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Old 09-09-2008, 10:59 PM   #1
Pink Flea
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Default What the F@$^%& is wrong with my car?

My battery died, I jumped it and noticed ALOT of corrosion, so much the positive terminal was soaking wet with acid. I went to advance and bought a new battery. The next day I didnt drive the car. The 3rd day I went to leave and the car would not turn over. It tried turning over but would not start. It is making a high pitched whine from the alternator (from what I can tell) even after you stop turning it over it wheezes and whinds down. I tried seeing if it needed a jump and there was acid coming out of the positive terminal, again it was soaking wet. It would not jump start at all. I took the new battery back to advance, it tested bad at 1 day old so bought a $200 optima battery brought it home and it is still doing the same thing. I assumed its the alternator along with a few others who say the same. One guy is telling me that dosent make sense and that if the pulley is turning then its probably just flooded. I never heard this kind of sound from a flooding. Could it be a fault in my positive terminal? The fuse going to it is fine but why would it be sucking acid out of the battery? Im at a loss!! Im praying it is the alternator since I have a new one on the way. Maybe the starter but I doubt it because of the sound its making.






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Old 09-09-2008, 11:02 PM   #2
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It's pink. Fix the color, fix the problem.

Is your car OVERCHARGING? How's your alternator? Have you tested to make sure the voltage regulator is still functioning right?


Edit: I just realized it's about your 8. Your 8 isn't pink, right?
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But I've learned that people that don't like guns, tend to like stretched tires.

Which makes perfect sense. They are sacrificing safety either way. lol



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Old 09-10-2008, 02:09 AM   #3
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Can you get the car to run? If it does run, put a volt meter on the battery posts. This will tell you the charging voltage which should be 13-14 volts. Out of those voltages and you have a charging system problem (alternator, voltage regulator).

Notice any ground wires bad/disconnected?
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Old 09-10-2008, 08:46 AM   #4
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Have you had any service done recently? Did your original battery have removable caps on it?
I could be that acid boiled out the top due to over charging. Or, if it had the removable caps, someone put too much water in while topping it off.
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Old 09-10-2008, 12:47 PM   #5
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Yeah, the 8 is black, lol.. Just has touches of pink on it which it told me where acceptable.
I cant get the car to run at all. No work done recently, batteries never had water added to them. I guess I can take the alternator off to have it tested? I will go do that today. I did just have the alternator put in in Feburary which is irritating but I bought it off a friend and he shipped me another one today along with the coils that are hopefuly the issue with my 7 (that and the fact that its pink)
Im getting alot of slack from everyone around here with 2 rotaries sitting in my yard not running!!
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Old 09-10-2008, 12:55 PM   #6
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pssh, FCs come with a set jack stands factory.
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Old 09-10-2008, 01:03 PM   #7
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well, as an example: I went through 3 alternators in 6-7 months because my electrical system kept killing the voltage regulator. I wish we had a good write-up on how to properly test the entire electrical system step-by-step.

Good luck and go get the alternator checked.
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But I've learned that people that don't like guns, tend to like stretched tires.

Which makes perfect sense. They are sacrificing safety either way. lol


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Old 09-10-2008, 01:08 PM   #8
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If the engine isn't running yet how is it the alternator?

I would test how many amps the starter is drawing, sounds like that is the issue.
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Old 09-10-2008, 09:03 PM   #9
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I'm not trying to be a smart ass... But make sure its hooked up correctly.. Make sure negative is ground and positive.. is well, positive.

it also sounds like you have a possible short somewhere and draining the battery and over heating the battery.. I would double check all your wires and fuses..
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Old 09-10-2008, 09:36 PM   #10
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Will do. Not smart ass at all. Im completely at a lose so Im willing to try anything at this point!
I have apparently convienced D4w1n to come over Saturday after begging him to come look at the 7. Guess he was just waiting for the 8 to go to so he could kill 2 birds with one stone. I figure he can probably look at both cars in 5 minutes and have them running or they can sit for months while I stand there and scratch my head! I swear, Im gonna go into labor and have to walk to the damn hospital!
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Old 09-11-2008, 10:15 AM   #11
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Long ago, I actually had a battery melt due to over charging. It was my future (now) wife's Ford Fiesta and we were on our way to get our wedding license. We smelled cooking tomatoes first, then whiffs of smoke came from under the hood.
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Old 09-13-2008, 11:18 PM   #12
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Ok so I replaced the terminals and put the alternator on. Put the new optima battery in and same thing. So it fried the optima, 3rd battery this week. I can understand people thinking its the starter or flooded but what the hell is frying all the batteries, charging or no charging?! I took the optima back and it was fried so they replaced it. Rather than let me try to figure out what else could be the cause my boyfriend put it in the car saying he thinks it will work this time... Of course it didnt, so Im sure this optima is fried as well.
So Im assuming between 2 alternators and 4 batteries the issue is somewhere else. I know the sound of the air pumo your talking about RR and I guess that makes sense that that is the noise it just sounds more high pitched and whinier than usual.
Should I replace the fuse on the positive terminal maybe? It looks ok but at this point Im willing to do back flips to get this thing running!
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Old 09-13-2008, 11:22 PM   #13
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And... I cant get the car to start, jump or no jump...
I will try to see if we can push start it tomorrow..

I also replaced the wires, plugs, and coils on the 7 and... it wont start either! I start a new job Monday and now have 3 cars sitting here that wont start, of course his car is a ford so I can understand that but hell his is only the water pump. At least with that piece of crap we know what it is and can fix it right away. I swear Im gonna go into premature labor!
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Old 09-13-2008, 11:28 PM   #14
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bad short somewhere?

Have you donr anything with the electrical system or any new additions to the car?
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But I've learned that people that don't like guns, tend to like stretched tires.

Which makes perfect sense. They are sacrificing safety either way. lol


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Old 09-13-2008, 11:33 PM   #15
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I have been wanting to learn more about this and I found this:
http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/elec15.pdf

Hope it helps.
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Originally Posted by Monkman33 View Post
But I've learned that people that don't like guns, tend to like stretched tires.

Which makes perfect sense. They are sacrificing safety either way. lol


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