charging system has failed

[jdm babaganoosh]

about a week ago i was flushing the radiator and when i went to crank it back up, it had about 20% power (dash lights were really dim, radiator fan barely turning) and didn't have enough juice to turn the motor over.

i've been driving it for the past week just by rolling starting it with no problem and everything still works full power (headlights, brake lights, etc) which makes me assume the alternator is still good and the battery is too but there's a fuse blown that allows it to recharge?

i'm stumped.

and fwiw, this car's rad fan is hard wired to cut on when the key is in the on position (but when disconnected it still has the 20% power issue) and the three fuses on the drivers side (main, fuel, fan) have all been converted over to straight jumpers

[wybnrml]

Check your battery connections, even if they look good, take them off and clean them and tighten them back up.

[jdm babaganoosh]

Check your battery connections, even if they look good, take them off and clean them and tighten them back up.

it's got new terminals on it. they are tight and clean

[doylerl]

I'm kinda wondering if your starter is hanging up when you try to start it. The starter takes a lot of juice to engage, and maybe it is staying engaged even after you put the key in the "on" position. If it is fine when push starting it, this would be the only thing I would see being different.

[jriederer]

I had a similar problem a few weeks ago...my problem was the battery terminals. Not where they connect to the battery, but where the clamps connect to the wire. There was a corroded connection that killed current flow even though the terminals were clean and tight.

[Tim]

Protip: try and restore the fan to the factory setup.

Having it on constantly will put strain on the fan motor, cause excessive current draw (sucking down MPG and straining the alt), and making the engine run cool (also hurts fuel economy, emissions, and power).

My money is on grounds and/or terminals. Bad connections can do weird things to a car.


-Tim

[Roboskittle]

The battery might be bad. Just because you have full power while its running doesnt mean that it is good. I would drop it off at Autozone and have them test it. Also your alternator could be failing. The alternator on my ranger was internally shorted causing the battery to discharge over night and eventually would completely wipe it out where it wouldnt hold a charge at all. When running I had full power without any problems whatsoever once shut down within an 8 hour period it was dead. Good luck to you and figuring out your problem.

[jdm babaganoosh]

it was a bad battery connection :laughing5:

got stuck on a decline with no room in front so i popped the hood and gave everything a once over and decided to re-do my batt connections and she fired right up.

thanks for all the suggestions! and i'm def gonna be re-wiring the rad fan to a switch.

on a side note, i recently failed emissions because it was running rich. could that be it wasn't hot enough because the fan was always on?

[Roboskittle]

That and weak ignition due to your cables being jacked could play a part in it.