Electrical Problem

[Vandal]

1995 Talon AWD

To start off, I just got the car back 3 days ago after a transmission rebuild. The next morning the belts squealed for a minute or two. Didn't think anything of it, it was 20 degrees at the time. Later in the evening, my sister was driving it and the series of events she tells me is this-The gauges started going from bright to dim, then the belts started squealing loud, dash lit up like Christmas, and the headlights went out.

I went out there to try my luck. No blown fuses or relays, pulled the positive off and car didn't die, checked the bulbs, cleaned and tightened the connections. No luck. The car will start but again, the headlights are out and all dummy lights on the dash are lit up nice and bright.

I took it back to the transmission shop. After waiting around for 3 hours, they tell me that everything they removed and replaced was attached and grounded properly. I asked them ok so what's the diagnosis? The response I got was "Our responsibility was only for work related to the transmission repair." So in a nutshell, he tells me since it's not their fault they weren't going to dig in there unless I paid for it.

I can't get out right now to a parts store to have the alternator tested thanks to a snow storm. I still think that my problem lies there or with the voltage regulator.

Do you concur or did I miss something?

 

[DarkStarMenace]

I would never remove the positive cable on any car newer than the 80s. These cars are meant to run on a constant 12 volts DC, purely running off the Alt is a very dangerous move. I'm not saying it'll happen all the time but better to be safe than sorry. Worse thing that could happen is killing the ECU. My only question would be were the belts squealing before you took it in? If it wasn't, check the belts for slack. If there nice and tight, get a voltmeter and check the battery with all your accessories on (A/C, radio, wipers, turn signals). Check voltage at the battery and off the power terminal on alternator. You might have to rev it up to 2500 rpms for proper testing.

You also said your lights never turn back on. do the hi beams work, turn signals, emergency flashers. I would inspect some of the relays, swap a known good relay for the relay running the headlights. I would also check the main power relay.

Give us some more info on this and we can narrow it down.

 

[Vandal]

Just that same morning when the car was started up. The sqealing went away before I got out of the driveway. It was 12 hours later that this happened. I didn't have any problems during that time.

Taillights, flashers, running lights, radio, etc all work. It's just the headlights. No highbeams.

I also didn't notice any loppy idle, if that helps.

 

[Boomer420s]

Sounds almost like a loose wiring or a bad connnections somewhere. "D". More information is needed.

 

[Vandal]

I haven't been able to get my hands on a voltmeter or multimeter as of yet. Hell, we couldn't even find our battery tester. But, the headlamp and hi beam bulbs are blown out. Only other tidbit of info I can offer up right now is the squealing. Start it up, it sqeals for a minute, and then stops until you step on the gas. Belt tension is good.

 

[luv2rallye]

Start it up, it sqeals for a minute, and then stops until you step on the gas. Belt tension is good.

Check harmonic balancer (crank pulley) for separation (http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...lace-your-crank-pulley-harmonic-balancer.html).

 

[Vandal]

Hey guys.

Replaced the alternator and bulbs, we're good to go now.

My bf and I removed it and had it tested, it was definitely toast.

Luv2ralleye-thanks for that heads up. We did check it and it looks like it was recently replaced by the previous owner along with the timing belt and pumps. It's in good shape, but I will make note to keep an eye on it.