Car problem- 2000 ford focus

[Kalmah]

Coincidentally this all started happening the day after I got an oil change at wal-mart..

The electronics shut off while driving.. then shortly after that the engine dies. The electronics don't completely shut off though. It's kind of funky. The spedometer, tachometer, radio all shut off.. Then my seatbelt light turns on because it thinks my seatbelt is unlpugged(which it isn't)... then a half a minute later the engine shuts down.

None of the problem lights turns on. Nothing has ever indicated a problem with the car.


What I've done:

I baught a new battery so that I would have enough power to get the car home. I was able to make it home and it shut down just before my house so I had to coast it in. (did I mention that my power steering dies at the same time the electronics go out?)

So now I think I'm trying to get the alternator out of the car so I can have it tested. I've found 2 bolts holding the alternator in. (allthough one of them is inaccessible without going from underneath the car) I can't get the belts to loosen up. I think I'm looking for some kind of release on the pullies..


Any help or advice is appreciated.

 

[alpineranger]

There should be a tensioner on that belt. You do need to remove the belt first. Depending on whether the tensioner i's an auto adjusting one or not the loosening procedure differs. Look it up online and you can find videos demonstrating how to deal with both.

On the bright side, if your alternator is really bad then you might not need to remove it just to test it. Take a multimeter and measure the voltage (across the battery terminals is fine) when the car is on. If it doesn't go to at least 13 something volts or is jumping up and down then it is bad. Wouldn't want to go about replacing your alternator when it isn't bad.

 

[Arkaign]

Almost certainly the alternator. Follow the advice above.

When you get a new one, don't get a crap one. It doesn't cost much more to get a quality one.

 

[Kalmah]

Thanks alot for the info. I'll give that a try first.

Also, I forgot to mention that the car won't start unless it is jumped from another car. And, the second the jumper cables are pulled from the battery, the car dies instantly. Other than that the car runs great.. I just need somebody to drive right next to me with a jumper cable linking our cars. lol

Since I can't test the voltage without the car being jumped from another car, I don't think I would be able to get an accurate reading?

Would it be possible to get some kind of battery charger from wal-mart so that I can charge the battery.. Just in case if I can't get this thing fixed.. If I can get the battery charged enough to be able to drive it to a mechanic which is about 5 minutes down the road..

I appreciate it.

 

[SearchMaster]

Originally posted by: Kalmah
Thanks alot for the info. I'll give that a try first.

Also, I forgot to mention that the car won't start unless it is jumped from another car. And, the second the jumper cables are pulled from the battery, the car dies instantly. Other than that the car runs great.. I just need somebody to drive right next to me with a jumper cable linking our cars. lol

Since I can't test the voltage without the car being jumped from another car, I don't think I would be able to get an accurate reading?

Would it be possible to get some kind of battery charger from wal-mart so that I can charge the battery.. Just in case if I can't get this thing fixed.. If I can get the battery charged enough to be able to drive it to a mechanic which is about 5 minutes down the road..

I appreciate it.

That's obviously their diabolical master plan, the the reason they killed your alt to begin with

It certainly sounds like the alternator though from everything you've said. You can certainly get a battery charger and attempt to get enough out of it to get you to a mechanic, but you're playing with fire. I have gotten 20 miles or so a few times in the past out of a good battery/bad alternator, so you might be okay. I would certainly have a friend follow you.