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Battery/Charging issues after UIM removal/cleaning.

SAV

CEG'er
Joined
Feb 10, 2002
Messages
38
Location
Savannah, GA
To start, this car is irritating.

To elaborate, I finally took the plunge to clear the P0401 code I've had for the EGR. Only code that's been in the system for a while now. Took the UIM, throttle body, and associated equipment off, carefully kept all the vacuum lines in tact, the usual per the Ray how-to. Left the battery disconnected overnight while the UIM soaked, cleaned everything up and scrubbed hunks and hunks of carbon all damn afternoon today. Got everything sealed back up and put together around 430.

Started the car and it stumbled but fired, spit a bunch of smoke out and then idled smoothly. Went for a drive, was noticeably faster. No CEL in about 20 miles of driving now but the battery light has been on constantly. Was on my way back home from dinner and the gauges lit up like a tree and then the car started stumbling badly. Shut it off and tried to fire it back up and it wouldn't crank. Acted like a dying battery. Wipers turned on even though the stalk was off, ABS light, brake light, CEL and battery light all illuminated when I finally got it to fire again. Shut off the AC, shut off the stereo, and ran only the parking lights since it was dusk.

Went to my parent's place since they were closer than my house is and let it idle in the driveway for a minute. It died shortly after, with the same symptoms: all the gauges went to 0, then lights started coming on, then it started to stumble again before dying. Voltage at the battery terminals while idling was barely 10.75 and 9.4 with the headlights on.

Did I bump something or move something out of place? I was having the symptoms where the battery light would come on north of 5800 RPM so I know the alternator is eventually going to give up the ghost, but it shouldn't immediately go to full death. Is there anything back there that I bumped? Some immediate help would be great, because I have to get this thing home where my tools are!
 
look at megafuse behind coilpack bolted to firewall side head. What broke it I most likely suspect a burned positive cable where it runs past the EGR pipe.
 
Man, I can barely see back there. I did some searching and at least uncovered that I need to trace the positive battery cable towards the back but I lose it where it disappears under the EGR valve. And I also can't find how I would go about fixing the 'megafuse'. Any more details? I just don't see an alternator giving up cold turkey like that especially after the job I did where it sat overnight, so I'm guessing I have to fix this megafuse.
 
Its a inline fuse for the main power from the alt to the starter. Its very possible it touched tge egr pipe and half melted it. The fuse holder clips to the main engine harness and is rougly under/behind the coil pack.

I would follow that main lead first and see.
 
About to go out there now and trace the line. Should I find what you're saying, a melted lead, what's the best angle of attack to fix it?

This is my DD so I need to get it up and running pretty quickly.
 
What is the current voltage on the battery? is it below 12 volts? If it is that would point to the mega fuse. However a lot of the symptoms you described can be caused by loose battery terminals. This also tends to burn the positive battery cable and the terminal.


Check everything out.
 





No CEL in about 20 miles of driving now but the battery light has been on constantly. !

Voltage at the battery terminals while idling was barely 10.75 and 9.4 with the headlights on.!

I was having the symptoms where the battery light would come on north of 5800 RPM so I know the alternator is eventually going to give up the ghost, but it shouldn't immediately go to full death.

These things suggest the alternator is the problem. Don't panic, there is no need to take the alternator out .... just replace the white box on the back of it .... it has the brushes inside .....G.
 
12.28 - car off, terminals disconnected
12.16 - car off, terminals connected
11.92 - car on and running
 
Went ahead and went with the obvious and replaced the alternator over the weekend with a refurb'd unit w/warranty. That should get me thru the next few months at least.

Some points:
1. That is a bear of a job that I wouldn't wish on my most hated of ex-girlfriends. Did knock it out in the garage in about 3 hours after removing the tie rod, down pipe and the usual fender covers.
2. No more battery light, and it's holding steady at 13.2. No light in the upper rev range either. Looks like we are gold on the charging system problems. Did find that my fog light fuse was blown, and some call for a 30 amp to be in there instead of the 15 amp that was in there, and blown. I've blown 2 fog lights in three months so hopefully this is the end of that.
3. UIM cleaning seems to have given the car more throat in the mid range and I don't seem to have P0401 anymore. Of course, now I have P1400 instead for the ••••ing DPFE switch. Gotta go back in there and clean that one up and hope it was just the connections.

This car, I swear. If not one thing, it's another... kinda souring me on it since I've wanted one of these for the better part of 10 years.
 
a blown fog lamp fuse will cause the alternator to not charge and the battery light to turn on ....

Oh well. I already took the core back and did the job. The light was still coming on at high revs so it was gonna fail soon anyway.
 
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