The other day went in a mud hole that was a little too deep and some water got in on the drivers side. The engine did not turn off or anything, but the next day I noticed the battery light is on, so i just assumed there was some water on one of the wires. Then today when i was driving the radio turned off and the windows started going down slow then when I would accelerate it would bog down and the gauges in the dash do not work. Can you tell me what I could have gotten wet that would cause these things, I assume its the ECU? What are my best options as far as dealing with this matter, because it is not drive-able right now. Thanks


Daniel

*lesson learned: dont play in water!

 

The ECU is up in the dash--i doubt that is your problem.

There are a couple of things that are at that could have been affected...ABS computer, multiple wire connectors in and around that area. Have you checked under the hood to see whether water got into the fuse box. Sounds like you are making a weak connection (dirty water conducts electricity) somewhere causing the windows to go down. Personally i would start there and trace my way back--think it would be easier to find that way....just my .02$

 

Also when i was driving before the radio went out i noticed the ABS light came on. How would i got about tracing it from the windows? I do believe water may have gotten in the fuse box.

 

Alternator. Take a voltameter adn check your charging voltage from your battery terminals or your cigarette lighter. With the car running charging voltage should be around 14, give or take. If it is lower than 13.5 or so you probably have an issue. Also check the voltage through all RPM ranges. Most likely if it is your alternator you will just have to change the brushes.

If you think you may have gotten some water in the fuse block to where its causing a problem take out all the fuses and check, possibly spray it down with WD40

 

I know on older models that when dash lights (check engine, ABS, etc.) come on, it is a good indication that the alternator is on it's way out. The loss of power & bogging down would support this theory. If the alternator is not putting out enough juice to keep the battery charged, you would lose power once the battery got drained. As for the windows going down.. I dunno. If you have a multi-meter you can check the alternator output.

 

Pull your spark plugs and see if there's any water in there. I had poor performance issues from water in the sockets.

 

Actually my cigarette lighter in th e back started going out because I have christmas lights on my roof and a dc to ac converter and i heard it beeping on the way home.

 

The engine will no longer start.

 

does it turn over or does it just do nothing when you turn the key?

 

Nothing happens when i turn the key.

 

Sounding more and more like the alternator is gone, your battery can only run the car for a limited amount of time before it gets drained if the alternator isn't putting any power back into it. But a voltmeter across your battery terminals and I bet it says like 2V. Then try a battery from another car and see if everything acts "normal". If that fixes things don't drive it, just remove the alternator and take it to be replaced or fixed if possible. Hope you get things worked out soon.

Doing like i said on the phone and leaving a fan running inside with the doors open can't hurt either.

Jeremy

 

Update: I jumped it and all the electrical stuff worked fine for a while until the battery ran out of juice again, so I am certain it is the alternator(with a conformation from Jeremy). Now I just need to figure out how hard that is to replace.

 

ah.. dont let one time of a little mud stop you from playing. I had the exact problem last time i went home on leave, i got a little too much of the East Texas Muck in my alternater and it wore out my alty brushes. More than likely the alternator was on the way out anyways.. just hose it out good after a mud bath..

 

The alternator is definately a weak spot when it comes to mudding. You might as well take the time to learn to rebuild it because that is cheaper than replacing... a bit more work but saves some $$. Removing & repairing/replacing the alternator is a pretty simple process. Small price to pay for a large amount of fun.

 

but then again if you have an aftermarket... checker/kragen, autozone, etc, you have a lifetime warranty, so if it dies due to mud, clean it, and take it back and get a new one!

 

^^^thats good to know..

 

go to a local alternator repair place nd get new brushes for it, it will take you 5 min to replace the bushes once the alternator is out. I have had to do this like 10 times. I now just have a backup set of brushes and then alternate them after i clean them. you just got some mud in it most likely. although one time I melted all the coils from a deep river... they can be rebuilt for less and be better then any alternator from autozone.

 

yeah, This is a good time for me to learn all about alternators. I bought a new one at autozone, and I am planning on keeping the old one and putting some new brushes on it just for the future. Right now I am in the middle of the install and I don't quite know how to release the pressure on the belt, I supposed im just supposed to use a a crow bar? any tips?

 

The alternator on these isn't hard at all incase you hadn't looked yet. At least you don't have to take a half shaft out(Ford Probe GT) or pull the brake master cyl off the fire wall(Honda Civic).

 

I am not going to say the alternator isnt toast--but what about the fuse to the alternator? This also doesnt explain why the windows would roll down by themselves.

Really, check your wires and connections--start from the windows using a voltmeter or a test light. Check the positive, negative--make sure one is not bleeding over into the next. It is just what i would do. I dont see how the alternator alone would cause the windows to go down? Does anybody else? I have never seen it happen.

Check the wires and connections--use eletronics cleaner to displace the water--just dont want the problem to be there and it get overlooked.

Good luck