Cascade Crew

RSFreak

Sunday: I replaced the starter in my Taurus (3rd one this year, but thats another story). Luckily I got the lifetime warranty with the first starter. I froze my butt off under the car at about 8 am but got the job done in under 20 minutes. Started it up and it ran fine. I was happy knowing my car would be good to go for work Monday morning.

Monday: As I started the engine a horrible screaching noise came from the engine bay along with a good bit of smoke. I was about to shut the motor off when the noise stopped. It seemed to be running good but now the battery light was on and I had no power steering. Now I knew it was a broken serpentine belt. Those are a bitch to change on a transverse mounted Ford V6. But what caused it to break? Checked all the pullies and sure enough the water pump was seized. Bummer...

Tuesday: I got to thinking about what could have caused the water pump to seize when it suddenly came to me like a bolt out of the blue. The Taurus has had a pinhole leak in the radiator for a few weeks now and I have just added water every couple of days 'til I can get it fixed knowing that I would have to put antifreeze in before the weather got cold. Sunday night was abnormally cold...

Yup, the water froze inside the pump causing it to seize!!! Thawed it with warm water and it turned just fine. Lucky I didn't crack the block! Rolling Eyes

aaron_sK · Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 8:29 pm Post subject:

Yeah, you gotta do that once in a while. Razz

Reminds me of something that happened to my Dad when I was just a little kid. He had a '76 Dodge Dart with the indestructible slant-6.

One morning we had a good freeze and he of course ignored and left for work like normal. Got about a mile from the house and started overheating. Pulled over and found the water pump frozen solid. When cranking the engine the fan belt snapped the water pump vanes off the shaft. Fan and alt spun fine; guts of the water pump frozen solid.

Without missing a beat my Dad calls in sick at a pay phone. Drives back home and goes to bed. Gets up the next morning and pulls the pump (still frozen solid). Walks to the auto parts store for a new one, fills the car back up and starts it. Ran for four years after that. Scrapped it due to rust and leaks, engine was still running.

kurfbird · Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 8:39 pm Post subject: old Cars

That old cars for you.

Run and Run and Run.

I can bet there will be a few cars lsited on craiglist in a couple of weeks with cracked blocks because lack of antifreeze.

I ahve brough two third gens that had cracked blocks with no anti freeze

turbo_jimi · Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 9:35 pm Post subject:

got me thinking about not starting up the 85 lately...so i just went out and fired it up...all is good Smile

RSFreak · Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 11:37 pm Post subject:

dlp · Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 6:44 pm Post subject:

Your comments regarding " third starter this year" reminded me why I dont buy remanufactured parts. The gimmick with the " life time warranty " is that the remanufacture does very little to the core (broken part) to get it to work again. When it fails ( usually when it is raining or cold, or both) it usualy costs you a days wages and a trip to the auto parts store. If they dont have it in stock, you lose two days wages.

I had a 1974 blazer that ate 4 " lifetime warranty " starters in one year. I returned the 4th starter to a trash can and bought a new AC Delco starter. Also went through two water pumps before going new.

Just my .02 cents.

chevymad · Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 6:46 pm Post subject:

Did the same thing. Went from one reman to another. Stepped up in quality twice. Even had to use parts of my original starter to get any of them to work at all. Finally bought a brand new starter(not delco though). It's still in the firebird.. and it does a click click start.. Sad

Has since new, but was too fed up to take it off and warranty it.

Outlaw28 · Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 11:50 pm Post subject:

yeah i remember when my alternator went bad on the camaro...took it into napa got a re manufactured one...went threw 3 of them in a week before i got one that actually functioned properly...still in car only prob is...with rear defroster on heater on full and lights on...really drains it way to low...eventually when i can afford it going to buy a nice brand new high output one...

cough cough thats a ford for ya...always breaking...lol jk...

aaron_sK · Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 11:53 pm Post subject:

iansane · Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 8:23 am Post subject:

I don't know about early thirdgens but at least '87 and later are cs130 stock (still only 105a though). Are you thinking of the big cs144? There were some caddys and I think 9c1 caprices that came with ~140a cs144's with just an adapter that GM sells.

aaron_sK · Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 9:37 am Post subject:

My '87 had a 10si.

I may have been thinking of the CS144. I always thought that there were some stock high output versions of the CS130 though. I know they had a few different versions of the 12si. I think those went up to like 95amp.

Al Hasse · Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:26 am Post subject:

You can always go aftermarket for high output alternators if you want to spend the money. Excessive Amperage makes some that fit like stock www.excessiveamperage.com

Or get the stocker re-wound like I did for the 92, my CS130 puts out 140 amps.

Twilightoptics · Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:30 am Post subject:

My alternator keeps up just fine. It's a reman from several years ago. Fog lights, H4 headlights, subwoofer amps etc. Only thing it has trouble keeping up with on occassion is the fans. When they come on headlights dim for just a sec.

Stock '87

aaron_sK · Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 11:32 am Post subject:

All internally regulated alternators will have a split second of low power when a high-amp draw is added. Voltage drops at the sense wire, the regulator compensates, and all is good.

You can shortcut some of that by running the sense wire to a better area. GM had a nasty habit of running it a couple of inches up the power wire and splicing it in. Stupid, cheap GM. Razz

It needs to be on the starter lug (or horn relay on old cars); wherever the alt power wire, fusebox lead, and batt wire come together.