i need help with a friend's car

[Berto]

its 1990 ford escot

 

sometimes they need to jumpstart it, but not all the time

 

sometimes the radio stops working along with the lights, at the same time, but the car doesn't die.

 

the radio came back, but the lights didn't come back till the next time she started it(jump started)

 

i have a couple of ideas as to what it could be, but i want to get your opinions.

[BIG SHAFE]

sounds like there is a short somewhere to me, but i'm no mechanic.

[slow4now]

Originally posted by accorddood:

its 1990 ford escot

 

sometimes they need to jumpstart it, but not all the time

 

sometimes the radio stops working along with the lights, at the same time, but the car doesn't die.

 

the radio came back, but the lights didn't come back till the next time she started it(jump started)

 

i have a couple of ideas as to what it could be, but i want to get your opinions.

Do these syptoms appear to be related to each other or no?

[Renner]

This is just a start:

 

It could be something simple, like a loose or corroded ground wire on the alternator, starter, or main chassis ground. Try and trace some of those main large gauge wires first, and check the connections.

 

Second thing I would check would be the alternator. Don't replace it, check it with a load tester or have it checked. A fried internal voltage regulator could cause all sorts of problems. Plus, it could pick and choose when it felt like charging the battery, hence the occasional needs for a jump start. Do a load test on the battery too, it could be a combination of both, or one making the other go bad since they are wired as a closed system.

 

Either way, I would get it checked out by an experienced mechanic very soon, or else she will probably be smelling some smoking compents soon enough. A bad voltage regulator can put extra strain on a battery too, and when batteries get hot, they vent flammable gases, not a good situation either.

 

Post more details as you get them, I will check back later.

[Berto]

thanks for the replies guys:

i told her i'd look for some connections, but to still schedule her apointment to see whats wrong.

 

those are all the symptoms she knows of.

[SupraGlue]

Do a voltmeter check across the battery terminals when the car is off and when the car is running. Off, the voltage should be in the mid-high twelves, and running it should jump up to 13.5-14 volts.

 

If it doesn't jump up, you have a problem with the alternator or with the voltage regulator.

 

If it jumps up, but the cold voltage was low, there is a problem with the battery.

 

If you get the right numbers, you have another problem, possibly a short circuit or some kind of power drain occuring.

 

Hope that helps.