Alternator completely dead?

Hey all,

Ok, I was at a stop light and I was putting the fuse back in the inline fuse setup for my PA -- I have done this many times with no problem. However, this time when I did it, there was a little pop noise, and the car shut off. It wouldn't start after that. The battery seems to be fine (the radio, instrument panel, etc work fine) but when I crank it, there's nothing -- not even clicking or anything, completely dead. It's weird -- when The vehicle (98 buick century) is in park, the instrument panel is off, but when it's in reverse, the panel lights up. But when I try to start the car, anything electrical runnign shuts off when I try to start it -- and no cranking!

It sounds like it may be the alternator -- but is there a fuse tha protects it? I am hoping that it is blown, instead of the alternator being bad...

Thanks ,


Matt

did you check all of your fuses?

 Just recently had this happen to a freind & it was his battery. He had all the same simptoms( I think thats how you spell it ).

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Hey,

    I didn't check ALL of the fuses yet. But would it even be one of the smaller fuses, or probably one of the bigger type? With some of them, I don't know hot to tell if they are blown since there's no clear window.... I will also check the fuses in the box under the hood...

Later,

Matt!

What about giving it a jump? have you tried that?

you wrote that when you try and start your car with anything electrical on it shuts off. get your battery tested.

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Prove your connections, use a meter!
I promise, I'll behave!

check the fuses under the hood.  try jumping it off, if you get full power but no cranking, its a fuse or the starter...more than likely a fuse.

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"If a man made it, another can modify it...it just takes some thinking."
"If you ask questions, you're a fool for 5 minutes; if you don't, you're a fool for a lifetime."

Sounds like a messed up computer to us. What size fuse are you using for the PA? If you put the fuse in while the engine is running, then there could have been a voltage drop from the PA pulling energy followed by a backflow of energy and popping a fuse. Hence the popping sound.

What makes us suspect the computer is the fact that the instrument panel lights up when the car is in reverse, but then turns off when put back into gear.

The second clue is the fact that when he tries to start the car, there is no cranking. Your car is equipped with a Pass/VATS system in it where the computer checks the transponder/resistor in the key in order to start. This is the same computer that controls most of the lighting and checks for status of the various instruments/interfaces of the car.

Get the car to a GM dealership and have them run a diagnostic on the OBDII on it (with a printout) From there you'll be able to figure out what is going on. We're assuming that the check engine light isn't lit up. Again, that is controlled by the same computer.

It's not likely the battery here. If anything, the battery would have help reduce the problem by dampening the surge and flow of energy. But then that depends on how it is wired up.

If it is a fuse, check the fuse to your computer. That would be the fuse to blow that would cause some kind of effect like this.

We hope we are wrong.... but this sounds like the most likely thing to us. We've come across a similar problem with another GM car that experienced similar symptoms and issues. When we scanned the computer... yeah...

Best of luck to you. Our prayers are with you.

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Never send your ducks to eagle school.
The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.
The 3Ls of life: Learn from the Past, Live for the Present, Look to the Future.

Hey all,

    Yep - It was the Ignition fuse under the hood!

Thanks for all of your time and help...

Matt

killerq wrote:

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Hey all,

    Yep - It was the Ignition fuse under the hood!

Thanks for all of your time and help...

Matt

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Obviously, I'm a little late here (although I'm glad it's working for you now). Just a little clarification if you don't mind. When you say "ignition fuse" are you talking about an actual fuse or a fusible link - a "weak" piece of wire designed to act as a fuse in your ignition ssytem - usually near the battery?

When reading this topic, it sounded like a possible fusible link issue to me, so I'm just curious if I was on the right track in my head.

Again, I'm glad it worked out for you and you didn't fry the brain...

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Zilverado,
Backyard Mechanic
1986 Chevy Truck & 1992 Nissan Pathfinder