Odd electrical short?

[115]

I just purchased a 1996 Ford Escort Lx. It is the most rusted and crusty automobile I have ever owned. Anyway, it ran fine the rest of the day but the next day it gave out. My wife drove it about 20 miles and said it wouldn't start again. Her dad messed with it for a while and got it started and back (almost) to my house before it died again. We messed with a broken piece that was connected to the + from the alternator. Jumped it and it was ok. Drove to the lake and it started again fine. Then halfway home it crapped out again. So I put my electric meter gizmo to it and an erratic 10-12 volts from the corroded terminals. When I was poking on it, something went click and it woke up. Like a wire was loose or something. Then she started up and ran fine. Made it home and killed it. Now when I try to fire it, it goes click (like the starter sound) and then all electricity is gone except the xxxxing door open noise! Of all things to work in this POS, it had to be the cursed dingdingding. So it would have all electrics like blinkers and lights and stuff, then I try to start it and it clicks and then no electric stuff works untill I unhook the battery or give it a while, not sure. When I got home, I put in a new battery. No change. Tomorrow I will try to get new hook up things to the battery.

Anyway, if anyone can help me or give any suggestions, then PLEASE do. I flipped my last car and haven't been to the doctor yet (no automobile), my neck is messed up and my pregnant wife has constant headaches and a busted ear drum or something. Sorry for the lengthy post, but thanks to all in advance.

PS, I guess my dad was correct;

F ound
O n
R oad
D ead

[Davescort97]

I'm assuming you cleaned the battery terminals. Something is loose. It could be the ground cable going to the chassis or one of the many ground points just before the negative terminal on the battery. There is a different ground for many of your electrical accessories. That would explain why some would work and others not. Since you said that this was one of the most rusted and crusty automobiles you have ever owned, maybe the problem is corroded terminals or the sites they go to. Take the battery out and clean all the negative terminals just beyond the main ground on the battery.

Hang in there. Things will get better.

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[115]

Today I got a guy to help me with this. It only cost a fifth of KD and a can of dip . We took out the alternator and it acted the same. Hours later I gave up and went back to sleep and my wife was messing with it and lightly moved this cracked plug from the negative post. It looked connected good to the battery, but one of the two pieces that connected to the clamp was slightly cracked. It started up! We drove to Auto Zone and put the belt back on after an hour or 2. Then I bought some copper crimp connector things and new battery "clamps" (don't know what else to call em). Drove it back home after realising it stripped out the lead stuff on the negative and wouldn't come off . So I dremeled off the bolt head and got it off, then I polished the whole piece (the un cracked one) with the dremel cut off wheel. Then I cut and crimped the cracked main - wire, and put it all back together. Gave it a new + clamp too, just while I got the darn thing open. I also had to strip the + wire from the alternator and wrap it around the half loose and un-tightenable positive post on the alternator. I planed to use the other copper wire crimp piece I bought, but there was no way to hold it securely on the spark-melted post on the alternator. So I tightly wrapped the wire around it and gave it a couple shotty wraps of electrical tape.

I need to fix the badly leaking brake line in the rear of the automobile. First I have to find a 10mm open faced wrench, as my small village has none (friend says a crescent and channel locks will just round it off). But IT WORKS!!! Thank you very very much sir! I am in great debt to you. I am very poor but if you would like any videos or books, electronic or paper, on just about any kind of weapon or related item, just say the word. Anything at all! GOD bless you and this Forum.

[denisond3]

We have a 92 Escort, and the original battery terminals were the thin metal circle kind - not the old lead kind. Recently I had a problem with the ground connection - the temperature gauge was reading high, though it wasnt really overheating. It was a bad ground to the battery. Our car isnt rusty at all, but the battery connections can go bad due to the acidic fumes around the top of the battery.
There are the replacement battery terminals made out of lead, but they also make them out of Brass. The brass ones are better, because you can solder the ground cable to them. If you try to do this with the lead replacement terminals, they melt. I got one of the brass terminals, and soldered the heavy ground cable to it (after cutting off the original metal circle). Then I cut off the complicated connectors that were a part of the original ground terminal, and soldered those wires to the heavy ground cable. This ended my problem with the temperature gauge.
I finally silenced that irritating ding-ding-ding too. I didnt take the little plasti buzzer out, because I wanted it to ding if we walked away from the car with the headlamps on. I had to open up the plastic cover around the steering column. Then there was a white wire running from the key-in switch to the connector for the ignition switch. I cut the white wire, and no more ding when the ign. key was in and the door was open. Its still dings if I turn off the car and open the door with the headlamps on, but thats okay.

[115]

Wonderful, the wire will be cut within the hour! I have a great hatred for this wire. Neat how it will ding when necessary now, thats the way it should be. I got the brass ones too. They were the same price. But with all this technological innovation, I'de traid it all for a horse and buggy. If it makes annyoing noises I suppose I would only have to change it's diet. And never again would I have an out of date tag or get an insurance ticket (like last night). Thx man.