mr_mustang23

i dont know why but for the past few weeks everytime i turn my car on its a different story.

sometimes it sounds like the battery cant do it, then it pulls through, and the gauges jump all the way, then go back

other times it delays the gauges, so the car will start, and the gauges wont move for like 3 seconds...

i know the battery is fine because ive had it for only about a year.

the only electrical thing ive done to the car lately is install hid lights and foglights but could that really be an issue?


what do you guys think? thanks

2000BlkGtConvgobucks

Make sure that the battery terminal post are clean and that the engine wire harness clamps are tightened down correctly. The gauges jump like you are stating when the computer has been reset, meaning that there is a loss of battery power at some point in between the time that you turn the car off and then back on. My gt did this during the coldest point of last winter, i replaced the battery and the terminal connectors and it fixed the problem. Hope this helps, good luck

mr_mustang23

the only other thing i should mention is that the guy who installed the hid headlights has the wiring connected directly to the battery. this wouldnt have any sort of effect would it?

ill check that stuff out though that you mentioned

2000BlkGtConvgobucks

If your battery problems started when you had the hid's installed then there is obviously a problem with the install.... I was just stating in my post that you were describing a typical reset of the computer on our gt's. Also, you need to give much more information about how your hids are currently connected to your battery to decide if that is a problem or not?

uberstang1

Sounds almost like a bad ground connection somewhere.

cliffyk

You need to check the voltage across the battery terminal clamps (the clamps not the posts) while starting the engine--it should be 10.5V or better, preferably 11.0V+.

If it's not, check the voltage at the battery posts while cranking the engine, it should be the same as observed at the clamps. If not and the voltage is higher than you have a bad terminal clamp(s) or a bad block ground strap¹, if it's lower then the battery is bad or not fully charged.

The gauge sweep occurs due to power lass as stated above, and also if the system voltage drops below 10.0V or so while cranking the engine.

Also, when posting please include the model year of your car--while the '96 to '04 GTs are very much alike there are differences...

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¹ - There is a ground strap from the battery that connects to the block just to the rear of the oil filter adapter--make sure it is in good condition and tightly bolted down.

mr_mustang23

99 mustang gt. sorry about that. and as of right now its dark so i cant go out and mess under the hood. ill take a look tomorrow. ill make sure that that piece is bolted down and let you know how the hids are installed. thanks for all the help