electrical problems?

I recently purchased a used 91 ford escort 5 speed. I replaced the alternator and the battery, both of which are good. I have had them tested.

Car runs fine, except there is no charge from the alternator making it to the battery. Both components work. Any suggestions?



One other thing that might be a factor is I currently have the oxygen sensor disconnected.

plug it back in. Might not make a difference, but it will play with your computer without it. As far as the alternator goes, I don't know, couldn't help you. How did you test the alternator to know it's good?

plug it back in. Might not make a difference, but it will play with your computer without it. As far as the alternator goes, I don't know, couldn't help you. How did you test the alternator to know it's good?

I'll plug in the oxygen sensor, but I suspect that's not the problem.

I took the alternator in to the local parts store and had them test it. They said it was ok.

Do you have a volt meter? set to dc volts in tenths range, positve or rd to main alternaotr lead, black to a ground, should be 14 something, check on battery as well.

start the car and let it idle for a couple minutes. disconnect the negative battery terminal and if the car shuts off the alt. is bad. if not its the battery or a connection between. also check all of your batt. connections. the terminals themselves may be bad. you can buy a whole new cable for either positive or negative. probably should anyways.

:1:

start the car and let it idle for a couple minutes. disconnect the negative battery terminal and if the car shuts off the alt. is bad. if not its the battery or a connection between. also check all of your batt. connections. the terminals themselves may be bad. you can buy a whole new cable for either positive or negative. probably should anyways.

the engine shut off after i disconnected the negative terminal. the alternator tested fine. the battery tested fine. the terminals are clean.

i guess i have to start with the wiring now, any ideas on what to look for? should i be worried about anything else, like a computer or fuse box?

WEhy would anyone think a computer controoled car ccan run when battery is discoonected. Thats also a way to zap things and cause more problems.

WEhy would anyone think a computer controoled car ccan run when battery is discoonected. Thats also a way to zap things and cause more problems.

When an alternator is running properly, it puts out approximately 14.7 volts. That more than the battery can hold. If your alternator is running properly, you don't need the battery. The only purpose of the battery is to start the car and/or run accessories without having to start it up.

But is the battery in the run circuit or needed to keep computer memory? Doesn't disconnecting the battery wipe out the memory?

Having no power to the computer for an extended period of time wipes out the memory. If the engine is running, the alternator would be supplying the power (the battery keeps it going with the car off)

im haveing problems with my 1994 ford escort that i just got. i put a brand new battery on it but nothing works, the lights the horn the radio. the car want even try to start. its like it dosent even have a battery on the car. i realy need some help with it so if there is any one that can help i thank u very much.

Hey, You need to look for a fusable link. Some alternator wires have them. Trace the alt wire and look for a black "tube" in the wire. OHM check the wire. I think that you will find it is broken. Or has a burned fusable link. Good luck!

hey j-mech do u think that it could be a computer chip in it thats been fried, cus my friend said that that might be the problem. cus i put a brand new battery on it and u know how wen u try to start a car with out a battery nuthing happends, well thats how its doing. nuthing wants to come on its like its not getting any power to the ignition swtich or any thing else. i realy need some damn help cus i know nuthing bout this stuff..bye

No. I really dont think so. You say it won't do anything now? Double check your battery connections. Sounds like now you lost connection at the battery. Back to the charging prob., check the other stuff i told you about. Good luck. Ill try to check in later!

hey if there is any one eles that can give me some answers on wats wrong with my car let me know.. i got me a 1994 ford escort and i got a brand new battery for it but nuthing wants to come on, like the lights or the horn or the radio or any other electrical thing. and wen i try to crank it it dose not make a sound it is like there is no battery on it. i have no clue on wat can be wrong with it so plz help me...bye

Use a test light or voltmeter to trace the power.
Check to see if power is at the starter or ignition... in other words, check to see if wires that are supposed to be hot at all times are actually hot.
Check the negative cable on the battery and be sure it has good connections on each end and is not corroded.

You may want to start a new thread for your problem rather than piggyback this one.

hey if my alternator is bad will that sop the cars lights and horn and radio or any othere electrical thing from working on it. and will it stop the car from trying to cranking. cause i got a brand new battery on it and its like it dont got one on it and nuthing is working on my car.

hey if my alternator is bad will that sop the cars lights and horn and radio or any othere electrical thing from working on it. and will it stop the car from trying to cranking. cause i got a brand new battery on it and its like it dont got one on it and nuthing is working on my car.

Do you have a multimeter or a 12V test lamp? If so then do as mightymoose_22 recommended and start tracing the power - measure the voltage directly across the battery terminals and then work your way back towards the ignition switch.

If you don't have a meter or a test lamp then there isn't much you can do except start checking the fuses visually, starting with the main fuse panel.

If you don't have a meter or a 12V test lamp, then do you have a soldering iron? If so then take one of the little bulbs out of the interior light, or take out one of the tail lamp bulbs, and solder a couple of lengths of insulated wire to it. That's all you need - just something to indicate the presence, or absence, of 12V.

do not forget the fuse link down by the starter it runs currant to the whole car ignition system.
if your car has a main fuse box this wire should run to it. jump from the postive post to a main connection and see if every thing works. if it dose its your fuse link if it dose not check the main fuse box fuses. good luck for now

so do u guys think that my alternator can be bad or maybe its just the wires and fuses like u said.

The alternator does not really come into play until the car is started... and you can't get that far... so forget about the alternator for now.
Try as mentioned above or take it to a shop.

No need to post your problem on every thread. You will get the best response by keeping it confined to just one.

hey i had a guy come by and look at it and he took a crewdriver and put it in between the bolts of ther starter and its getting fire and it did something but it still didnt start. wat else can u think of can be wrong.

hey i had a guy come by and look at it and he took a crewdriver and put it in between the bolts of ther starter and its getting fire and it did something but it still didnt start. wat else can u think of can be wrong.

Just do as has been recommended. Start at the battery and trace the power to figure out where you lose it.
Get yourself a wiring schematic if you are not sure what the wires are. YOu can use the one in the back of a Haynes manual from the parts store.

fordguy12

For the twentieth time, check to make sure the main fuse or fusible link is good. After checking the main fuse or fusible link with a test light or meter, then post. You must check the main fuse or fusible link first, this is step one.

You remind me of another guy who wouldn't do step one. His car was not running for two months. He kept spending money and time fixing things that weren't broken in trying to get his car fixed. When he finally decided to do step one, after spending lots of hours and three hundred dollars replacing good parts, he spent fifteen minutes diagnosing the problem and less than fifty cents to repair. All that was wrong with his car was a corroded wire terminal that prevented his car from having power. He was really annoying because he kept asking for help and when told what to check, he would do something else, and then ask why he wasn't getting power.

were is the main fuse or fuseable link located.

the fuseable link should be near the starter
it looks like the wire has a double sized for about a inch long.
the main fuse box should be near the batt. a rectanguler shape.

the next thing we want to hear is my car is running hip hip parray.
we well all get to gather and celebrate some day. cup of tim horton
well be fine.

i did wat u guys said to do..that was not the problem...it is the 100 wat fuse.. we got a new one but it keeps blowing there is a short some were that keeps blowing that fuse and we dont know how u would find were the short is ...any ideas...

Do you have a repair manual with a wiring diagram?
Do you have a test light or meter?
See, you did step one and determined it was a blown fuse. Now for step two, finding out why the fuse blew.

Make a couple of enlarged copies of the wiring diagram.
Highlight the affected circuit.
Look to see if there are sub fuses in the circuit.
You must be methodical in your approach to locating the short.
Your problem is most likely going to be between the main fuse and the sub fuses.
You are going to be looking for burned up connectors, damaged wiring, faulty components.
Unplug parts of the circuit and see if the fuse blows. If the fuse blows, then you know its not the sections or parts you unplugged.

When my friend had a similar problem, it turned out to be a burned up connector on the back of the fuse panel. Using a wiring diagram to help narrow down the point of failure, it took less than half an hour to find the problem and fifteen minutes to fix. What took the longest was driving to get the replacement parts, one and a half hours.

fordguy12
try hooking a test light to the positive post and the side of the fuse that towould the ignition side of it. and see if it lights. if it dose that says you got a short. the reason for this is to save you blowning fuses.
now start disconnecting main wires until it goses out.
a wiring diagram would help you at this point so you would know were the main fuse wire gose too. that is all i can do. take your time and you will fine the short. remember to disconnect where ever you can to narrow the short down. move the tast light up when ever nessary if it gose out.

hey ok i fixed the problem but im gonna have to have a a nother starter or some piece for it i cant think of the name of it.. and i still cant get my radio or blinkers to come on ..i think it is my fuse box on the inside of the car that is stoping that from working cause i changed the 25 wat fuse and it blowed wen i put it in so now i got to find out how to fix that and my starter..so thax for the ideas u guys gave me...

i cant get my blinkers or horn aor head lights to work i got a short im my fuse box in the car i think how do i fix that.