talon has bad problems help

[talonspaz420]

i was wondering if u guys might know whats wrong with my talon
its a 92 2.0 non turbo frnt wheel drive ill be driving down the road and my dash lights and head lights get really bright then my altenator belt starts to squeal and my radio dies even though its ran off the battery
but thats not all im haveing hard cold starts and idle surges also suges at cruising speeds if i acelerate the surges go away if i know whats wrong with it i can fix it any help would be great

[batshiz]

probaly need a new altinator

[MrZ]

talonspaz420;
batshiz may be right, your alternator may be going wacky on you. It would certainly be a good idea though to check all of your connections. Make sure your battery clamps are nice and tight, and check the wires coming off of the back of the alternator to be sure the harness is plugged in securely.

The engine surging could be the result of a faulty throttle position sensor.

Best thing to do, if you want to keep the car and do most of the work yourself, is to get the Haynes manual for it, and start reading.

First thing you want to learn is how to check the ECM for fault codes, and what the codes mean. The manual will tell how to check most of the sensors, switches, and devices that give it feedback. This information is also available in several of my posts, if you want to do some reading here, but you really need to get the manual to have complete information.

Mark

[talonspaz420]

i do most of the work myself i took lots of advaced auto classes in school i just put a new altenator in about 500 miles ago i tested the charging system and it was fine im putting a new ecu in tomorrow hopeing that will help

[MrZ]

talonspaz420;
It may very well be the ECM causing the problems, I hope that works for you. I personally am not one for playing parts roulette though.

I still suggest getting the Haynes manual for your car. It doesn't cost much. There is a wealth of information in it that can be difficult to find elsewhere, and this is stuff they don't teach in advanced auto classes, it's references that are specific to your car.

Mark

[talonspaz420]

i have a chiltons book is that just as good?
the only reason im putting an ecu in is because i have an extra one laying around

steve

[MrZ]

Steve;
I haven't seen the Chiltons. If it has the information you need then you're good to go.

If you've got a spare ECM then you've got nothing to lose swapping them out. I hope it works for you.

Mark

[talonspaz420]

juste put the new ecu in no change in the way the car runs the old one doesnt look or smell bad
for shits and giggles i pulled the tps wire off and it doesnt surge while im driveing the rough idle and hard cold starts is still there could the tps be my problem?

[MrZ]

If it's just a wire you pulled off, then it isn't the TPS. It sounds like you pulled the wire off of the closed throttle position switch. The TPS has a rectangular plug, and you can't just pull it off, there is a c shaped wire piece that locks into it that you have to pry out first.

Does your Chiltons manual tell you how to check the ECM for fault codes? This is really where you should start.

Mark

[talonspaz420]

yeah it tells me fault codes and how to check them but i need the code reader and i dont have one i priced one and its around 300 dollars

[talonspaz420]

do you think the closed throttle position switch could be whats makeing my car idle so roughly?

[MrZ]

Steve;
You don't need a code reader. All you need is a an analog voltage tester. I think you could even do it with a 12 volt test light, but I haven't tried it yet to see how well it would work. I have posted how to check the fault codes on several different theads within the Talon forums. If you can't find one of these posts, I'll dig it up for you.

On the rough idle, the closed throttle position switch isn't going to cause that. I don't think the TPS would either.

Mark