Bad Battery/Alternator? Please Advise

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01LS8

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Before posting I ran a search so as to not clutter up the forum but the issue is so pressing I wanted to see what you guys think.

Last week I was on vacation and was barely driving my 2001 LS V8. I went back to work Tuesday.

On my way home from work yesterday, the car stalled on the highway! The dashboard lights went out, the radio went off. 1-2 seconds later, the car was fine. I did not restart it or even pull off the highway, it fixed itself before I could do anything. This happened one more time yesterday while driving home.

This morning I was driving to work and the car did the same thing but this time every dashboard light went on. In addition, the car did not "restart itself". It stalled and I pulled off to the side of the highway. I waited a few minutes and it restarted and was able to make it work (driving under 50 with the caution lights on).

I have noticed that right before the stalling happens the traction control light switches on and off.

I searched the forum to see if anyone has been having this problem and found this thread where it was ultimately the alternator/battery that was the issue:

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=78597&highlight=stalled+on+the+highway

I am thinking/hoping that it is the battery. It is due to be replaced and has acid buildup along the side. As I mentioned earlier, I rarely drove the car last week so I have a feeling it might be drained.

Any thoughts/comments are greatly appreciated!!
 
Never have heard of this specific issue but another member may speak up and help. If you are not able to test the battery yourself, it would be a good first step to have it checked. I have never seen acid leaking from any of my LS batteries. If it tests right, the alternator, along with all electrical connections, would be next on my list. Do not overlook to make sure the serpentine belt is good as well.
 
Thanks for the response. I am on my way to get the battery checked. This forum is a lifesaver! I literally thought the LS was done!
 
I suspect that it is more likely to be an issue with one of the major electrical connections (power or ground) being loose. Generally with a failing battery and alternator, it wouldn't restart so easily without a jump or charging the battery.

Is it really acid build up (acid doesn't "build up") or just corrosion build up from probable acid exposure? The case of the battery on my 06 actually cracked. I noticed acid etching of the concrete of my garage floor where I parked. They replaced the battery under warranty.
 
I meant corrosion not acid, that is my fault.

You are making me really nervous with the electrical stuff. Is there anything specific I should look for?
 
01LS8 said:
I meant corrosion not acid, that is my fault.

You are making me really nervous with the electrical stuff. Is there anything specific I should look for?
Click to expand...

Connections at the battery, connections at the distribution center in the trunk, wiring behind the front wheel guards, ...
 
Getting the battery changed after work. Will be on the look out for lose wiring. I think it is a battery related issue (either a faulty battery or battery cable) due to the similarity of my problem and the one facing the other poster in the thread I linked above.
 
a car restarting in drive doesnt sound like a battery (all by itself) but, def an electrical issue / shorting perhaps.
 
Restarting is not the best word. The power to the steering display was cut off, the radio turned off, and the car was not accelerating. Two seconds later the display lit up again, the radio turned on and the accelerator worked. I did not have to turn ignition, it was very weird.
 
01LS8 said:
Restarting is not the best word. The power to the steering display was cut off, the radio turned off, and the car was not accelerating. Two seconds later the display lit up again, the radio turned on and the accelerator worked. I did not have to turn ignition, it was very weird.
Click to expand...

Still, restarting is correct. The transmission will keep turning the engine while the car is moving, so you don't loose power steering or power brakes until your speed falls very low. If the electrical power comes back before then, the engine will restart on its on.

BTW, the PCM cuts all fuel to the engine when you are decelerating (as long as you are above a certain speed).
 
Please note that it is characteristic of the LS that a low battery will cause all sorts of oddball experiences. A simple check with a VOM will give you some indication of where you stand. In chasing alternator/battery gremlins for the last several years, I found it worthwhile to install a hard-wired voltmeter. At a glance I know what my alternator is doing.

KS
 
+1 on cam's above post. I have one inside of my car, granted it is built into my Audiocontrol Epic 150, but it has proven to be surprisingly accurate.
 
I know the battery is low. I had to jump start it last week after I did not drive it for a few days. It was due to be replaced soon anyway and in addition, I live in New York City and the weather here has been freezing the past few days.

From browsing around on the internet, it seems like the fuel pump could be the issue, or loose wires connecting to the ECM. I will take things one step at a time and see what works. First thing to go is the battery as that needed changing anyway.

Would getting the car's error codes be helpful? I am going to Advance Auto anyway. Will probably have them check on it.
 
Depends on the codes...since you're getting a battery anyway, throw it in and see if it fixes the problem. If it doesn't, then it's time to really start trouble shooting - battery is a pretty simple fix - I am not condoning just throwing money at it, but since you need a battery anyway....
 
01LS8 said:
I know the battery is low. I had to jump start it last week after I did not drive it for a few days. It was due to be replaced soon anyway and in addition, I live in New York City and the weather here has been freezing the past few days.

From browsing around on the internet, it seems like the fuel pump could be the issue, or loose wires connecting to the ECM. I will take things one step at a time and see what works. First thing to go is the battery as that needed changing anyway.

Would getting the car's error codes be helpful? I am going to Advance Auto anyway. Will probably have them check on it.
Click to expand...

In my experience, a low battery, or failing battery will throw erroneous codes.

I replaced the battery and haven't seen any of the issues I was experiencing before. It's been about 2 weeks and the car doesn't get driven every day.

I've never seen a car act this way on a low battery, but then again... :p
 
cirelle said:
In my experience, a low battery, or failing battery will throw erroneous codes.

I replaced the battery and haven't seen any of the issues I was experiencing before. It's been about 2 weeks and the car doesn't get driven every day.

I've never seen a car act this way on a low battery, but then again... :p
Click to expand...

What issues were you having cirelle?
 
Update

I changed the battery. Alternator was checked and found to be normal. The car made it home tonight with no issues. I was taking it easy, driving 55-60 mph. Let's see what happens tomorrow!
 
I had the same issue. The vehicle would shut itself down for a second, dash lights would dim, ect... turns out it was my alternator. Because of where its at so close to the ground and near the tire it was starting to get corroded. I'm positive it was the original one too. I changed it and the vehicle ran fine. But that was just my problem. It could be any number of those listed above.
 
Another update. I have had no issues since I had the battery changed. Hope it was the issue. Thanks for the input guys.
 
electrical problem

I have a 2000 lincoln ls 3.9 that has problems with the elctrical system I've chaged aternator 4 times from salvage yard they all wrked fine for few days then bak to dashlights flikering. And dimming headlights ,ive changed the alternator again this time with one I bought from the ford dealer and still not fixed I drove it to local autozone had them check alternator battery and starter they tell me evry thing is ok but I still get a transmission e code in place of gear number and a gear selction data error and even a battery light in the dash and today the car was barely staying on till I turn it off then bak on then its ok for a little whyle but soon after that it malfunctions again if anyone has some information I can use I would greatly appreciate it cause I certainly need help figuring this out.
 
Ok. First, please use a bit more punctuation and spread out the topics. It seems like you have several issues that may, or may not, be related.

First, alternator problems are pretty common. Going with a Ford unit is the right call. However, if you've been replacing the alternator a lot, then your battery is probably in poor shape. The small testers the parts places use are not very good. It's probably very worthwhile to replace the battery as well. There are many threads on strange problems caused by batteries.

Once that's good, then take a closer look at your tranny. That might be caused by the electrical, might not. Get the codes read at the parts store - and write down the actual code numbers, not just the descriptions! Convince them to clear the codes, then see if they come back. Select errors and E in place of the gear can be a serious problem.
 
Thanks for the input theres no codes that remain they come on and go back off I also forgot to mention that it had a optima red top battery and I swiched it. With my other lincoln battery and still the same problems I wunder if my pcm is bad the transmission shift fine but the engine seems to want to dieuntill I pull over turn it off then on. Again then its ok all back to normal. What could it be?
 
Having a similar issue.

Yesterday on a cold start, the car was LOUD, sounded like a fan, quieted down after 15 minutes.

This morning, another cold start (10 degrees F), same loud noise, drove 3 minutes to the gas station. Turned the car off, but the loud clicking noise (think playing card in a bike tire, but worse) kept going. Turned the car back on and just let it run while getting my smokes.

Driving back to my house, after about a minute of driving, I lost power, lights, everything. Came back on 10 seconds later. Smelt an electrical burn smell, but could not distinguish where it was coming from.

3 hours later, car wont start. Headlights/seat and steering wheel movement worked, but no crank or anything. It sounded like I could hear the injectors going when I turned the key, or maybe the fuel pump, but no crank, not even a click.

Figured it might be a dead/bad battery but I did not have a multimeter/voltimeter.

Went to jump the car with my other one, cables were going to the correct posts (triple checked, so unless the batteries are labeled wrong) but threw major sparks.

I bought a voltimeter tonight, and am going to get looking at this tomorrow, starting with the battery. What fuses should I check, and how the hell do I test the alternator?
 
chronjuan: Probably need to check the alternator.

JackRabbitStorm: Check the voltage of the battery. Car off, should be between 12.3V and 12.8V. If you *just* shut off the car then it will be residually higher. With the car running, should be between 13.5V and 14.5V, preferably around 14.0V, with accessories and headlights on, but without a huge amp running.
However, it sounds like you have a major short. You need to find that and fix it. Fires can easily be started by this kind of problem.
One fairly common place is behind the passenger wheel. Raise the car up and remove the fender liners. There's several bundles of wires that run in that area, including the primary power to the starter and alternator.
 
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