No Idea what is going on.

[moparbulldog]

 

Well I got the Challenger back from the shop and I was more that happy, the battery did not drain, the power steering was awesome, it was like having a new car.  I was out cruising last night and I heard a funny noise, and what smelled like plastic burning.  The car was rapidly losings volts and things were shutting off like crazy, the fans were not really running and it was 95 degrees out here in CA so I was more than a little worried.  Well, thank God for the Ron Davis Radiator that kept things somewhat cool dispite the fact the fans were barely turning.  We got to a friends house and I cut the car off and tried to start it....nothing.  I let it sit to cool off and unhooked the battery.  About 1-1 1/2 hour later I rehooked the battery and the car STARTED!!  I figured the battery was drained.  Well just to be safe I got a new battery to at least get home without overheating or any other issues. (the gauge lights were out as well so driving in the dark was an event) I am thinking that the alternator went all of the sudden, but the smell did not make sense to me, as well as the gauge light issues.  I checked the new fuses that the shop put in, and they looked fine.  Any thoughts/ideas from you experts out there.  Needless to say the shop will probably be fixing the mistake/problem but if I can get it done today I would be much happier.  Thanks guys

[GoodysGotaCuda]

So you got it back from the shop and there is a new issue? Red flag starts there in my head. Anyway,

Q&A time

"...I was out cruising last night and I heard a funny noise, and what smelled like plastic burning.  "

     *Heard a funny noise? What kinda funny? Bang, boom, snap, crackle, pop?

"...The car was rapidly losings volts and things were shutting off like crazy, the fans were not really running and it was 95 degrees out here in CA so I was more than a little worried. "

     *Losing volts, according to the ammeter or an aftermarket voltmeter? What kinda voltage readings? 'Things were shutting off like crazy', like what was shutting off?

"... Well, thank God for the Ron Davis Radiator that kept things somewhat cool dispite the fact the fans were barely turning. "

     *Electric fans were barely turning? On their own or from going down the road? How are they wired for power?

"...We got to a friends house and I cut the car off and tried to start it....nothing.  I let it sit to cool off and unhooked the battery. "

     *When you tried to start it at the friends house, you got nothing. No click? Perhaps was it a loose battery cable/bad connection and that was fixed accidentally when you rehooked it up?

"...About 1-1 1/2 hour later I rehooked the battery and the car STARTED!!  I figured the battery was drained.  Well just to be safe I got a new battery to at least get home without overheating or any other issues. (the gauge lights were out as well so driving in the dark was an event)"

     *So you tried to start it, got nothing, hooked it back up after an hour and a half and it spun right over? Without any additional charging? Did it crank slow or normal? Fans work? What kind of voltage is it showing with the engine running?
     *Gauge lights went out, so that wasn't like that before, and the fuse is fine, right? (top right fuse) Fuses can look fine but still may be internally open, also check they are the correct amperage.

I'm thinking maybe the alternator went to high charging and then blew out the fusible link. Possibly also cooked the plastic some at the bulkhead connections, i'd pop those out and take a look at the plastic there. Just a thought!

[moparbulldog]

Wow, first off thanks for the awesome response.  I really do not think the shop did anything, they have a really good rep and did class A work. 

The funny noise was kinda like a popping noise, about the time the fans cut on to start cooling the rad. 

It was according to the aftermarket voltmeter, it went from 14 volts, down to 10, down to 8 by the time i got to the house.  First the radio starting coming on and off, then went totally off.  I could not hear the fans anymore (they sound like jet engines usually) that turned out to be them running slower than usual.  They are wired with seperate circuits through the temp gauge. 

When I tried to start it the first time it acted like the battery was dead, the slow turning of the motor, then nothing.

Yep it started right up with no other charging. the fans did not come on as it had cooled enough for them not to.  I did not check the reading on the volt meter. 

I will re-check the other fuses today. 

When they re-did most of the wiring, they discovered that they old wire from the alternator was way too small so they replaced that and rerouted so other wires.  What you said made sense about the alternator.  If if was not getting the juice it should have before, it may have blown out that link.  I will see what I can find on my own. 

[MEK-Dangerfield]

Your voltmeter was doing it's job, telling you you are doomed.  Running electric fans and all would definitely kill a battery quick if it isn't charging. It seems like an alternator problem, but the voltage regulator is in this mix too, and alot cheaper to replace. UGH, the wild card is what they might have done to your wiring.   


  Mike

[moparbulldog]

Yea, I was definately sweating it with the hot temps and the fans....  I guess I will check what i can today, and give them a call tomorrow about the rest.  I really try to stay away from electrical work with my propensity for messing things up....

[GoodysGotaCuda]

I'll chop your reply up again to go along with the post.  

"The funny noise was kinda like a popping noise, about the time the fans cut on to start cooling the rad. 

It was according to the aftermarket voltmeter, it went from 14 volts, down to 10, down to 8 by the time i got to the house.  First the radio starting coming on and off, then went totally off.  I could not hear the fans anymore (they sound like jet engines usually) that turned out to be them running slower than usual.  They are wired with seperate circuits through the temp gauge.  "

Alrighty possibly that 'pop' was some arching in the bulkhead connection or under the dash and also may be the cause of your plastic burning smell. That may have opened your charging circuit there to the battery, or the fusible link took the hit and opened the circuit. Does the car drive fine now? Still showing 14v running? 8v will do crazy things to electronics, especially like your radio which explains that. Fans running slow too, as voltage goes down, so does amperage...so your fans will of course turn slower with the lower voltage (a LOT lower)

"When I tried to start it the first time it acted like the battery was dead, the slow turning of the motor, then nothing.

Yep it started right up with no other charging. the fans did not come on as it had cooled enough for them not to.  I did not check the reading on the volt meter. 

I will re-check the other fuses today. "

I'd double check those things if you can. Grounding the temp sender wire for the fans, if its a single wire, should turn them right on. Definately need to know if your charging system is charging. The battery issue could be a loose terminal or something that was fixed when you hooked it back up. Loose connection could give the voltage regulator a false reading and overcharge/break your circuit...maybe. It'd be nice to have voltage readings at the time of the issue, but i see your circumstances. It is possible for a good battery to take a hit like that and go to 8v and then after some time be ready to crank the engine up.

"When they re-did most of the wiring, they discovered that they old wire from the alternator was way too small so they replaced that and rerouted so other wires.  What you said made sense about the alternator.  If if was not getting the juice it should have before, it may have blown out that link.  I will see what I can find on my own.  "

Defiantely, see if they used a fuse, circuit breaker, fusible link, etc to that new charging system circuit. I run a 100amp circuit breaker for my 90a alternator, a 'pop' to me would be my breaker tripping. Good luck!  





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[Chryco Psycho]

I was going to ask if the wiring is stock or aftermarket , if the alt is putting out more than 60 amps , etc , if the wiring is over loaded from extra circuits & or more output from the alt the circuit breaker probably opened & reset