Burning out alternators every few months on my 5.0 April 27, 2013, 01:21:00 AM I've got an 87 T-bird 5.0 and I've had it for 7 years. A few years after I got it, the alternator died. No biggie, had it replaced. 2 years later, it died again. This was actually earlier this year. A few months later, that alternator burned up, and the shop I took it to said it was because whoever had the car before me changed the wiring harness from whatever was stock and did it wrong. They replaced it. A few months later, that alternator burned up too. Does anybody have any ideas? I don't know a lot about electrical tech but perhaps these cars are pr0ne to this problem or there are some basic things I can check? Quote Selected
Burning out alternators every few months on my 5.0 Reply #1 – April 27, 2013, 02:46:14 AM check your resistance to ground off your positive cable. a low resistance will indicate either a short or a bad ground. you can then isolate the circuit by checking the.resistance between individual circuit by testing the fusable links and fuse box one by one. same would apply to grounds. make sure you have low resistance between your battery and the block as well as the frame and add some extra grounds if need be. if you have a powerful sound system or inadequate wiring for high power electrics like the headlights or rear window defrost, it will greatly increase the amprage required to operate the device. Quote Selected
Burning out alternators every few months on my 5.0 Reply #2 – April 27, 2013, 09:54:37 AM Check the wiring at the alternator...it's known to fray and cause fires. You could be arcing without even knowing it. Your new alternators should have come with a new pigtail...if they didn't, or you didn't install it, then you're asking for trouble.That being said, it might be in your best interest to 1) not buy cheap alternators, as they tend to have unusually high failure rates (been there, done that), and 2) have someone check your charging system. Parts stores can check the system in their parking lot, with the car running, and tell you a lot about what's going on. As haystack pointed out, there could be additional wiring issues, but get the basics down first before you go poking any wires. Quote Selected
Burning out alternators every few months on my 5.0 Reply #3 – April 27, 2013, 02:01:18 PM Rather than checking resistance, check voltage drop. Vdrop is much more useful in finding problem cables. Verify your output cable, then verify that you have power at the field feed circuit (yellow/white), and on the circuit from the charge lamp (light green/red), although here you should have slightly less volts. After all is verified, only then should you replace an alternator, and as anyone here would tell you, you should upgrade to the generation 3 (3G) alternator. When you do, you should NOT buy a reman. Pony up for a completely new one with a lifetime warranty, just in case. Quote Selected
Burning out alternators every few months on my 5.0 Reply #4 – April 27, 2013, 05:36:21 PM Do you have a red Alt or Batt light that comes on with the key and goes out when the engine starts?Can you post a pic of the rear view of the alternator?Do you have a test light or meter to trouble shoot with? Quote Selected
Burning out alternators every few months on my 5.0 Reply #5 – May 16, 2013, 10:17:10 PM As I know next to nothing about electrical systems and testing equipment, the most useful thing I've read here is that I can go to a parts store for a basic check. Also I have the stock radio and I can't think of anything that would suck up too much juice, except possibly my power inverter, which I believe is 400 or 500 watts continuous and 1000 watts peak. I only use it with cell phone chargers though, but I do leave it plugged in all the time. Quote Selected
Burning out alternators every few months on my 5.0 Reply #6 – May 16, 2013, 11:01:26 PM get that inverter out of the picture,,, please....the stupid thing is probably only 55% efficient,, meaning its nothing but trouble at 60% load.,, hell its probably worse if the car is simply at idle.you should *in your case* do the following.-take your time and learn from us how to use a test light -we can talk you through using an inexpensive meter , you have to be willing to learn a little and just a little will go a long way.-remove alternator-remove batteryhave a budget to replace them both as a matched set after you have done some electrical checks both functional and visual.-have both the battery and the alternator tested out of the car.get a smaller inverter like a 100w, thats good nuff for cell phones but to be honest, just buy the DC adaptor for your phone.there are many inverters out there that harm you more than they do good. Converting low voltage into 120vAC is a pretty difficult task for electronics to perform without efficiency loss which shows up in the form of heat.Cobra use to sell in truck stops a fairly decent 78.9% efficient inverter, gotta watch those numbers of "continuous" vs "peak", a sure tell tell sign of what your buying is garbage.The very best inverter on the market is made by my company http://www.alpha.comand we are at 96.6% efficient on our new AMPS80 Inverter system.traditional UPS sytems backed up by an inverter archetecture were typically 75% efficient. Quote Selected
Burning out alternators every few months on my 5.0 Reply #7 – May 16, 2013, 11:06:47 PM oh yeah, and we have wiring diagrams for your whole car!!!!!!!!!!!just tell us when your absolutly ready to start this task, and we will start helping you out,, and i mean a lot of help. Quote Selected
Burning out alternators every few months on my 5.0 Reply #8 – May 16, 2013, 11:08:49 PM I miss having good electrical threads to contribute to. It's really been a while. Quote Selected
Burning out alternators every few months on my 5.0 Reply #9 – May 16, 2013, 11:50:26 PM yeah,, i love sitting back and taking in how softtouch goes about things,,, pay attention to him because he really does set the compuss straight when its getting off track.put him and TurboCoupe50 on an electrical problem and watch it solved in two posts!!!!!!!!!! Quote Selected
Burning out alternators every few months on my 5.0 Reply #10 – May 16, 2013, 11:54:19 PM Quote from: TheFoeYouKnow;415294I miss having good electrical threads to contribute to. It's really been a while. really,muddle on this and pm me back with your thougths,, tell me this isnt FM!!http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?35464-step-on-brake-and-front-marker-lights-come-on!-**SOLVED** Quote Selected
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Topic: Burning out alternators every few months on my 5.0 (Read 1905 times)
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