MANY PROBLEMS. Speedometer, brakes, etc.

[Agquadon]

Ok here is the problem. I first started having problems with my speedometer a couple of months ago because all of a sudden it would just drop to 0 for a second and then come back up to speed. Then about a month after that it dropped again and it was about 2 minutes before it came back up to speed. Now its really bad its doing it multiple times daily and when i hit the brakes it bounces like a jack russel F*@&ing terrier and goes back to speed and then starts moving all over the dash and then sometimes when i hit my brakes my engine dies and the speedometer either pegs to the right or the left whatever it decides it wants to do that time. And then i noticed that when i drive at night my lights dim bad every time i hit my breaks and if i flip my brights on or off my speedometer jumps sometimes it all happens when i engage cruise control. BUT, when i put on cruise it stays the same speed it doesnt try to jump around with the speedometer. Lets see what else. Oh yeah my voltage has been very inconsistant lately kind of boucing around alot lately. Also sometimes when im having these problems the lights that come on are the service engine soon ligh the check gauges light the ABS light and the BRAKE light but the service engine light is on all the time anyways and the check guages light is on all the time too. I have no idea of an alternator would be causing all these problems of if my electronics have just been fried but some help would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!

[bballr4567]

Im pretty dang confident that its the alternator that is screwing up your car. My moms truck did the same thing for about a week until I drove it for like 2 minutes and it finally went out. Go get it checked out most autozones and other car parts store do it for free. Just ask for the battery and alternator check!!

[4kQuad]

I agree, have the Alt/charging system checked. Some times when alts start dieing, your car start haveing it own brown outs so to speak. Causing different eletrical components to act funny.

Just as a waring, often these kinds of problems lead to the battery also going out. Yours may not, but it happens.

[Agquadon]

i have actually replaced the battery twice since i owned the car.

[Agquadon]

Ok answer me this. Why would my car die. Because my car should be running just fine even with the alternator screwing up. Why would it die when i press on my brake?

[bballr4567]

The alternator powers EVERYTHING in the car. Your battery provides just enough power to crank it up. Once its running the alt takes over and well when you hit the brakes your master cylinder powers up and apperently that small juice draw is killing your car. Basically what is happening is like if you unplug something from the wall.

It acts all wierd with the speedo and what not because its not getting constant power. Its getting huge power surges that can and will ruin your electric system.

Go get it checked out ASAP. Its a rather simple change to put a new alt in and well youve waited way way too long.

[Agquadon]

alrighty i have the same car for parts that has been siting for about a year and a half do you think it would be safe to change the alt out of that one?

[bballr4567]

I dont see a problem if the other alt works. lol

Shoot last time I changed an alt it took 35 mins. Reason it took so long?? The damn serpentine belt!

[4kQuad]

It would be a good cheep test before paying money for one.

[Agquadon]

Thanks for the help everyone guess i will give that a try tomorrow and tell you all if it worked.

[rixGAphx]

Before you do the alternator swap, be sure to do the battery cable service.
Trust me, this is more likely your problem at this point than a bad alternator

AND, bad cable connections will kill batteries AND alternators, so yours are in danger (if they haven't already been damaged).
Both your batt and alt may be fine, but the power can't get thru lousy connections.
I went thru 3 batteries and 2 alts before I discovered that this is the GA's achilles heel.

The procedure is posted somewhere on this forum, but I don't know where.
Here it is as I typed it:
GA Battery Cable Service

Battery cable ends must be clean and tight and shiny bright.
Even the best new alternator and the best new battery can't provide adequate power (volts and amps) if the connections are so dirty/loose/corroded that power doesn't flow thru them.
Bad connections will also kill both the alternator and the battery very quickly.

So, inspect/clean/repair/replace/tighten both ends of both cables to provide maximum flow of electrical power.
Disconnect cables: NEG (Black) first, then POS (Red).
Cut the molded rubber boots from the battery connections, since water seeps thru them and corrodes the copper wire into useless powder (This step is VERY important. You can't just look at the outside and think, "They look alright".)

Dissolve corrosion with a paste solution of baking soda and water, applied with an old toothbrush.
Scrape/sand/wire-brush all the metal (cable ends and batt terminals) to shiny metal.

Pay attention to the Body Ground: This is a smaller Black (Neg) wire that comes from the battery terminal and attaches directly to the bodywork, somewhere near the left (Driver) side hood edge. This is a source of rust, and must be kept clean and shiny.

Reconnect cables: POS (Red) first, then NEG (Black); this is OPPOSITE of the way you disconnected them.
Replace the cut-off boots with new aftermarket slip-on rubber boots to protect against short-circuiting while allowing for future inspection and service.

Weird things happen to GA's when the cables aren't in pristine shape.
It's necessary and cheap (or even free!), so there's no downside to servicing them immediately.

Good luck.
-Rick

PS:
When you step on the brake pedal, a switch under the dash is triggered and it illuminates the brake lamps. Though these bulbs are only about 30 watts each, just that little amount of power can 'send your system over the edge'.

To the best of my knowledge, NO master cylinder on a US-legal car requires or uses any electricity upon activation of the brakes.
* ABS uses electricity, and turns itself 'off' if it senses in advance that there *might* not be enough 'juice' in case of emergency.
* The MC does have an electrical fluid-level sensor, but that's operating full-time and has nothing to do with pedal pressure or MC action.
(Some odd luxury carmaker might be trying electrical BOOST (in lieu of conventional vacuum boost) for Power Brakes, but I haven't heard of such; and anyway that certainly doesn't apply to GA's or other normal cars).

But in general, bballr was right-on in that the GA is heavily-dependent on the electrical system.
The car takes so much power (particularily computer controls, auto tranny, and fuel pump) that you can only drive a couple miles in the daytime before the battery runs out of power.

[tenspeed]

I experienced weird electrical happenings with my '96 Achieva. I traced it to the plug that carries power through the firewall. The terminals weakened with age and when I stepped on the brake with the rear defog on, they would heat up and go open. They would cool after a while and let power through again.

The plug was by the hood hinge on the drivers side. I ended up drilling them out and splicing in a solid wire.

[Agquadon]

OK one thing is my battery is the side post type of battery. Should i convert it to top pst. I put it on side post so that if i ever needed a jump i wasnt in danger of damaging my electronics

[MantaGreen97]

There's no need to switch to top posts, the car is designed with side posts in mind. Side terminals corrode less as well.

From what you say about jumpstarting I'm imagining your current battery is both top and side post? If that's the case you're right in that jumpstarting will be more convenient from the top terminals, however your risk of damaging electronics does not change as the terminals are electrically the same as the side terminals. Whenever you jumpstart, regardless of the terminals you use, you should always turn off equipment like the head unit, and other electronics.

As for your problems, if everything's clean and tight at the battery, then I would also suspect the alternator as others have indicated...

[bballr4567]

Yea ripGA that is what I meant really but I was just trying to say that anything that requires a tiny amount of volts will be enough to kill the car.