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I Am a Mechanic

Ahh, the joys of thinking you fixed something under the hood, spent 770 dollars just for it to do the same crap again! It's not gonna be any warmer than 33 degrees today, but my wife has to get to work tonight and back in the morning safely. Tachometer and lights malfunctioned, power going down to eventual die. Batter-brand new. Alternator-fully functioning. Battery negative cable, able to move it with hand (may be the issue).....battery cable positive, spliced and remounted, tight. Replaced plugs, wires, coil, fuel pump, wipers and headlights, battery, ignition control module. Next to do when warmer, timing belt and tensioner replacement, remark, water pump replacement, battery cables replacement, starter replacement, ECM replacement (was 334 dollars for a new one), fuel filter replacement, alternator replacement. There are 5 things in many vehicles that can leave you dead on the road and stranded. Those are- bad fuel pump, broken timing belt, bad coil, bad starter and bad ecm. Everything else will still allow the vehicle to run, even though it might be crappy, but it will run. All drive belts are good, oil clean and good level, plenty of antifreeze, standard transmission great shape, yessir this is indeed an electrical issue/charging. New relays, narrowed down to poor connection or ballast resistor. Gonna be cold today. I hate working on cars in the cold, but I love my wife lol. So when it warms up just a little more maybe 10 degrees then it's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum.
hlpflwthat · M
Idk how long her commute is, but I'd wanna check that alt over & over again after full warm-up and plenty of load. Esp if the lights got worse and worse. Pretty rare to see something outdraw a 60 amp alternator going down the road. Good luck!
SW-User
@hlpflwthat it is a small suspect, i have a new one sitting in a box next to me. I might replace it today too if I feel crazy enough.
hlpflwthat · M
Hahaha. I hate throwing parts at shit ... but it's easier in the cold 😏 That box is there cuz your gut tells you the same.

Beneath the glow of my Detroit Radiant 20 foot tube ...
SW-User
Ok guys! I found the problem! It was a bad alternator, and when I replaced it with the new one, it turns out I didn't tighten it hard enough and the belt was slipping! Yeah! Lol. Cool. Just gotta tighten the shit out of that thing because there's a sliding hole and it can get moved.
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SW-User
@waleskinder that's what it narrows down to.
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SW-User
@Greenbare I cut a hole in the back above the fuel tank, saved 400 bucks labor and lots of time 😂
bearinthebigbluehouse · 26-30, M
Maybe it didn't have any headlight fluid. ┬┴┬┴┤ ͜ʖ ͡ °)/
SW-User
@bearinthebigbluehouse lmao! yeah or maybe the ignition key ran out of oil lol
SW-User
Ok guys it appears definitely will be replacing alternator and resplicing battery cables and tightening leads today. Damn, I've gotta remove the radiator and spill antifreeze everywhere in this cold shit. No way to get out the alternator without removing radiator. I'll be back when I thaw out later lol
hlpflwthat · M
@SW-User Stay warm! And keep the dog away from coolant ;)
SW-User
I forgot to mention, there are 6 big trouble makers for leaving you for dead, not 5. The other one is a failed automatic transmission which I will never have again. Standard is my baby. Otherwise I call them the big 5.
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uncalled4 · 56-60, M
I drove myself nuts chasing a charging issue before I realized that the harmonic balance on my Acura 2.5 had frozen up. Frickin uni belt was turning, but not getting the job done. Joy.
Unlearn · 41-45, M
Too much information...
uncalled4 · 56-60, M
Damn, that's a ton of work and troubleshooting.
MethDozer · M
God damn electronic and computerized horseshit in cars.
SW-User
@MethDozer oh one of those. I ripped mine out and replaced it with a push button. Before that, we had to shove lighter or tampon above the slide switch just to turn it on
MethDozer · M
@SW-User Nah she doesn't have those. It's a 2007 Trailblazer. It's a good vehicle but it's always an issue with the wires in this thing.
SW-User
Oh ok. This is a suzuki sidekick jx, great mechanically, but 228k miles on it and stuff wears out, then we have to start redneckin it

 
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