weird electical issue, could be a ghost?

[hellracer]

Hello,

My 04' vibe has about 220k. ONe year old battery. Ground rewired+new battery terminal last year,. I live in Montreal, Qc. battey is 12.8, alternator 14.09

I was driving the car then after a stop the car wont start again, not even a "click" or a light. We boosted the battery so I start it again and it work but lights where dimming when rpm going less than 1000... Stoped to car again at home, removed the key and car shut down again(no light) and then I was hearing rapide relay clicks under the glove box. Few seconds later, the power returned!

The car is now starting ....

ANy idea? I have changed the corroded wire ground last year.

thanks

[vibrologist]

This is likely the voltage regulator. I believe it is built into the alternator. I would take the alternator out and have it tested at a parts store.

[andrewclaus]

If lights are dimming when idling, I agree it sounds like the regulator.

But if you get the starter relay clicking rapidly when there's 12.8 V at the battery, you might have another problem. There may be another corroded cable issue, maybe in the ungrounded cable to or at the starter, or the other end of the ground cable at the engine/transaxle.

If you know what you're doing, you can temporarily jump from battery to engine, or battery to starter, with a jumper cable (using proper precautions around the battery and using eye protection against arcing--that's an unfused line with a lot of chemical energy behind it).

Then again, it is nearly the Day of the Dead.

[Caretaker]

Yep, time for a new alternator.

[hellracer]

The rapid clicking was not comming from starter relay. I got this clicking(under clove box) while the key was not even into the ignition! the day lights came back the life about 1 min after I removed key!

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Today the car start well but while driing i see that the dashlight is flickering...


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Will have the alternato checked and will see.

And indeed to car is at end of life pretty much....But i love it!

[vibrologist]

You may have more than one issue.
Still: first get the alternator checked and even if the battery is fairly new have it checked as well.
Once you can be sure the alternator and battery are fine let's see what the other electrical gremlins are doing.

[Caretaker]

as I have stated in other threads, when my alternator was failing:

- the car suddenly died when the car came to a stop
- the car took a jump from a working truck and drove for awhile until it died again
- car was tested; both battery and alternator tested fine
- car drove just fine when the engine cooled down

As soon as the car warmed up and the wires inside the alternator got hot, the alternator would fail again. Don't rely on a simple test of an alternator that has cooled wires. My mechanic insisted it wasn't the alternator; I insisted otherwise. It was. Alternators don't last forever. If your's is the original, I'm sure it is overdue for replacing.

[hellracer]

Thanks you for you help,

I just had the alternator checked by a refurbisher and it does work perfectly. Voltage is solid 14V under 50Amp load.

Where it could typically have corrosion on the positive line?

Other idea?

[hellracer]

as I have stated in other threads, when my alternator was failing:

- the car suddenly died when the car came to a stop
- the car took a jump from a working truck and drove for awhile until it died again
- car was tested; both battery and alternator tested fine
- car drove just fine when the engine cooled down

Very similar symptomes, except that full power came back about 1 minute after inition switch off. It had no time to cool down.

[Caretaker]

Same with me actually, but I only made it from the Costco gas pump to the tire center at the other end of the parking lot where it died again because the internal wires were too hot. The lot attendant jumped me once at the pump and once at the tire center. After a bit of cool down, I was able to drive it over to a nearby repair place where they checked my battery and alternator some 4 hours later (obviously they were busy that day). The alternator checked out fine after sitting for 4 hours. I drove the car home 20 miles without incident, and knew it was the alternator that was the problem. After arguing with my normal neighborhood mechanic and forcing him to put in a new alternator, the problem was resolved.