Was having charging problems so supposedly fixed by replacing battery and alternator. Now I've got a electrical problem. I'm in a store parking lot, start car up with no problems begin to back out of space and bam car just cuts out. I have no juice at all. I turn key and get nothing. So I push car back into space and try to get a jump. No go, don't even power at dome light. I have to get car towed home since I unlocked hatch with key to get to cables and now can't lock hatch and secure car cause no juice to get hatch motor up to lock(bad move). Six hrs later (car is home) and I regain my nerve I go to play with it to see what's up. Open door, dome light comes on starts right up. WTF. 2 days later I take the car to work no problems. On way home about 11:30 at night, 5 miles from house, I click my brights, get strange surge noise thru car speakers so I click brights back off. Like dumbass I try this again only this time car immediately cuts out. Great I'm doing 45 mph and all of a sudden I lose all power...no lights, no power steering, no power brakes. Luckily I'm on a back country road with no cars. I come to a stop. No juice...I put car in neutral and push car 20 yds to nearest driveway and turn into (fun with no power steering) to avoid getting my clock cleaned by any traffic that might come up behind me (Don't have any hazzard lights). I call for a ride. By the time they get there 20 mins. later Lights have come back on starts up no problems. WTF! Any ideas?

 

I'd wadger the problem lies between the battery & the starter if you're loosing all power & the car is dieing. Check that both cables are tight at the battery & their respective mounting points. @nd would be to make sure the cables themselfves are in good shape. The wire is copper & does eventually corrode over time making the wires brittle. They can & do break inside the insulation every so often.

Make sure as well the battery has a good chassis ground, sometimes that strap from the engine to the body for ground isn't there. The noise you heard may have been from the wire arcing, similar to the initial 'zap' when you 1st put the terminal to the battery, trying to keep contact. But, that's all just my opinion, I could be wrong. That's just what I'd check 1st tho.

------------------

• my Formula Homepage
• Collision P/Ns & Diagrams

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach
you to keep your mouth shut."

[This message has been edited by deadbird (edited November 26, 2001).]

 

Sounds like you are losing your ground. Check the connections to the battery as already suggested then check the cables down to the starter and make sure the alternator is tight to the engine mounts as this is how it grounds itself. You may have a fusible link going bad between the starter and the battery. Only other thing is if you have that VSS stuff on your vehicle and I don't know how that all works.

------------------
87 TA, 305 TPI, Custom CAI, K&N, ACCEL 8mm wires,ACCEL Super-coil, ACCEL Plugs, JET TPI Airfoil, Cherry Bomb Muffler, 160* thermostat
The Phoenix Project..click to see my project car
Trans Am stuff and GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS!!!!!

 

Sorry I didn't mention, No VSS stuff it's an 88. I checked and the ground from the block to the chassis is there and I did find a fusible link that appeared to be melted so I replaced it.