Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting What is killing my alternators?

cap won't do anything to help it, Ussually puts more of a drain on system

Why don't you try a Ford alternator?

Wonder if it's the ground on the trans. from you trans removal. I'd check around for lose grounds.

I will definetely check that, as I am open to ideas. But I've had this problem before the trans swap.

I told Robert to check for a current drain with thew car off. Easy to do with a multimeter.
Disconnect the -ve form the baterry and put the multimeter inline with eh batter and ground wire to close the circuit. Of course switch the multimeter to the "current" function. There should be a VERY slight current drain from the PATS light and that's it. So long as the dorrs are closed, light off, and all that jazz. If you are seeing a few amps getting pulled then you have something shorting out causing a drain on the system at all times.

The belt tension is a BS problem. There's almost no chance that he is getting so much belt slip that he is losing voltage - I don't buy that for one second. The thing would be squealing like a pig if that was the case.

Also for him to have 5 bad alternators in a row is pretty high odds.

Other thing you wanna check for is the fuse and contacts for the voltage regulator for the alternator. Make sure the fuse isn't blown or had corrosion it or the connections, that would cause issues like your seeing.

Personally I think either he has some bad grounds, shorts in the system or bad +ve connections. Also have your battery checked in the off chance it has a bad cell.

One thing I would try is unhooking your amp/cap completely to see if they are possible bad causing a drain. Work your way through each electrical accessory you have, unhooking each one, one at a time. It's the only way to get down to the bottom of this debacle.

Thank you for the response Stazi. I appreciate it.

Yeah throwing alternators at the problem wont solve anything. I see way too many people make this mistake on the newcougar forums.

The MegaFuse wire and Gnd wire to and from the alternator are likely to be damaged when your alternator failed the first/2nd time. This extra resistance in the line then causes your other alternators to fail.

Have those wires replaced. That should take care of your issue.

Its all about proper trouble-shooting and not just throwing alternators/money at the problem.

I dont believe the amp would cause such a problem. Though not impossible

Alternator came out today, life time warranty doesnt worry me.

Originally posted by GrandMasterKhan:

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The MegaFuse wire and Gnd wire to and from the alternator are likely to be damaged when your alternator failed the first/2nd time. This extra resistance in the line then causes your other alternators to fail.

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What gauge for each wire?
How much lenth for each wire?
Recommendations on where I can pick up the wire? Preferably not online.

4G minimum. I am not certain of the length. You should be able to buy it by the foot at circuit city etc, you might want to pick up a big ass fuse holder as well in case its melted. I cannot remember what the fuse needs to be rated at.


bet bet is to remove the insuation from the wire and check it near the fuse to see what condition it is in and report back here.