my car died and wouldnt do anything. I got a boost and made it home and it turned out that the battery terminals were just getting dirty. __________________ Fast Company

03-04-2003, 07:03 PM	#11
drtbiker Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Mt. Prospect,IL Posts: 474	hey dont misunderstand this but i am not sure did u check the fuses? My buddy had a problem with his tbird and it was driving him insane the thing is he changed two diffenrnt alternators and 2 regulators and the thing still wouldnt charge. Then i checked the fuse and found the problem. Its always the little crap that gets ya __________________ 87-ford-mustang-SOLD! mods: 3:73's, off road h-pipe, b303 cam in gt- 40 motor w/ Power Plus intake, edelbrock 70mm tb & egr spacer, 72mm C&L, bbk long tubes, tremec tranny, centerforce dual friction clutch, upr and lwr CA's 255lph FP and soon more to come.... when i have money again SOME ADVICE Don't do burn outs in reverse it is very expensive New times with dead hook on dr's 13.27@103 with 2.0 60 foots w/100lb system Fastest time to date: 12.8@113

03-04-2003, 10:51 PM	#12
92Rustang Registered Member Join Date: Feb 1999 Location: Smithton, IL, US Posts: 215	I would also check the cables. I had the same problem but everything was clean, good battery, good fuses. It turn out that my postive cable is corruded on the inside of the cable. __________________ 92 GT 5-speed Windsor Jr,E303,1.7RR,Cobra intake,65mm TB,155lph,24 lbs,75mm MAS,shorties,h-pipe, 2.5 flowmaster,Black magic,Holley adj fuel, 3.73 No times yet. 13.6 before heads,cam,inj,rr www.fordmustanggt.com

03-05-2003, 12:42 AM	#13
B2r3y Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Htown tx Posts: 70	A VERY quick way to test if your ALT. is bad is to take somthing such as a knive or a screw driver (be sure it has a rubber handle) and look on the back of your alt, you should see a circle about the sizze of a 1/2 dollar. While your car is running, if you can jump it or something, take the knive or whatever and touch it to the back of the circle. If the ALT. is good then the cirlce will be magnitized and it wll hold the metal to it. If there is no magnitation then your ALT. is shot and its time to get a new one. I learned this a long time ago and it comes in handy for this purpose. Let me know if you try this and how it works. Bryan

03-06-2003, 06:14 PM	#14
superwillard Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: roseville mi. Posts: 26	I also had this problem with my mustang it turned out to be the positive bat. cable. I replaced the cable and also ran another ground strap and the problem was solved good luck

03-06-2003, 11:19 PM	#15
AntwaanRandleEL Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Naperville, IL, USA Posts: 76	ok I put in a new battery, and i got my alternator checked at 3 places and 2 out of 3 said it was good. I watched them test it. So i got a used alternator off of a buddy (its a fairly new ford alt that is in good working order) i installed it and the car starts and runs fine. The only think I notice is that at stop lights when im just sitting, the volt gauge drops down to about where the A is in normal. and this bothers me. is this normal? i do have the radio on but not loud and the heat on. when im at cruising speeds the gauge is dead in the middle. is my car maybe not charging well? as far as something other then the battery and the alternator? let me know what u think, thanks __________________ There will always be someone faster then you.

03-06-2003, 11:35 PM	#16
B2r3y Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Htown tx Posts: 70	As for getting a new battery and a used alt. you should be pretty well off for now but i would get a bigger alt. soemtime in the near future. The fact that its used i personally wouldnt like but i guess its yourthing hehe. Now for your gauge dropping and moving around when your driving wiht your heat and lites and radio on, you might just have your battery 1/2 charged or not fully and your used alt. isnt fully charging it. Mine only moves like that when im running alot of power without the car on and i start it and it will usually move around for about a day or 2 while i drive untill the battery is fully charged again. Stick a charger on your battery and let me know. Hope some of this helps. Bryan

03-08-2003, 08:09 AM	#17
chuck88 Registered Member Join Date: May 1999 Location: Wood Ridge NJ USA Posts: 341	Ok my two cents. One thing nobody mentioned, but happened to me and it drove me nuts. check and make sure all of your grounds are clean and tight I had a Mercury (may it RIP), years ago and a loose ground on the engine block drove me nuts. you mentioned that your guage drops a lot when the heat & radio are on and brakes are applied. is the fan running, becuase that fan is a huge amp draw espicailly on high. My 81 stang (may it RIP) was blowing fuses occasionally when the brakes were hit and I finally traced it out and it turned out that when Ford built the car one wire was laid in the wrong palce with the gear select cover pinching the wire through to metal and it just took some years to wear through and cause a problem. DO NOT give up on your dream. Some people have and are extremely sorry. I refuse to grow up when I was 18 and had zero money and my firends had some $$. they had the nice cars with the mods, now the roles are reversed and I am still living the dream. feel free to email me if you wnat to BS or whatever (don't let my age scare you) chuck88 __________________ So what if its "midlife crisis". Wife, 2 kids, busy job, "fixer upper" house, and I still have time for the Mustang!!! I Love my kids!!!