Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting '95 Contour - Multipal problems - Flooding - Alt.

New here.
Daughters car, purchased used in the last year. Duratec v-6

Bought car, Alternator was bad.
Replaced alternator. Lasted a week.
Replaced again - Failed again last week.

I checked to see about replacing myself(hmmm lots of work)
Noticed the splash shield is missing!

Problem 2
When the Alt failed this time, the engine light came on.
Car now flooding and will not start.
Found damaged Mas air sensor(cracked casing) Replaced sensor
Same flooding / no start - Actually holding to floor will eventually start.

Tried hand held OBD-1 reader. Cannot access any codes
Tried new $7000 Snap-on Reader - cannot access codes
Tried test light trick - no light flashes - lit solid
Tried DVOM trick - no pulses

Found by removing fuse 14(fuel pump) car will start, then we have to put the fuse back in quick and it will stay running until the battery goes low.

Ok, I know it is (2) seperate problems. I am pretty sure it is from the same cause though. Is it likely the Alternator took on water and surged damaging the computer before it died?

The Snap-on reader would monitor sensors, but not communicate with the computer on any other level.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Does the car still have the original wiring under the hood or has it been replaced? Have the dealer run an OASIS report to see if was done. The alternator must have been one of those Autozone specials - what good is a lifetime warranty if you have to replace it over and over? You should be able to access the KOEO codes with the engine off to see what's in the memory. Turn the key to on and scan.

The wiring has not been done. There are cracks in the casings on some wires. I have insured no cross contact. The previous owner must have ignored the recall and now the car is out of coverage by milage. 180k

We have repeatedly tried and No codes can be accessed.(that is why I asked about the computer being damaged)

Tony, I have read the full recall. I have gone over the wiring harnesses. There are actually a total of 7 wires on 2 plugs where the end area of the wires have lost insulation. Coil pack and Mas Air. I have these seperated and sealed. None ever reached the point of being exposed enough to touch each other. The wires test good with an ohm meter.

I am not discounting the harness. What I am asking is what other things may cause these problems? You know, just incase the harness isn't the issue.

Anyone?

The computer could be the problem, as you suspected, but isn't there a fuse which takes care of surges from the alternator before it fries the electronics?

Hmm....Lost a post.

I'll double check, but went through both fuse panels the other day. Any hidden fuses like on some imports?

One other odd thing. When I do get the car running, the Alt light goes out as if it is charging. DVOM confirms no charge at the battery. Cables clean. Connections tight(so far)

Thanks

When I called the dealer on this, the dealer told me they increased the coverage from 100k Miles to 150k miles.

Ok, fresh thought after lots of reading. Workign one problem at a time.
Alternator first, since it failed first. Found a reference to the Battery light situation that Ray provided someone.

The light going out after starting should indicate some form of current increase from the Alt.(makes sense) I had checked for voltage at the Alt. side of the Mega-Fuse but I used my test light. So, I have no idea if it may actually be charging. I plan to test the actual voltage on both sides tonight if the weather holds.

The car, with battery down, now has airbag light flashing - Tach on 0 while running, Speedo freaking out. So, maybe the computer also cannot handle the voltage drops or got damaged while running with no charge.

Still cannot pull any codes.