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Help w/ electrical problem, '85 Mustang

1985 Mustang LX, 3.8 L CFI

This car has only 83,000 miles on it, and runs pretty damn well.

Big problem though: every 2-3 months or so something goes wrong and I end up with a dead battery.

Sometimes, it happens on startup: the starter solenoid clicks, and that's it. The battery totally discharges. After a trickle charge it starts and runs fine until the next time.

But then yesterday, I was driving along fine. Then the turn indicators quit working, the power windows got real sluggish, and the radio quit getting reception (it had power, but just static).

I charged the battery and it started fine, but I was only getting 12 volts across the batery posts while it was running (i.e. the charging system wasn't working). When I got it home though, I was getting 13.4 volts.

I'm thinking alternator, but I've never known one to only fail intermittantaly.

Any suggestions?

Thanks a heap,

-jbb

Reply to
J.B. Bobbitt
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"J.B. Bobbitt" wrote

Windings going bad? Internal intermittent short. Same thing happened on another car of mine. It took several months for the sucker to die which is why it took that long for me to figure out it was the alt. Just put on a new one. They're pretty cheap these days.

Reply to
66 6F HCS

The brushes can wear down and make intermittent contact or they can be subject to contamination in the brush holders making them stick intermittently. Also, check the charging rate while wiggling the alternator connections at the plugs.

Been doing this for over 35 years and I still haven't seen everything there is to see.....

Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

Reply to
Jim Warman

I had a similar problem on my '85 LTD LX ( The radio did the same weird thing just as it died) Turned out to be a severly corroded alternator connector. The loom looked pristine until I disconnected it and the connector crumbled in my hand. I just re wired it with a good loom from another car I junked. I'd be looking there. StuK

Reply to
Stuart&Janet

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