SOCALBEAST

please read the last post to catch you up on my problem.
https://mustangforums.com/forum/s...d.php?t=475568

well, i got a alternator and battery, went home and strapped them on.
and fired it up, as expected it started(battery has juice since it's new)
and i lowerd the windows and the volatge gauge lowered....again.
same thing when i turned on the ac/ cd player/ ect. ect.

so, i decided to drive it around on two little short trips, and the light stayed on, and the guage still dances around when i lower the windows all the way or press the breaks.

so, this morning, i noticed that the gauge drops alot when i ride or press the brakes,

so i started thinking i have a short somewhere, but as i am driving i was going around 45 and went in to a little dip type thing in the road,(sorta like a steep drive way) my car scraped a bit and as soon as i heard it scrape the battery light went off and the gauge went back to normal, so i lowered the window and pressed the brakes and nothing, the gauge stayed in it's proper position.

so i started thinking, i have a very steep drive way at home, i scrape the bottom of my car no matter the angle i hit it at. i think the driveway caused this,

but, what is under the car that would cause my battery gauge to do that????
is there any main power wires down there or anyhing?????

i am lost.........
i am already $300 in the hole. and i dont have money to be blowing like that, i live on my own and go to school and work fulltime and i need my mustang running.

thanks guys



TRY THIS LINK
https://mustangforums.com/forum/4-6l-1996-2004-modular-mustang/475568-alternator-prob-battery-what.html

ewgoetz

Link isnt workin right, its sending ya to the form home page. Might be a bad ground. Jack up the front end and look around where it's scraped up and see if there are any wiring harnesses or wires runing under there. Not sure what year your car is but I know on the 94/95 a harnes droped below the engine but above the steering rack.

Stepman

It may not be the scraping that caused it but, the jarring. I am thinking you have a wire that is broken yet, not completely. Start your car and either have someone watch gages or hook a meter to the battery, then start wiggle wires. I think when you find the one causing the problem, you'll see it.

SOCALBEAST

well i had a mechanic look at it, he hooked up his meter to the battery and had a voltage meter.
there is power to the alternator and the alternator is charging the battery. but he said it was charging at 12-12 1/2 volts and when he started messing with wires the battery light went off again. and started charging at 14 volts. he said maybe it's fixed..but they when i left this morning i scarped out my driveways(real steep) the battery light turned on again. then later down the road off.

i am confused. all the mechanics just say its the alternator and i told them it's new and nobody is willing to really look for the problem.
one guy told me, "what if it takes me 3 to 4 hours to find the wire that is bad, what will i charge you?? i cant charge you for just fixing a wire, i wont make no money off that"

Stepman

That can get expensive. Most mechanics will have to charge you by the hour when diagnosing electrical problems...and there is no limit when it comes to how long it can take. On the other hand...he found the problem. When he pulled the wire that made it work, that is where your problem lies. Do it yourself, just have someone watch the light while you wiggle the wires.