Can someone help?
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Can someone help?
Hi I have a 93 FD and its dead right now. The car sat for like 10 years and didn't run so when I got it I took it to Chips Motorsports ( up in michigan where my car is, im in FL for college) and got new everything. The car ran for about a week but then stopped. the battery would not charge like it supposed to. I have a volt meter and it only gets to 12.4 max. it will drop down to 11 but go back to 12.4 when the fans turn off. so I charged the battery and the car ran for a day... I was stupid and knew I shouldn't turn the headlights on because of hte volts but I was curious, so about a block away from my house I turned them on. And immediately the car shut off and would not turn back on. I cruised to the shoulder and had to be towed. The battery still worked because the light would turn on when the door would be open and I rolled up the window. This was about 3 weeks ago and still has not been able to turn on. Some have told me to get the alternator checked and tested, or it would be the grounding wires. (I really don't know what grounding wires are though). Does anyone have any thoughts or anything about it? I really want it back on the road.
#2
Your description of events doesn't help a whole lot to determine what could be wrong. The clearest issue described is the voltage problem. For this circumstance, the alternator will put out 13.x-14.x volts for any given load. For an issue like what you're describing you need to check your electrical system 1 part at a time.
Start with the battery. An improperly relocated battery will cause all sorts of issues. A properly relocated battery with poor components will cause problems.
The alternator can be tested at most parts stores for free and it will tell you if it's performing as it should and charging at full power. Its possible its the entire issue.
Ground wires are heavy gauge wires that go from the engine and select components to the chassis. They are not powered. With improper or inadequate grounding, you will have intermittent, erratic and inconsistent electrical problems.
Based on what i can gather, you may have multiple issues but the most prevalent seems to be the charging issue. Chase 1 thing at a time. So check the above and focus the troubleshooting efforts on solving the charging issue first.
Start with the battery. An improperly relocated battery will cause all sorts of issues. A properly relocated battery with poor components will cause problems.
The alternator can be tested at most parts stores for free and it will tell you if it's performing as it should and charging at full power. Its possible its the entire issue.
Ground wires are heavy gauge wires that go from the engine and select components to the chassis. They are not powered. With improper or inadequate grounding, you will have intermittent, erratic and inconsistent electrical problems.
Based on what i can gather, you may have multiple issues but the most prevalent seems to be the charging issue. Chase 1 thing at a time. So check the above and focus the troubleshooting efforts on solving the charging issue first.
The following users liked this post:
DaveW (09-09-24)
#3
Full Member
This sounds like an alternator to me. When you read voltage off the battery, was that with the car running? Do you have a charging light on in the cluster when the car runs? I believe battery voltage should be up in the 14s measured while the car is running, otherwise you have a bad alternator.
The following 2 users liked this post by Jesturr:
DaveW (09-09-24),
gracer7-rx7 (09-10-24)
#4
Junior Member
Thread Starter
This sounds like an alternator to me. When you read voltage off the battery, was that with the car running? Do you have a charging light on in the cluster when the car runs? I believe battery voltage should be up in the 14s measured while the car is running, otherwise you have a bad alternator.
#6
Full Member
Yea I think it might be the alternator. With the car running it reaches 12.4 max. when I rev for a few seconds it will drop to 12, then with the fans on down to 11. But then when the fans turn off it only charges back up to 12.2-12.4. So I think it could be just the alternator.
https://www.wright-here.net/cars/rx7/93_manual.htm
you're looking for section G on engine electrical. The troubleshooting section is pretty straightforward to follow.
The following users liked this post:
gracer7-rx7 (09-10-24)
#7
Junior Member
Thread Starter
If your car is still close to stock like mine is, you can go through troubleshooting in the factory service manual. In a pinch, wright-here has PDFs of them -
https://www.wright-here.net/cars/rx7/93_manual.htm
you're looking for section G on engine electrical. The troubleshooting section is pretty straightforward to follow.
https://www.wright-here.net/cars/rx7/93_manual.htm
you're looking for section G on engine electrical. The troubleshooting section is pretty straightforward to follow.
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FDAUTO (09-10-24)
#9
Senior Member
Yea I think it might be the alternator. With the car running it reaches 12.4 max. when I rev for a few seconds it will drop to 12, then with the fans on down to 11. But then when the fans turn off it only charges back up to 12.2-12.4. So I think it could be just the alternator.
Make sure you or your mechanic sources a high quality replacement. A lot of the "Remanufactured" and aftermarket stuff is junk and will fail again very soon.
#10
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Definitely sounds like a bad alternator. The original alternators fail quite frequently on these cars around 25-30 years old. Mine failed exactly the same way.
Make sure you or your mechanic sources a high quality replacement. A lot of the "Remanufactured" and aftermarket stuff is junk and will fail again very soon.
Make sure you or your mechanic sources a high quality replacement. A lot of the "Remanufactured" and aftermarket stuff is junk and will fail again very soon.
#12
Rotary Enthusiast
If you are looking to upgrade over stock you can check out the options from Japan from sites like RHDJapan or Nengun. Really doesn't take long to receive as long as they are in stock. I will personally go this route when I'm due for a new one. If you are just looking cheap and getting on the road, then Rockauto is a decent source. If you are looking for rebuilt, then make sure to search the different brands to see if anybody has had issues with those rebuilds recently. I've seen different manufactures over the years have good products, then fall into a slump possibly from changing the source of parts or procedures when rebuilding. Some just replace specific components while others replace everything but the frame.
I feel they have a much better selection in Japan. I'm not a fan of the coloring but I've heard good things about the ARD alternators like this one
ARD Low Resistance High Output Alternator Blue - FD3S - RHDJapan
What part of Florida are you in? I'm near Tampa
I feel they have a much better selection in Japan. I'm not a fan of the coloring but I've heard good things about the ARD alternators like this one
ARD Low Resistance High Output Alternator Blue - FD3S - RHDJapan
What part of Florida are you in? I'm near Tampa
#14
Rotary Enthusiast
This is a good option if you can locate one, unfortunately these shops are few and far between at least in the area's I've been in recently. I used to rebuild them myself, but it is getting harder to source the individual parts without having a business account with distributors as well
#15
Junior Member
Thread Starter
If you are looking to upgrade over stock you can check out the options from Japan from sites like RHDJapan or Nengun. Really doesn't take long to receive as long as they are in stock. I will personally go this route when I'm due for a new one. If you are just looking cheap and getting on the road, then Rockauto is a decent source. If you are looking for rebuilt, then make sure to search the different brands to see if anybody has had issues with those rebuilds recently. I've seen different manufactures over the years have good products, then fall into a slump possibly from changing the source of parts or procedures when rebuilding. Some just replace specific components while others replace everything but the frame.
I feel they have a much better selection in Japan. I'm not a fan of the coloring but I've heard good things about the ARD alternators like this one
ARD Low Resistance High Output Alternator Blue - FD3S - RHDJapan
What part of Florida are you in? I'm near Tampa
I feel they have a much better selection in Japan. I'm not a fan of the coloring but I've heard good things about the ARD alternators like this one
ARD Low Resistance High Output Alternator Blue - FD3S - RHDJapan
What part of Florida are you in? I'm near Tampa
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boostin13b (09-12-24)
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