i went to get sumthin to eat, and the car started,but as i wAS driving the little red battery light came on on the speedo,as i gave gas it went out,as i stopped it came on,at stoplight batt light came on,then abs,then radio shut off,and heater,i gave gas and it went off, it got worse , so i went home, i shut off car,turned key and the car was dead as a door nail,i had light and keyless worked but would not turn over.....i think alternator....what do you think, any posts tonight appreciated.....where is the best deal on the alt. new are reman
emergency help , anyone!!!!!Now!!
- Thread starter viiiball
- Start date
1wykdmk8
LvC Dues Collector
viiiball said:
Both....alternator and battery. It seems that when the alternator goes bad in the Mark it takes the battery with it. You MAY get away with just an alternator, but I would go with both.....just me. That is what I have done, since the first time I had the alt go bad, I did not replace the battery and soon there after I had to replace both the alt and the battery.
I would call Max at 5 Star 1-800-866-1520 ext. 236 for the alt. The newest alt for the Mark has the same output as what the Cobra alt has, and there is no need to make any adjustments. With the Cobra alt you have to stretch the wiring. :Beer
Jibit
Dearly Departed Friend
it could be either the alternator or the battery, I'd say the alternator. Unfortunately these cars rely on the computer to function so when the voltage starts to drop everything goes crazy. Almost caused me to get into a wreck one time.
NYC LS8
Dedicated LVC Member
Mine did that when I first picked it up. Put a new battery in, and it's been fine for 6 months. It *could* use an alternator too, as the lights dim when the heater is on full blast, but it does the job for the amount of time I spend in the car (not much).
1wykdmk8 said:
thanks...you are awesome.....the batt is only 1 yaer old from wally world, 5 yyear guarentee,so if i need one it will be free or pro rated, thanks so much....guess itll be the ranger tommorrow, glad you were here!!!! :Beer
E
ERIC1
Guest
yah alt must have been goin bad for a few days.viiiball said:
BlackIceLSC
Dedicated LVC Member
Its definately both. Your alternator died, and it wouldnt go down alone. it grabbed the battery, and took it out too.
You see, when an alternator fails, it no longer charges the battery. So, the car was running off the battery alone....and now it is a gonner.
Your battery starts the car...and keeps it running. The alternator, with built-in voltage regulator, re-charges the battery at about the same rate that the engine draws from it....add in other electrical draws(stereo, heater, lights, computer, etc), and the alternator has to step up, and charge more.
well, what happened was, you alternator said "screw this...I give up"
your battery said "whoa man...I cant do this by myself", so... stereo-off, climate control-off, and it barely made it home
you shut it off, and the battery said "thats it. I quit...darned alternator abandoned me..I aint doing this by myself... I quit".
so, go get both. The old ones are gone.
alternator...dont waste your time with a reman...get a new one from Ford.
battery-make sure you get one with enough CCA for the car(cold cranking amps).
Good luck, and be glad it died at home...you got lucky.
You see, when an alternator fails, it no longer charges the battery. So, the car was running off the battery alone....and now it is a gonner.
Your battery starts the car...and keeps it running. The alternator, with built-in voltage regulator, re-charges the battery at about the same rate that the engine draws from it....add in other electrical draws(stereo, heater, lights, computer, etc), and the alternator has to step up, and charge more.
well, what happened was, you alternator said "screw this...I give up"
your battery said "whoa man...I cant do this by myself", so... stereo-off, climate control-off, and it barely made it home
you shut it off, and the battery said "thats it. I quit...darned alternator abandoned me..I aint doing this by myself... I quit".
so, go get both. The old ones are gone.
alternator...dont waste your time with a reman...get a new one from Ford.
battery-make sure you get one with enough CCA for the car(cold cranking amps).
Good luck, and be glad it died at home...you got lucky.
E
ERIC1
Guest
this is the coolest analogy i have ever seen to describe that. very coolBlackIceLSC said:
Again......this site is awesome and esp.you guys....i'll drop if off at service tommorrow and have the drivability guy fix it, i get a ford discount off parts and labor since i work there, do you think i can persuade them for a cobra one?I'll try,anyway will any cobra one work? let me know,before i go in to work...again thanks
crazyman
Well-Known LVC Member
:I That was most excellent.ERIC1 said:
driller
Dedicated LVC Member
viiiball said:
You want one for the 96-98 Cobra - a 4G.
1wykdmk8
LvC Dues Collector
driller said:
You really do not need the Cobra any longer according to Max. When I called for the Cobra unit in my car now he told me that the newest generation (non-Cobra) has the same output as the 4G 96-98 Cobra unit and you do not have to stretch the wiring harness.....at least that was the impression I got from Max.....even though I went with the Cobra unit. :Beer