Power surges... resulting in damage in mazda 626

[sebkg]

Hi,
about 6 months ago I started experiencing power surges in my 1989 Mada 626 Sedan. The surges result in all the lights in the dashboard, as well as the headlights becoming very bright. Otherwise, there are no noticeable problems during the power surges. However, I have blown both headlight bulbs at the same time, had the low fuel indicator (light) stop functioning, had the fan stop working, and now the power windows have stopped functioning. Although I cannot be sure it seems these problems are likely related to the power surges. I replaced the headlight bulbs myself and haven't had them blow since, had the fan repared (which turned out to be a matter of bad wiring behind the dash) and now have to get the power windows repaired as well. These problems often seem to come up after a power surge.

The surges can occur at any time (although I have only really noticed them at night - probably just due to it being easier to tonice the brighter lights). The car has not been in any accidents and it has an automatic transmission. I have previously had the auto shop look into the problem but they couldn't find the source...

Does anyone have any suggestions what could be causing the surges? and how the problem could be resoved?
thanks,
Sebastien

[KiwiBacon]

Take it to an auto-electrician. Ask them to test the alternator.
The alternator generates all the electricity for your car, one of it's jobs is to regulate the voltage level. It doesn't sound like it's doing that particularly well.

[dave92cherokee]

You can also just take the alternator out and take it to auto zone or advanced auto and have them test it for you. Chances are it will probably need to be replaced as that's what happens to them sometimes when they start to go out. How long do the power surges last when they happen is it just a few seconds or does it last until the car is turned off and back on? If it lasts for a while then if you get lucky you can drive the car to them while it's happening and have them test the entire charging system while it's happening.