91 5.0 Alternator Not Charging - Checked Most Obvious
- Thread starter koala33
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So.. I fixed it. I am lead to believe that when whoever decided to put plastic butts on top of the wires rather than soldering them, caused the problem. I will have to go through and take some readings I guess to make sure there are no other issues. Thank you all for your help, I greatly appreciate it. 2 days of work for a novice, but I figured it out!
The fuse link is the green wire that connects the black/orange wires to the starter solenoid.Also wanted to post a picture of the power cable with b/o wires.. As I said before,
"Is it safe to assume that at this point that because the w/y wire on the voltage regulator connector has 12v, then the rectifier connector with the 2 b/o wires is doing its job (i.e. the connector is not faulty)?"
Can I rule out a faulty connector? The insulation that you see is gummy. I am able to pretty easily poke a pin inside of it.
I did buy the fusible links at AZ just in case. Looks like I am going to have to unwrap the entire b/o wires to check for faults? These run all the way to the solenoid near the drivers side/firewall correct? Is that where the fusible links are?
Thanks,
Shawn
Heat shrink tubing is available at Radio Shack or other electronics supply stores.
See the video below for help on soldering and heat shrinking wiring. There is a lot of useful help and hints if you don’t do automotive electrical work all the time.
View: http://youtu.be/uaYdCRjDr4A
Edit: I just read your last post, and I am glad you found the problem. I would welcome any additions you might recommend to the alternator troubleshooting test path I posted.
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Jrichker, I most certainly couldn't have done this without you, so thank you a ton. Also the other guys in the beginning of the thread (too tired to look), thanks for all your help as well. Here are some things I will pass along. Make sure to follow the steps posted, one at a time from the beginning. This really made things easier, and gets you acquainted with what you are going up against.
What I don't quite understand is why someone put plastic connectors attaching the 18 awg fusible link + b/o wire to the 14 awg fusible link. The problem was that the plastic melted and created 3K ohms worth of resistance. Once I cleaned everything up, I soldered all three together and covered with heat shrink. My resistance dropped to .1 ohms I believe.I will say, I only replaced the 14 awg fusible ink. The existing 18 awg fusible link connected to the w/y wire from the voltage regulator tested good for continuity, but did have some stretch to it. I was going to replace this also, but no one in town had 18 awg fusible link.
The unanswered question for me is, why did the existing owner add the plastic butt connector to begin with? I am hoping everything else is alright, but I will have to do some digging and check some connections. It seems like an overwhelming and daunting task since there are just so many wires and anything can cause a problem if not properly connected/grounded. I have some ideas - - there was an alarm installed, and there are still remnants of it. I will have to make sure nothing is shorting out or causing unnecessary resistance. There is an aftermarket CD player that I've always assumed was hooked up properly - nothing that would draw too much current, just a CD player and aftermarket OEM size speakers.
If you have electrical problems, get familiar with a DMM, and the fundamentals of how current travels, testing for resistance and continuity, etc. When you make a new [soldered if possible] connection, test it. Do one thing at a time. I think that was what worked for me. It took me 10 times longer than it would have taken someone who has done this a few times, but before I cranked the engine, I verified schematics over and over, checked connections, etc.
Thanks again everyone for your help. I will say that I don't visit the site too often - usually when I have problems, but I may start popping in more often to see if I can share some lessons learned.
From start to finish, ~5 breaks to stop to drive to the store to buy something else I needed, I put about 2 full 12 hour days into this. Keep in mind, I bought an alternator, installed, removed, re-installed the OEM, bought a new battery, tested the OEM alternator at the parts store, tested the new battery with the old alternator at a different parts store.. So lots of other miscellaneous stuff, but I was in the garage for a solid 12 hours.
--Shawn
What I don't quite understand is why someone put plastic connectors attaching the 18 awg fusible link + b/o wire to the 14 awg fusible link. The problem was that the plastic melted and created 3K ohms worth of resistance. Once I cleaned everything up, I soldered all three together and covered with heat shrink. My resistance dropped to .1 ohms I believe.I will say, I only replaced the 14 awg fusible ink. The existing 18 awg fusible link connected to the w/y wire from the voltage regulator tested good for continuity, but did have some stretch to it. I was going to replace this also, but no one in town had 18 awg fusible link.
The unanswered question for me is, why did the existing owner add the plastic butt connector to begin with? I am hoping everything else is alright, but I will have to do some digging and check some connections. It seems like an overwhelming and daunting task since there are just so many wires and anything can cause a problem if not properly connected/grounded. I have some ideas - - there was an alarm installed, and there are still remnants of it. I will have to make sure nothing is shorting out or causing unnecessary resistance. There is an aftermarket CD player that I've always assumed was hooked up properly - nothing that would draw too much current, just a CD player and aftermarket OEM size speakers.
If you have electrical problems, get familiar with a DMM, and the fundamentals of how current travels, testing for resistance and continuity, etc. When you make a new [soldered if possible] connection, test it. Do one thing at a time. I think that was what worked for me. It took me 10 times longer than it would have taken someone who has done this a few times, but before I cranked the engine, I verified schematics over and over, checked connections, etc.
Thanks again everyone for your help. I will say that I don't visit the site too often - usually when I have problems, but I may start popping in more often to see if I can share some lessons learned.
From start to finish, ~5 breaks to stop to drive to the store to buy something else I needed, I put about 2 full 12 hour days into this. Keep in mind, I bought an alternator, installed, removed, re-installed the OEM, bought a new battery, tested the OEM alternator at the parts store, tested the new battery with the old alternator at a different parts store.. So lots of other miscellaneous stuff, but I was in the garage for a solid 12 hours.
--Shawn
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Good job, I am glad you got it fixed.
You are right about doing one step at a time. I try to emphasize that, and not jump around and skip steps. Sometimes that message sinks in and sometimes it doesn't. I guess that some guys just want to get back on the road.
Thanks for your follow up and advice. It helps me improve the test paths and fixit advice.
Joe R.
You are right about doing one step at a time. I try to emphasize that, and not jump around and skip steps. Sometimes that message sinks in and sometimes it doesn't. I guess that some guys just want to get back on the road.
Thanks for your follow up and advice. It helps me improve the test paths and fixit advice.
Joe R.
mikestang63
SN Certified Technician
Wow- plastic screw on wire connectors. That is a first for me. Obviously an idiot nut swinger thought that was a fix. I would go back over all of the wiring under the hood. For new wiring where you need to repair them, solder them in and then use shrink wrap on top of the wires. If you need a replacement computer or O2 harness, best thing to do is either get one from a JY or on the Corral. Make sure you get the right year and transmission.
Glad you got it fixed.
Glad you got it fixed.
jwzg
Member
Yes, I saw where Radio Shack declared bankruptcy. I have had some bad experiences with Radio Shack, but they are often the only place to locally buy electrical and electronic components. There are times when you need it now and they have it on the shelf. I will be sorry to see the retail stores go by-by.
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