oh joy... time to figure out what's wrong with my car

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DrPizza

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
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www.slatebrookfarm.com
Got in, turned it on, started backing up... noticed the seatbelt didn't automatically slide back.
Opened the door and slammed it a few times... nothing.
Oh well, 2 minutes later, I noticed the tachometer wasn't working.
Then, I looked at the radio; 600 am??
turn signals aren't working
and it doesn't do the last shift when I get to about 55 mph

BUT, the annoying ding ding ding when I open my door is gone :)

So, was it hit by lightening? Gremlins? It's more than simply a fuse blowing.
(Ford Escort, in case anyone was going to give a serious suggestion)

edit/update:
And, on the way home last night, the dash lights went out. But, the radio was playing just fine.

This morning, on the way to school, the radio went out.

30 seconds later, I was walking the rest of the way as the engine died.

Gremlins.
 
CrackRabbit

CrackRabbit

Lifer
Mar 30, 2001
16,642
62
91
Originally posted by: DaTT
I would suggest battery.
Click to expand...

And then I would sugest pushing it off a cliff. ;)
Check the terminals for corrosion, the Escort I had was very very picky about the battery connection.
 
DrPizza

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
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www.slatebrookfarm.com
Originally posted by: CrackRabbit
Originally posted by: DaTT
I would suggest battery.
Click to expand...

And then I would sugest pushing it off a cliff. ;)
Check the terminals for corrosion, the Escort I had was very very picky about the battery connection.
Click to expand...

Heyyyyy, that might be a good idea! I had used it to jump start my lawnmower (riding) over the weekend. The car was off when I did so.
 
MoPHo

MoPHo

Platinum Member
Dec 16, 2003
2,978
2
0
1) remove all dead hookers from trunk
2) find out what's wrong with car
 
DrPizza

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
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www.slatebrookfarm.com
Originally posted by: Baked
It's made in the USA.
Click to expand...

I really didn't care where it was made. The price was right. The body was good. Paid cash (bought it used.) Even with the problems, it still gets me back and forth from home to work.

I'm still looking for a replacement vehicle though. Pretty soon, I'll see a decent looking vehicle, <$1000 that runs well and is for sale along the road somewhere. Then, I'll go through another 3 years knowing that I averaged less than $30 a month to pay for my car. Still... I'd prefer a camry or something, but you just don't find those for that price :)
 
PowerEngineer

PowerEngineer

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2001
3,607
787
136

Normally I'd suggest asking DrPizza, but I guess that doesn't work this time. :)

As a believer in caveman car repair, I'm always quick to replace the battery because it seems to be the root of many odd electrical problems (especially if it is more than three years old). That said, I wouldn't expect that you could start the car if your battery was bad (or its connections loose or corroded) because that starter motor is your biggest current draw by far. I suppose it's possible that some secondary connection for the car accessories is corroded or loose. I'd certainly check those fuses. Your last observation about not making the last shift has me scratching my head; is there an electronic overdrive in that Escort?

I think it's time for that Camry !

:thumbsup:
 
O

Ornery

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,022
17
81
If it's not a fuse, it may be a relay or even the ignition switch. Having a Helms manual might help track it down.
 
D1gger

D1gger

Diamond Member
Oct 3, 2004
5,411
2
76
It's not a battery problem. I would suggest the alternator. The battery will soon be dead if it is the alternator.
 
DrPizza

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
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www.slatebrookfarm.com
heh heh heh
On the way home last night... about half way home, there go the dash lights.
No more dashboard lights, oh well.

Then, on my way to school this morning, I looked down at the radio - it wasn't displaying the time. That's odd, I thought, so I turned the radio on. Nothing.

I thought to myself, "at least the motor is running." That was 3 miles after leaving my house, 1 mile from school.
I ended up walking the last 9/10's of a mile to school this morning.

I was thinking that it was probably the battery dying. But, that wouldn't explain why it still started fairly well (although this morning it was *slightly* not cranking as well, which I attributed to it being much colder (frost on the ground).
So, once it died, I figured, "it must be the alternator. The battery must be dead now." I grabbed the jumper cables, crossed between the (-) and (+) terminals on the battery and got a heck of a lot of arcing. Nope, battery isn't dead. Therefore, the engine wasn't running off the battery. Therefore the distributor is at least mostly okay.

So, I pulled the fuses. Darn it, they're okay, too.
 
P

Pepsi90919

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
25,162
1
81
Originally posted by: DrPizza
heh heh heh
On the way home last night... about half way home, there go the dash lights.
No more dashboard lights, oh well.

Then, on my way to school this morning, I looked down at the radio - it wasn't displaying the time. That's odd, I thought, so I turned the radio on. Nothing.

I thought to myself, "at least the motor is running." That was 3 miles after leaving my house, 1 mile from school.
I ended up walking the last 9/10's of a mile to school this morning.

I was thinking that it was probably the battery dying. But, that wouldn't explain why it still started fairly well (although this morning it was *slightly* not cranking as well, which I attributed to it being much colder (frost on the ground).
So, once it died, I figured, "it must be the alternator. The battery must be dead now." I grabbed the jumper cables, crossed between the (-) and (+) terminals on the battery and got a heck of a lot of arcing. Nope, battery isn't dead. Therefore, the engine wasn't running off the battery. Therefore the distributor is at least mostly okay.

So, I pulled the fuses. Darn it, they're okay, too.
Click to expand...

:confused:
 
robphelan

robphelan

Diamond Member
Aug 28, 2003
4,084
17
81
Originally posted by: DrPizza
heh heh heh
On the way home last night... about half way home, there go the dash lights.
No more dashboard lights, oh well.

Then, on my way to school this morning, I looked down at the radio - it wasn't displaying the time. That's odd, I thought, so I turned the radio on. Nothing.

I thought to myself, "at least the motor is running." That was 3 miles after leaving my house, 1 mile from school.
I ended up walking the last 9/10's of a mile to school this morning.

I was thinking that it was probably the battery dying. But, that wouldn't explain why it still started fairly well (although this morning it was *slightly* not cranking as well, which I attributed to it being much colder (frost on the ground).
So, once it died, I figured, "it must be the alternator. The battery must be dead now." I grabbed the jumper cables, crossed between the (-) and (+) terminals on the battery and got a heck of a lot of arcing. Nope, battery isn't dead. Therefore, the engine wasn't running off the battery. Therefore the distributor is at least mostly okay.

So, I pulled the fuses. Darn it, they're okay, too.
Click to expand...


wait a sec.. you crossed the pos & neg terminals? :Q that's not safe.

the old method for checking the alternator is to remove the negative cable from the battery - if the car dies, then the alternator is bad. I dont think that's a valid method on newer cars, though.
 
M

Minjin

Platinum Member
Jan 18, 2003
2,208
1
81
Bad alternator. I don't understand why someone would keep driving their car when its getting worse and worse. While you before most likely only needed an alternator, now you almost definitely need a battery, too.

When the alternator dies, your engine and all components are running off the battery. As the capacity is depleted, the voltage gradually lowers and things start shutting down one by one. Some stuff needs that full 12v. Others can go as low as 10v.

Mark
 
M

mchammer

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2000
3,152
0
76
Originally posted by: Ornery
If it's not a fuse, it may be a relay or even the ignition switch. Having a Helms manual might help track it down.
Click to expand...

Happend in my Taurus and another Taurus we used to have. It would cause the turn signals and the A/C to not work. Try jiggling the key around.
 
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