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Shot alternator...or something else?

T

teamSVTour

Hard-core CEG'er
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Jun 7, 2005
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Pittsburgh
I will try to list all the symptoms as briefly as possible. Starting several weeks ago my fogs would sometimes just shut off (HIDS) but the green fog light icon on the dash would stay lit. If I waited a while and tried turning them on again they would usually come on. So I figured the fog light mod wiring was loose. So last night I noticed my "fog light" mod wiring had come a bit untapped and was hanging lower than usual so I figured I'd fix it come the weekend. Well I bumped my knee on the wire connector that holds the wires you splice into to do the fog light mod and apparently the electrical tape was coming off the wire b/c I saw a small spark. So I though ok no big deal I blew a fuse, I will just replace it when I redo/re-tape up the fog light mod this weekend. Well after the spark, my battery light came on. I thought maybe this was b/c of the possible blown fuse. The car drove home fine last night. Then today the car drove fine (battery light still on). However, coming home from the gym today my dash started to die one by one. First my tach died, then my speedo, then my radio, then my gas gauge, then I heard these 3 loud beeps, there was a pause then 3 loud beeps again. I have no idea where they were coming from. It did this about 3-4 times. What is the beeps? Then my emergency brake light lit up half bright and my ABS light came on. Anyway not more than a minute later the car started to run very rough and basically sputtered out.

Any ideas? I'm thinking alternator but I don't see how all this happened from the little spark from the fog light mod wiring.
 
The fog light fuse provides power to the alternator. Fix the fuse and the problem will be solved. You battery is now dead so do a slow charge before you do anything else or you might blow the alternator when it tries to recharge the dead battery.
 
Are you utilizing your stock foglight wires to draw power to the ballasts?
 
twocontours said:
The fog light fuse provides power to the alternator. Fix the fuse and the problem will be solved. You battery is now dead so do a slow charge before you do anything else or you might blow the alternator when it tries to recharge the dead battery.
Click to expand...

Ok good info. But I'm a little confused about how the fog light fuse provides power to the alternator :confused:. I re-taped up my fog light mod wiring and all is good there. I replaced the fuse and its all good. I guess I will try looking for my battery charger :laugh:.

Also any idea what those 3 loud beeps were that kept going off ? I've never heard that before and I couldn't tell where it was coming from but it was loud higher pitch beeps. Its funny now that I think about it but yesterday I was freaking out :laugh:. All I could think of in my head while my cockpit was slowly dying and then hearing the beeps was Mayday..mayday...going down, something is going to blow up.

Pud,

No I have a very nice wiring harness w/ relays, built in fuses, etc. the whole nine. The power supply is coming from the battery. Only the signal is coming from the stock fog light wiring in order to utilize the stock fog switch.
 
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Tony2005 said:
Fuse 5. Foglamp fuses. Alternator wiring goes through it.
Click to expand...

Ok so I put the charger on my battery for about 2 hrs. I then started my car and it seemed to run fine. I held the RPM at around 2.5 for 5 or so mins. The battery light however stayed on. If I just drive around for a bit will everything charge up and the light go off? Approx how long until full charge/light turns off so have a guideline as to when it should go out.

Thanks
 
twocontours said:
It should go out immediately. You still have a problem. Check the fuse again.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help bud, much appreciated :cool:. You were right it was the fuse again. Don't know how that one blew since it was a new one. I might have replaced it prior to re-taping it (it was late) and prob just re blew it.

Anyway I put another fuse in there started her up and the battery light went off immediately. Car and fogs are back in full effect :D
 
Glad to help. Would have been a B**ch to replace the alternator before you found out it was the fuse especially given the access.
 
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