Car died tonight.taking bets(long post)

todd95GT · 09-04-2001, 12:54 AM

Just ought this 95 GT last week. It's a mint example of a SN95. It's got a cat back, pulleys, and throttle body. When I bought it, it stalled very quietly as I pulled into my driveway. I thought I let the clutch out too much without enough gas, but also thought that it was an awfully quiet way to shut down. Tonight, I was driving and noticed the dash lights were very dim. The battery gauge dipped to the extreme low side of normal. I killed the accessories I had running and dropped from 4th to third to get the alternator spinning. The gauge slowly went back up to the center of normal. As I continued my trip, the needle slid back down to the very low side again. When I neared my street, the lights began to get very dim. As I turned onto my block, I hit the brake pedal to stop for passing traffic and the tach needle dropped to zero even though the car was still running. When I relesaed the pedal, the tach jumped back top normal. It did that two more times-both when I hit the brakes. As I was driving down my street, the lights just died. When I parked it, the car finally gave up and stalled. It wouldn't start after that. It was making the usual ticking sound a car makes when the battery is dead and you try to start it. Now, with the underdrive pulleys, I know the gauge sometimes dips a little low. I've had pulleys in other cars that I've owned. I hope that the battery has just had it---I don't know how old it is and there is no dated store tag on it. Sound to you guys like it's just the battry dying or do you think it might be the alternator. I was thinking it is probably just the battery since when I dropped it down a gear and revved it up, the gauge began to climb further into the normal area. I figured the alternator was doing it's job.
While I have your attention, can anyone answer a window motor question???

------------------
Todd
1995GT Cobra look-alike
pulleys; Flowmaster cat-back; 65mm TB; Cobra R's, front, and wing

PKRWUD · 09-04-2001, 01:07 AM

The alternator should provide sufficient voltage to run without the battery, so I doubt the battery is the source of your trouble. However, if it's old, draining it this low can push it over the edge, so you may end up having to replace it anyway.

Jump start it and attach a DMM to the battery. If it reads anything less than 12.6 volts, you're going to need an alternator.

A cool little trick you can try if you don't have a DMM is to use a screwdriver. If the alternator is working properly, a slight magnetic field will be created at the rear of the alternator when it's running. If the screwdriver sticks to the back of the alternator, then it's working.

My money says it's bad.

Take care
~Chris

------------------
Retired Moderator
MustangNet

My site: JimPorterRacing

RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR

HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!

PKRWUD · 09-04-2001, 01:09 AM

What's your window motor question?

HiFlow5 0 · 09-04-2001, 05:46 AM

when u get the car started, after u jump it or whatever. disconnect the positive wire of the battery. if the car dies your alternator is bad. that means your car was running off the battery, thats y your car would be fine when u first start driving it and dies after u have been driving for a while. any auto shop and put the alternator on a meter to see if its good. good luck!!

------------------
89 GT AOD w/ shift kit, B&M rachet shifter, Trickflow intake, Crane (E-type) cam, 70Tb, 75MAF, 1.6 Rockers, Pulleys, MAC headers and H-pipe, Dynomax mufflers, K&N, 3 core radiator, white face gauges, custom interior, cobra R rims
MY89GT

todd95GT · 09-04-2001, 01:51 PM

We should all be thankful that guys like this
are attentive to our posts and are willing to help...thank you guys. I turned out to be a bad alternator and a dead battery as a result of it not charging. I tried the screwdriver trick this morning and it did not work. Immediately, I thought, "Those guys at Mustangworks were right", and laughed a little despite my frustrations. So, 300 dollars later, I'm still pissed because I foud out what was causing the vibration (see my other post). It's the driveshaft-it's out of balance. The front U-joint is shot also and the tailshaft seal is leaking. So, tomorrow, it goes to Unlimited Performance (UPR) for an aluminum shaft.
The window motor question-
The passenger side works when it wants to and never goes all the way up...I have to "help it". The driver's side, when I use the auto-down feature, goes down smooth, but when it reaches the bottom and the window is all the way down, it continues to knock in the door as if it's still trying to open it. Does that sound like the motors are going to you guys?

------------------
Todd
1995GT Cobra look-alike
pulleys; Flowmaster cat-back; 65mm TB; Cobra R's, front, and wing

PKRWUD · 09-04-2001, 02:14 PM

It sounds like the tracks are lose or damaged. Do your doors rattle alot when you close them hard? It's hard for me to say without being there. If the problem is one of binding, and preventing the window from completing it's path, then you need to inspect the tracks. If the window stops because of a loss of voltage, then you should get a back up battery (sorry, I just remembered). Get a 12v source, unplug the harness at the door, and try getting things to work. Go in steps until you find the problem.

Take care
~Chris

PKRWUD · 09-04-2001, 03:43 PM

BTW, since I hit it exactly, and was the first to do so, what did I win?

Take care
~Chris

------------------
Retired Moderator
MustangNet

My site: JimPorterRacing

RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR

HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!

todd95GT · 09-04-2001, 04:06 PM

Hey PKRWD, if you were here in Florida, I would take you out for a tall, cold one. However, I just spent all my damn money on the alternator and battery, lol. Since we're so far away, go out, buy yourself a Heini and a shot of Shlagger, slam em down, get a healthy buzz, and thank me out loud for it. Seriously man, thanks for the diagnosis. I hand it to you, you were right. But then again, being that this is what you do for a living, I would hope you would be. And those pictures on your website...HILARIOUS. everybody needs to check those out.

------------------
Todd
1995GT Cobra look-alike
pulleys; Flowmaster cat-back; 65mm TB; Cobra R's, front, and wing; FMS aluminum driveshaft

todd95GT · 09-04-2001, 04:07 PM

Hey PKRWD, if you were here in Florida, I would take you out for a tall, cold one. However, I just spent all my damn money on the alternator and battery, lol. Since we're so far away, go out, buy yourself a Heini and a shot of Shlagger, slam em down, get a healthy buzz, and thank me out loud for it. Seriously man, thanks for the diagnosis. I hand it to you, you were right. But then again, being that this is what you do for a living, I would hope you would be. And those pictures on your website...HILARIOUS. everybody needs to check those out.

------------------
Todd
1995GT Cobra look-alike
pulleys; Flowmaster cat-back; 65mm TB; Cobra R's, front, and wing; FMS aluminum driveshaft

PKRWUD · 09-04-2001, 11:34 PM

Right on. I see how you are. Tease us with the words "taking bets" in the title. Pretty clever. Well, I'm on to you now!

Take care
~Chris

Where in FLA are you? My Mom lives in Indialantic, across the Indian River from Melbourne.

------------------
Retired Moderator
MustangNet

My site: JimPorterRacing

RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR

HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!

todd95GT · 09-05-2001, 04:38 PM

Pkrwud, I'm about two hours tops from your mom in West Palm Beach. Does she drive a stang?lol

------------------
Todd
1995GT Cobra look-alike
pulleys; Flowmaster cat-back; 65mm TB; Cobra R's, front, and wing; FMS aluminum driveshaft

PKRWUD · 09-08-2001, 11:47 AM

Hehehe, no, she drives a Camry. I have tried, but she is a dedicated Toyota driver.

Take care
~Chris

------------------
Retired Moderator
MustangNet

My site: JimPorterRacing

RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR

HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!

09-04-2001, 12:54 AM	#1
todd95GT Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA Posts: 191	Car died tonight.taking bets(long post) Just ought this 95 GT last week. It's a mint example of a SN95. It's got a cat back, pulleys, and throttle body. When I bought it, it stalled very quietly as I pulled into my driveway. I thought I let the clutch out too much without enough gas, but also thought that it was an awfully quiet way to shut down. Tonight, I was driving and noticed the dash lights were very dim. The battery gauge dipped to the extreme low side of normal. I killed the accessories I had running and dropped from 4th to third to get the alternator spinning. The gauge slowly went back up to the center of normal. As I continued my trip, the needle slid back down to the very low side again. When I neared my street, the lights began to get very dim. As I turned onto my block, I hit the brake pedal to stop for passing traffic and the tach needle dropped to zero even though the car was still running. When I relesaed the pedal, the tach jumped back top normal. It did that two more times-both when I hit the brakes. As I was driving down my street, the lights just died. When I parked it, the car finally gave up and stalled. It wouldn't start after that. It was making the usual ticking sound a car makes when the battery is dead and you try to start it. Now, with the underdrive pulleys, I know the gauge sometimes dips a little low. I've had pulleys in other cars that I've owned. I hope that the battery has just had it---I don't know how old it is and there is no dated store tag on it. Sound to you guys like it's just the battry dying or do you think it might be the alternator. I was thinking it is probably just the battery since when I dropped it down a gear and revved it up, the gauge began to climb further into the normal area. I figured the alternator was doing it's job. While I have your attention, can anyone answer a window motor question??? ------------------ Todd 1995GT Cobra look-alike pulleys; Flowmaster cat-back; 65mm TB; Cobra R's, front, and wing

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09-04-2001, 01:07 AM	#2
PKRWUD Junior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Ventura, California Posts: 8,981	The alternator should provide sufficient voltage to run without the battery, so I doubt the battery is the source of your trouble. However, if it's old, draining it this low can push it over the edge, so you may end up having to replace it anyway. Jump start it and attach a DMM to the battery. If it reads anything less than 12.6 volts, you're going to need an alternator. A cool little trick you can try if you don't have a DMM is to use a screwdriver. If the alternator is working properly, a slight magnetic field will be created at the rear of the alternator when it's running. If the screwdriver sticks to the back of the alternator, then it's working. My money says it's bad. Take care ~Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: JimPorterRacing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!

09-04-2001, 01:09 AM	#3
PKRWUD Junior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Ventura, California Posts: 8,981	What's your window motor question?

09-04-2001, 05:46 AM	#4
HiFlow5 0 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Springfield, Ma, usa Posts: 706	when u get the car started, after u jump it or whatever. disconnect the positive wire of the battery. if the car dies your alternator is bad. that means your car was running off the battery, thats y your car would be fine when u first start driving it and dies after u have been driving for a while. any auto shop and put the alternator on a meter to see if its good. good luck!! ------------------ 89 GT AOD w/ shift kit, B&M rachet shifter, Trickflow intake, Crane (E-type) cam, 70Tb, 75MAF, 1.6 Rockers, Pulleys, MAC headers and H-pipe, Dynomax mufflers, K&N, 3 core radiator, white face gauges, custom interior, cobra R rims MY89GT

09-04-2001, 01:51 PM	#5
todd95GT Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA Posts: 191	We should all be thankful that guys like this are attentive to our posts and are willing to help...thank you guys. I turned out to be a bad alternator and a dead battery as a result of it not charging. I tried the screwdriver trick this morning and it did not work. Immediately, I thought, "Those guys at Mustangworks were right", and laughed a little despite my frustrations. So, 300 dollars later, I'm still pissed because I foud out what was causing the vibration (see my other post). It's the driveshaft-it's out of balance. The front U-joint is shot also and the tailshaft seal is leaking. So, tomorrow, it goes to Unlimited Performance (UPR) for an aluminum shaft. The window motor question- The passenger side works when it wants to and never goes all the way up...I have to "help it". The driver's side, when I use the auto-down feature, goes down smooth, but when it reaches the bottom and the window is all the way down, it continues to knock in the door as if it's still trying to open it. Does that sound like the motors are going to you guys? ------------------ Todd 1995GT Cobra look-alike pulleys; Flowmaster cat-back; 65mm TB; Cobra R's, front, and wing

09-04-2001, 02:14 PM	#6
PKRWUD Junior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Ventura, California Posts: 8,981	It sounds like the tracks are lose or damaged. Do your doors rattle alot when you close them hard? It's hard for me to say without being there. If the problem is one of binding, and preventing the window from completing it's path, then you need to inspect the tracks. If the window stops because of a loss of voltage, then you should get a back up battery (sorry, I just remembered). Get a 12v source, unplug the harness at the door, and try getting things to work. Go in steps until you find the problem. Take care ~Chris

09-04-2001, 03:43 PM	#7
PKRWUD Junior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Ventura, California Posts: 8,981	BTW, since I hit it exactly, and was the first to do so, what did I win? Take care ~Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: JimPorterRacing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!

09-04-2001, 04:06 PM	#8
todd95GT Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA Posts: 191	Hey PKRWD, if you were here in Florida, I would take you out for a tall, cold one. However, I just spent all my damn money on the alternator and battery, lol. Since we're so far away, go out, buy yourself a Heini and a shot of Shlagger, slam em down, get a healthy buzz, and thank me out loud for it. Seriously man, thanks for the diagnosis. I hand it to you, you were right. But then again, being that this is what you do for a living, I would hope you would be. And those pictures on your website...HILARIOUS. everybody needs to check those out. ------------------ Todd 1995GT Cobra look-alike pulleys; Flowmaster cat-back; 65mm TB; Cobra R's, front, and wing; FMS aluminum driveshaft

09-04-2001, 04:07 PM	#9
todd95GT Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA Posts: 191	Hey PKRWD, if you were here in Florida, I would take you out for a tall, cold one. However, I just spent all my damn money on the alternator and battery, lol. Since we're so far away, go out, buy yourself a Heini and a shot of Shlagger, slam em down, get a healthy buzz, and thank me out loud for it. Seriously man, thanks for the diagnosis. I hand it to you, you were right. But then again, being that this is what you do for a living, I would hope you would be. And those pictures on your website...HILARIOUS. everybody needs to check those out. ------------------ Todd 1995GT Cobra look-alike pulleys; Flowmaster cat-back; 65mm TB; Cobra R's, front, and wing; FMS aluminum driveshaft

09-04-2001, 11:34 PM	#10
PKRWUD Junior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Ventura, California Posts: 8,981	Right on. I see how you are. Tease us with the words "taking bets" in the title. Pretty clever. Well, I'm on to you now! Take care ~Chris Where in FLA are you? My Mom lives in Indialantic, across the Indian River from Melbourne. ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: JimPorterRacing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!

09-05-2001, 04:38 PM	#11
todd95GT Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA Posts: 191	Pkrwud, I'm about two hours tops from your mom in West Palm Beach. Does she drive a stang?lol ------------------ Todd 1995GT Cobra look-alike pulleys; Flowmaster cat-back; 65mm TB; Cobra R's, front, and wing; FMS aluminum driveshaft

09-08-2001, 11:47 AM	#12
PKRWUD Junior Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Ventura, California Posts: 8,981	Hehehe, no, she drives a Camry. I have tried, but she is a dedicated Toyota driver. Take care ~Chris ------------------ Retired Moderator MustangNet My site: JimPorterRacing RACECAR spelled backwards is RACECAR HEY !!! Are you ASE Certified ??? If you are, ask me about iATN. The best tool you'll ever have, and it's free !!!