Hello all.Recently lost all electrical power while on the road. Discovered alternator output cable to battery was burned and almost severed. Cut the cable and replaced with a new section of wire..but still not getting juice the battery. Found alternator was also bad. So replaced that. Then the serpentine belt broke. Replaced that..thought I was back in business..but had charging system checked at autozone.(alternator in car) and battery was still not charging. I'm thinking that replacement section of cable to battery is not doing the job. How can I determine if this is what is wrong?. can I run a thick guage wire from alternator output direct to battery to see if the electricity is getting there by bypassing the original cable...or is that a bad idea? Hate to take it to a shop...if it's something I can do. Tjhanks for any insight.

 

Hi Dan,
What are you driving?
Model,engine etc.?

 

oops..sorry...I drive a 2003 zx2 2.0 l zetec engine with ac.

 

Dan,
most of the time if a wire gets worn or possibly hot from rubbing on something it could provide an unintended current path, called a short circuit to ground.

We do not at this time know what really happened to this wire or why, do we?
Alternators do give out for many reasons, but the alt being defective and the belt breaking raises some suspicions as to why.
If due to age , OK, but if due to an electrical problem in the system causing an excessive demand on the alt that could overheat the wire,belt and possibly the way the voltage is controlled.

 

Hanky. You're exactly right...as I have had multiple electrical issues...since I had a used engine installed a couple of years ago. The engine has performed fine...but the installer may have screwed up somewhere, as initially..many of the gauges did not work. and .the cruise control also did not function,,I returned to the shop...and those issues were remedied...however since then...the radio short circuited..followed by blown bulbs,headlights etc. As I drive it now...the gas guage and water gauges are stuck...cruise control does not work..and the wipers keep going unless I unplug them! I/ve put up with this because...the car is in good shape and as I said, the engine runs well. I'm intimidated by electrical issues...and aside from taking to dealer and being charged who knows how much, I really am not convinced a local shop could diagnose all the problems .That said..I would welcome any advice as to where to begin accessing the root problem. thanks.

 

Hi Again Dan,
From some of the symptoms you describe I would suggest that you check for loose or not connected ground wires !
For example; when power cannot find it's intended path to ground to complete a circuit, if there is any other possible path it will take it ! And in the meantime some components cannot work properly because the circuit is incomplete or it has insufficient voltage to make the components work properly. Sounds like double talk huh?
If for instance the wrong (low) voltage is being sent to the voltage regulator in the charging system it tells the alt to charge more thereby creating an overcharge condition. Normal system voltage is around 14-15.5 volts. When that output goes higher for whatever reason, bulbs blow out , systems that are sensitive to voltage fluctuations begin to malfunction and that alone can cause wires to overheat, protected systems can shut down, and the list goes on all due to a missing ground wire connection.
There should always be a ground wire connected from the negative post of the battery to the engine, to the sheet metal and to other metal areas like the fenders, firewall , trans etc. A lot of people for whatever reason don't realize the importance of sufficient grounding and disregard redundant grounds that are there for a reason.
So let us know if you find anything, Thanks

 

Hanky...I'm definitely more educated now! I actually dropped the car off at a local shop to check the alternator output at the alternator..and the condition of the output cable...I'll be sure to have them check to the ground wire situation. Thanks for the excellent information.

 

Picked up car just now. Battery is now being charged properly. Tech said he had to rewire one of the connections on the three wire connector plug to alternator. When I installed the new alternator I also purchased a new connector, as wires were a little tinged from hot output cable. I must have reversed two of the cables..colors on replacement don't match originals. They did not check the ground wires..so I"ll check those connections myself..as root problem probably still exists. But hopefully, battery continues to charge. Thanks again Hanky.

 

Thank you for the update.