92 escort 1.9L not keeping charge

[Pvt. Stash]

Hey all.

I'm new to the forums and could use a little tech support please.

My 92 escort 1.9L died on me the other day, so I had a friend come over and jump me because I had no juice at all. The battery is only about 3 months old.

She starts up fine and will idle for a minute or two, but then the tach drops to zero and a short time later the engine just dies. Sometimes I have a little power after this because the lights will come on on the interior, but they die soon after and it won't restart. The day before this happened it was running perfectly.

I've had some wiring problems in the past where a turn signal will bounce the tach, but very rarely.

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.

[GTP Dad]

There are a couple of possibilities here. First check and clean the battery cables at the battery and at the starter. Also, when you have it disconnected check the connection on the backof the alternator. Corrosion can cause issues like you are indicating. Finally, it is a good possibility that your alternator is going bad and will need replaced. Remove it and have it tested at a parts store.

[Selectron]

Good advice there, and I'd agree with that. Some voltage readings would make the picture a lot clearer though and should point you in the right direction, so if you have access to a multimeter I'd suggest checking the following voltages, all readings taken directly across the battery terminals:

Voltage after sitting overnight, but before starting engine - should be around 12.6V (indicates that there is no excessive current drain with the ignition in the Off position, and that the battery is capable of holding a reasonable level of charge).

Voltage with engine idling - should be thirteen-point-something volts - typically around 13.6V (indicates that the alternator is producing output current, and that that current is reaching the battery. Also indicates that the rectifier is functioning, converting AC to DC).

Voltage when revving engine slightly - should climb to around 14.2V and then hold steady at that voltage regardless of further increase in engine speed. (Indicates that the voltage regulator is functioning, and clamping the upper voltage threshold at the correct level).

In addition to those readings, I'd be interested to know what happens to the battery voltage when the fault appears and it refuses to start, lights go dim, etc. It could be a difficult fault to track down without those voltages to point you in the right direction.

[Pvt. Stash]

Thanks for the replies. Hopefully one of them gets me off of my buddie's couch. :P

We pulled the alternator today after work and took it to a store to get tested. 15v solid, so that's probably not it.

Some other suggestions I got today were:

Checking the neutral switch. (But it starts perfectly fine with a jump.)

Possible faulty ground. Supposedly these have two grounds: one on the frame and a second that my source couldn't remember. Could this be related considering I've been noticing some random tach spikes when the turning signal was on? Not RPM, just tach.

Dead battery cell. (3 month old battery, but we're pulling it and having it tested tomorrow.)

Using a voltmeter on the battery and pull fuses until we get a jump in the volts.

That's all I've gotten so far, and it's enough to keep me busy tomorrow night. Any other suggestions or comments would help greatly. Thanks.

[GTP Dad]

If your alternator voltage is 15 and you have 12.6 at the battery then the issue is in the wiring. Check all connections and check the battey cables. The cables can look good on the outside and be damaged internally. You may want to just chuck the old ones and replace them anyway. Clean the grounds and make sure they are good as well.

[mightymoose_22]

Considering the age of the car, you might want to consider loose connections at the ignition. It seems to me that there have been an unusual number of ignition related problems in recent months.