McMkVIII94
Active LVC Member
Could charging system and tach problems somehow be related? 
About a month ago, I was driving my son to town and he says Hey, your tachs not working. It was "stuck" at just below 2k rpm.
We get to the school parking lot. I put it in Park and revved it a few times. The needle would jump to about where it should have been at correct engine rpm, but would not fall below the ~2k point at idle... then it just quit responding at all, still "stuck" at the same place.
After that, the car stayed parked for over 3 weeks without being started. I went out to go for a ride last Sat. morning and the less-than-6 months-old battery was dead... very dead. I trickle charged it for a couple of days, cranked the car and the dash panel battery light was on. Tested it at the battery posts with a digital multi-meter, with the car running, and got just over 12v. The 20a ALT fuse in the engine bay box is fine. Yesterday traded the Reilly's Super Start battery (it had a dead cell) for a new Motorcraft 850, same voltage reading while running.
Daaayum!!!... now I got a dead alternator too!?!?
Up until the tach quit, everything was fine... no battery light, no CEL, no nothing... any ideas or suggestions?
p.s. I've searched all the alternator threads here, checked prices online for new and reman'd, then called a reputable local auto elec. shop. They have a Gen II reman ready to go for $110 (with my core) with a one year warranty.
Unless I can find something better (cheaper), I'll take mine to them for testing and buy theirs if it's bad.
But what, if anything, does all this have to do the tach?!?!... or was it "just coincidence" that the tach and alternator died at the same time?
About a month ago, I was driving my son to town and he says Hey, your tachs not working. It was "stuck" at just below 2k rpm.
We get to the school parking lot. I put it in Park and revved it a few times. The needle would jump to about where it should have been at correct engine rpm, but would not fall below the ~2k point at idle... then it just quit responding at all, still "stuck" at the same place.
After that, the car stayed parked for over 3 weeks without being started. I went out to go for a ride last Sat. morning and the less-than-6 months-old battery was dead... very dead. I trickle charged it for a couple of days, cranked the car and the dash panel battery light was on. Tested it at the battery posts with a digital multi-meter, with the car running, and got just over 12v. The 20a ALT fuse in the engine bay box is fine. Yesterday traded the Reilly's Super Start battery (it had a dead cell) for a new Motorcraft 850, same voltage reading while running.
Daaayum!!!... now I got a dead alternator too!?!?
Up until the tach quit, everything was fine... no battery light, no CEL, no nothing... any ideas or suggestions?
p.s. I've searched all the alternator threads here, checked prices online for new and reman'd, then called a reputable local auto elec. shop. They have a Gen II reman ready to go for $110 (with my core) with a one year warranty.
Unless I can find something better (cheaper), I'll take mine to them for testing and buy theirs if it's bad.
But what, if anything, does all this have to do the tach?!?!... or was it "just coincidence" that the tach and alternator died at the same time?
