Going on a 14 hour drive Saturday.. help

[boxinabag]

OK guys, I have everything fixed (mechanically) and have my wideband done. However my battery light is still on (replaced the alternator with a Ford Reman).

I took it to an auto shop and had them test the charging system. It is fine. I double checked, hooked my multimeter up and was getting 14.3 at idle, and 13.8 at idle with lights, wipers, radio and AC all on full.

I took it for a drive and drove the hell out of it, did 4 pulls, saw the wideband drop to around 11.4-11.6 at WOT and than back up to 14.7-15.2 normal driving. Are these good readings?

When I got home, I went ahead and put the conv top up. The motor is pretty much dead and it barely moves and struggles, so it takes forever, so this may be my culprit, BUT, when it finally got up I checked the voltage with the multimeter again and it was at 12.8 at idle. I turned the car off for about 20 minutes, started it up, 14.3 again.

I will be datalogging Friday to make sure temps look good all around, and FPDC is not pegged.

Any other suggestions?

Mods are in my signature.

Here is what all I have done recently though:

New TOB, new TOB Retainer, LFP Intercooler Reservior (AMAZING DIFFERENCE IN IAT2!!), alternator, plugs (TR6 .032), oil, and tranny fluid.

I will also be taking the passenger wheel off and looking at that wheel well, it is all funky looking, doesnt interfere with driving, but I need it to be perfect.

So my main concerns are, how do my AFR's look, and what do you think is going on with that battery light?

 

[Slow99x]

Changing the alternator is a pain in the ass and you have to do it in the right steps or you will never get it out. I would give it a touch more fuel at WOT. Maybe in the high 10s to play it safe like 10.8 or 10.9. I think around 13-15 at idle sounds ok but I haven't played with a/f in a while

 

[boxinabag]

Changing the alternator is a pain in the ass and you have to do it in the right steps or you will never get it out. I would give it a touch more fuel at WOT. Maybe in the high 10s to play it safe like 10.8 or 10.9. I think around 13-15 at idle sounds ok but I haven't played with a/f in a while

OK, I will send an email to my tuner and see what they can do about those AFR's.

That is not a lie, changing that thing made me want to shoot something. That was probably the biggest PITA yet. Any ideas what could be causing the light to still be on, the car is holding charge good, battery was also tested good..?

 

[Tims97SVT]

Sounds like you might have a voltage drain. Something must be pulling hard to make the light come on. I would say your a/f is ok.

On another note what is so bad about taking the alternator out on these cars? I honestly do not have a problem. 20min and its out. 40min and its back on the ground running...

 

[CobraBob]

OK guys, I have everything fixed (mechanically) and have my wideband done. However my battery light is still on (replaced the alternator with a Ford Reman).

I took it to an auto shop and had them test the charging system. It is fine. I double checked, hooked my multimeter up and was getting 14.3 at idle, and 13.8 at idle with lights, wipers, radio and AC all on full.

I took it for a drive and drove the hell out of it, did 4 pulls, saw the wideband drop to around 11.4-11.6 at WOT and than back up to 14.7-15.2 normal driving. Are these good readings?

When I got home, I went ahead and put the conv top up. The motor is pretty much dead and it barely moves and struggles, so it takes forever, so this may be my culprit, BUT, when it finally got up I checked the voltage with the multimeter again and it was at 12.8 at idle. I turned the car off for about 20 minutes, started it up, 14.3 again.

I will be datalogging Friday to make sure temps look good all around, and FPDC is not pegged.

Any other suggestions?

Mods are in my signature.

Here is what all I have done recently though:

New TOB, new TOB Retainer, LFP Intercooler Reservior (AMAZING DIFFERENCE IN IAT2!!), alternator, plugs (TR6 .032), oil, and tranny fluid.

I will also be taking the passenger wheel off and looking at that wheel well, it is all funky looking, doesnt interfere with driving, but I need it to be perfect.

So my main concerns are, how do my AFR's look, and what do you think is going on with that battery light?

11.4 - 11.6 is normal for the A/F at WOT.

 

[Silverboost]

a/f is fine....I can get the alternator in and out around 30 to 40 minutes tops...I have done it plenty of times so I am pretty good at it now.

 

[boxinabag]

Well I just drove it peacefully to the gym tonight, and back, about 30 miles total (san angelo..ugh) and didnt bother with the convertible top, when I got home, with ac and lights and everything, holding strong at 13.8 volts.

Now, I DO have HID headlights... could that be my cause of the pull? Keep in mind the light is on when I don't have the lights on too... I 100% sure the convertible top motor is doing a lot of power draining though, as soon as I even touched the button, my voltage dropped .8 volts, by the time it was up, back down to 12.6.

On a good note, after it was up and latched, I let the car sit for 5 minutes, checked it again, 13.3. Another 5 minutes, 14.0, Another 10 minutes, 14.3.

So it looks like it is in fact charging honky dory. Hmmmm, any ideas of how to find the culprit of this light being on? If I pull fuse 34 it goes off, but that could just be the fuse for the light lol.

I will continue to watch the A/F this week, if it stays in that range, I will be happy with my results

Now I have to go tackle a new problem... :nonono: ... my wife seeing the bank account :bored:

 

[mrose75]

GL on that 14 hour drive. Let the top down at highway speed, battery won't die then and you get a little "assistance" getting the top down.