1998 Elantra

Check the large main fuse under the hood. It's probably blown, preventing the alternator from charging the battery and the other items from receiving power. If it's not blown, check the bolt-in contacts to be sure they're not burned.

Ok, I checked the fuse both visually and with an ammeter and found its ok. You are right in that the attery isnt charging and the other items have no power. The contacts to the fuse you mean? or is there something else like maybe the alternator is dead? I really appreciate any and all help! :)

Shawn

The alternator being dead wouldn't cause the other items to not work. You'll want to check to make sure you have proper power to the alternator. Pull the connector and turn the key on and check with a test lamp. One wire should light brightly and the other should be a little dimmer. With the voltmeter, one should read basically battery voltage, and the other should read up to 40 percent less. Also check the big voltage drop on the heavy wire if you haven't found a problem yet. Clip one lead to the bolt terminal on the alternator (being careful not to short it to anything) and the other to the positive terminal of the battery. On the voltage scale, you should not read more than 0.5 volts. More than that means you have excessive resistance in that wire/circuit somewhere.

I suppose I should add to check all the fuses inside and out.

Theres 2 main boxes right? I checked both the one inside and out and all are good. I am totally stumped since I seem to be getting power to the fuses. There has to be something I am missing. :) Maybe a fusable link or something. Since the alternator isnt working also, maybe the voltage regulator? (wherever that is)

I guess this is what I get for buying a newer vehicle! bleh

Shawn

I FEEL LIKE A DUMBF^&%!

Ok, I go to check the fuses, they are all good, but since I checked some of them night it could be one was misplaced. Yeah, one was misplaced, but I do believe the alternator is dead. Which was the problem in the first place.

Thanks Hyundai tech for helping! You rock!

Next question: WTF do the dam alternators cost almost $200!!!??? Seems like Id be better sweating and freezing my butt off in my old 78, then this dam money pit. Maybe I should have bought a toyota or nissan....Live and learn i guess!

Thanks!

Shawn

Changed one in my 97 Elantra a few months ago. A bosch rebuilt ran me right around $150.00. Now I need the transmission worked on, no doubt rebuilt:( unless hyundaitech has some tricks up his sleeve:) reverse, 2nd and OD is gone!!! 1st and 3rd work fine!

Rick

Thanks Rick! Now you made me even more nervous about this car! :)

I guess ill just drive it until something major goes(prob soon eh). At that point ill tow it to the junkyard and buy a nissan or toyota.

Shawn

Don't worry too much about it Shawn unless you've got higher mileage on your Elantra. My Elantra has 170,000 miles. I use it every day for work and to be honest about it I've been pretty much pleased with the little car. I guess I'll get it fixed, but I hate to put $1000-$1400(quotes I've got for the trannie) into the car. The engine itself is strong, doesn't use a bit of oil between changes(3000 miles) and the body and interior is still in good shape.

Rick

Yeah this one has 59,000 miles. The sister-in-law is hard on cars but the engine does run strong. Im going to replace the alternator this week, just doesnt look like fun though. :) (small cramped space)

Soon as I got this car I changed the oil to 10w30 synthetic. I did the same with the 78 ford fairmont. I think it will help them last longer.

Shawn

Actually the job isn't as bad as it looks. You have to drop the plastic shroud underneath the car first and that will open things up pretty good. Take the power steering pump loose and just move it off to the side out of the way. The alternator has to come out from the bottom too. After doing it once I think I could remove and replace one in a about 30-40 min. and I hate working on newer cars:(

Rick

nissan....Live

Why not take the alternator to a local shop for a quote? Theres absolutely zero 'magic' inside there, compared to any other manufacturer's alternator. I've found this generally costs about half as much as a cheezy 'exchange' alternator from a parts store, and in my experience, works better.

The reason they're expensive is the same reason they're usually not locally stocked parts - they're not regularly needed enough to be worth stocking.

JS

shawn wrote:

Sorry, no tricks on the trans. Factory remans are reasonable priced, though, if you want to put that kind of money in a 1997 Elantra.

Actually, you may want to try it with the p/s pump in place. I find it doesn't really get in my way. Removing the oil filter will ease your removal through the bottom.

Yep that's my dilemma. The engine is still very good and the body isn't too bad either, in fact it looks pretty decent when it's cleaned up. I just hate throwing a $1000 into it knowing the car has little resale value. Of course I by my vehicles to drive:) and pretty much use up, but still I'm thinking I can use the money that i would spend on the transmission for a little down payment on something newer and with less mileage.

Rick

Thanks for the tips. :) It went pretty good. I CANT believe she never had the belts changed. They were cracked so bad that im surprised they even worked. So i replaced all

1. It runs good now. YEAH!

Thanks!

Shawn