Aussie Ford
Hard-core CEG'er
Contours the adventure that continues on……..
The battery light on my 95 4 banger came on, and that is an indicator there is a problem with the alternator. I tested the alt and sure enough it was bad, so I bought a new one ($116).
Not having done an alternator on a 2.0L (it has to be easier than doing one on a V6)I recalled a thread where someone was having a heck of a time with his and talked about cutting off some bolt to shorten it enough to get it out….. anyway I perused the 95 Ford CD because I always think there is some part of the procedure that will be applicable to the task. Call me an optimist!
Once I got the old one out and the new one in I started the car and the alt test light didn’t come on but in a few seconds it did. Great I’m done….. Here is where one needs to remember this is a Contour!
Then it went off again….. well I guess I could have a loose connector so I check them out and they seem tight but I remove the black 3wire connector and my son says the battery light went out. I plug it back in and I can hear the alt charging and he says it is still out ….. Ok the connector was loose, big deal….. I’m looking at my tester and then the tester lights go out again and the battery light comes on… Drat!
I wiggle some wires it seems to come on and off sometimes. Could I have a bad new alt? or worse yet do I have bad wiring? My son and I have an appointment to smoke a couple of cigars since he just had a birthday, but I grab the old alt and swing by O’Reilly’s to test it on the way. If it is good then the problem is really the wiring. It tested bad at two different AP stores. That is an important point, with some of the people doing the testing these days who may not even know what this part really does on a car, you need a second opinion.
After the smokeout we get back to business and I remove the new alt so I can get to that little connector for the single gray wire. While the alt is out my son takes it up to the O’Reilly’s for testing since it could be a bad new alt. I start testing the wires and pull up the schematic on the CD. Working on the black 3 wire connector the Gray wire goes from it to the single connector. That is OK no problem there. The Green/Black wire goes to the battery light on the dash and I know that is working. That leaves just the red wire. The schematic shows that it goes from the alt connector to the C100 connector (the big one on the strut tower)pin #24, then on to a 20a fuse (#10) in the underhood fuse box. I get nothing from one end to the other. Ah haw!! I located the problem. My son gets back, the new alt is good.
We reasoned that if we opened up C100 and checked pin #24 we could at least find out which half the problem was in…… No continuity on either side of pin #24. We checked everything but got nowhere.
All this time I had been dealing with the info from the Ford CD and my laptop battery is about dead so I grab the Chilton’s and turn to the charging circuit schematic. That’s when I see something completely new, on the 95’s only that red wire does not go to the fuse box through C100 it just jumps over to the main power stud and ties to the heavy output wire that runs through the mega fuse to the starter and on to the battery. I check out the wire and everything is fine. I have continuity from the main lug to the mega fuse, from the mega fuse to the battery terminal, and across the mega fuse. Hold on a minute I don’t have continuity from the lug to the battery terminal. Ok this doesn’t make any sense at all. After checking every part, it turns out that the mega fuse is broken. That’s right broken not blown.
Another trip to O’Reilly’s and this time everything is fine, and it’s time to take Chloe for a test drive which I just have a feeling will involve a park and a hardy game of stick.
BTW O’Reilly’s has a store about 5 blocks from my house…… that’s smart business….. LOL
Now if Harbor Freight would just move in next door !
AF
The battery light on my 95 4 banger came on, and that is an indicator there is a problem with the alternator. I tested the alt and sure enough it was bad, so I bought a new one ($116).
Not having done an alternator on a 2.0L (it has to be easier than doing one on a V6)I recalled a thread where someone was having a heck of a time with his and talked about cutting off some bolt to shorten it enough to get it out….. anyway I perused the 95 Ford CD because I always think there is some part of the procedure that will be applicable to the task. Call me an optimist!
Once I got the old one out and the new one in I started the car and the alt test light didn’t come on but in a few seconds it did. Great I’m done….. Here is where one needs to remember this is a Contour!
Then it went off again….. well I guess I could have a loose connector so I check them out and they seem tight but I remove the black 3wire connector and my son says the battery light went out. I plug it back in and I can hear the alt charging and he says it is still out ….. Ok the connector was loose, big deal….. I’m looking at my tester and then the tester lights go out again and the battery light comes on… Drat!
I wiggle some wires it seems to come on and off sometimes. Could I have a bad new alt? or worse yet do I have bad wiring? My son and I have an appointment to smoke a couple of cigars since he just had a birthday, but I grab the old alt and swing by O’Reilly’s to test it on the way. If it is good then the problem is really the wiring. It tested bad at two different AP stores. That is an important point, with some of the people doing the testing these days who may not even know what this part really does on a car, you need a second opinion.
After the smokeout we get back to business and I remove the new alt so I can get to that little connector for the single gray wire. While the alt is out my son takes it up to the O’Reilly’s for testing since it could be a bad new alt. I start testing the wires and pull up the schematic on the CD. Working on the black 3 wire connector the Gray wire goes from it to the single connector. That is OK no problem there. The Green/Black wire goes to the battery light on the dash and I know that is working. That leaves just the red wire. The schematic shows that it goes from the alt connector to the C100 connector (the big one on the strut tower)pin #24, then on to a 20a fuse (#10) in the underhood fuse box. I get nothing from one end to the other. Ah haw!! I located the problem. My son gets back, the new alt is good.
We reasoned that if we opened up C100 and checked pin #24 we could at least find out which half the problem was in…… No continuity on either side of pin #24. We checked everything but got nowhere.
All this time I had been dealing with the info from the Ford CD and my laptop battery is about dead so I grab the Chilton’s and turn to the charging circuit schematic. That’s when I see something completely new, on the 95’s only that red wire does not go to the fuse box through C100 it just jumps over to the main power stud and ties to the heavy output wire that runs through the mega fuse to the starter and on to the battery. I check out the wire and everything is fine. I have continuity from the main lug to the mega fuse, from the mega fuse to the battery terminal, and across the mega fuse. Hold on a minute I don’t have continuity from the lug to the battery terminal. Ok this doesn’t make any sense at all. After checking every part, it turns out that the mega fuse is broken. That’s right broken not blown.
Another trip to O’Reilly’s and this time everything is fine, and it’s time to take Chloe for a test drive which I just have a feeling will involve a park and a hardy game of stick.
BTW O’Reilly’s has a store about 5 blocks from my house…… that’s smart business….. LOL
Now if Harbor Freight would just move in next door !
AF
