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  • Serious issue. Please help :(

    Hello everyone, first a quick intro. It's been years since I've posted on here but I've also been out of the Probe scene for those years too. After owning an 05 RX-8 and an 01 Taurus, I'm final back with my fourth Probe, a 96 Probe GT in fairly excellent condition and super low miles that I purchased a couple weeks ago but something crazy just happened a few nights ago and I was hoping you guys had some input.

    I filled up my tank with the usual premium and shortly after pulling away from the gas station, smelled something burning like a mixture of rubber, metal, and electronics which im still not sure if it was from my car but about 30 seconds after that, my fuel cutout light turned on and my voltometer dropped to 1/4th on the gauge.

    Since then, the car has started up just fine and still purrs like a kitten but everyday, the battery gauge slowly dips down a little more every day until today when I got to work, it was basically below the bottom line and I saw all the gauges drop down like it was trying to die on me. Needless to say I'm pretty baffled and freaking out bc I've never heard of anything like this.

    Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!
    Always treat your fellow Probe owners with respect.
    ---
    1996 Probe GT ATX
    Fully Loaded

  • #2
    replace your alternator
    '94 teal w/black int. some sort of sts, 65mm DE TB full KL31 ZE, CAI, Phenolyc spacers, mx3 flywheel, pacesetter headers, 2.5" exhaust, stainless brake lines, MS and LC-1. Charter member Club 15.2 - Mustang Dyno - 187/169 @the wheels
    '90 White GT "Pearl"....uh ohzzzz...I had turboz. Now with T3....now it's J-doggs
    '96 SE & '93 "Red-Eye" smashed and trashed. 97 GTS....crashed, not trashed yet

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    • #3
      BAD ALT or

      BAD BATT

      OR YOU HAVE A WIRE somewhere in the car thats grounded out

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      • #4
        ok thanks guys, I had a bad feeling it would be the alternator so if the alt is bad, will the car's electric just run off the battery kind of how its been doing the last few days? that's the only way I can think of that would let me continue to drive if it's bad
        Always treat your fellow Probe owners with respect.
        ---
        1996 Probe GT ATX
        Fully Loaded

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        • #5
          Just take it to autozone or something and let them check the battery / alternator for you. Although that's most likely what it is, it will let you eliminate the battery and alternator as causes if that is NOT what it is... Easiest first step in this diagnosis...

          ---------- Post added at 11:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 PM ----------

          Originally posted by Darksim Xzerox4 View Post
          ok thanks guys, I had a bad feeling it would be the alternator so if the alt is bad, will the car's electric just run off the battery kind of how its been doing the last few days? that's the only way I can think of that would let me continue to drive if it's bad
          It's probably dying but not dead yet. You aren't going to get very far driving on battery power alone so it has to be kicking some juice back into the system... just not near enough to keep you going long term.
          Lots of cars... none of which are a Probe...

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Darksim Xzerox4 View Post
            ok thanks guys, I had a bad feeling it would be the alternator so if the alt is bad, will the car's electric just run off the battery kind of how its been doing the last few days? that's the only way I can think of that would let me continue to drive if it's bad
            Pretty much.

            My alternator took a dive on me recently and that was exactly what happened.

            Don't drive on very low battery voltage. The engine control and trans control ECU's need certain voltage levels to operate correctly, and when they don't have it, bad things can start to happen.

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            • #7
              Our alternators tend to produce stray AC voltage at lower RPMs when they begin to break down (due to oil in them from the front valve cover). They will still produce DC at higher RPMs which may be enough to keep some voltage in the system to keep the car running. However, when you stop at a light or sign and the RPMs drop down -you are pumping AC into your battery which will destroy it.

              The symptoms you have given are overwhelmingly voted as bad alternator -and I cast my vote for that as well. Be forewarned that some auto parts stores will test your alternator at a speed that is higher than your alternator spins at idle. So the alternator may check good on their machine.

              Tell them to put a screwdriver or other inappropriate tool against the belt on their machine to slow it down some and see if it still passes. I took an alternator to them that I had already verified was bad (-purchased bad from them) and it checked good on their machine. I had a hard time convincing them that it was only bad at lower RPM -but when they finally gave in and slowed the RPM down some with a screwdriver -it failed -and their response: "well I'll be damned -I have never seen that before". I replied: "that is because your machine doesn't allow you to run the alternators at a low enough speed to see it".

              P.S. Fix that front cover oil leak!
              Last edited by KLZE Porsche; June 18, 2017, 09:24 AM.
              Success is a measure of determination!
              Bonneville Dreamer-(AKA Purple Pimp Mobile)
              $500 Gas-Electric-Gas Reconversion/Restoration
              Mini-me & 500k "Old Gal" RIP
              Restoration of a legend

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