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Electrical issue (Alt & AC)

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Old Aug 24, 2009 | 09:03 AM
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Electrical issue (Alt & AC)

OK what would cause the alternator to stop charging and the AC compressor to stop? Nothing else stops working, the over drive stays engaged, the speedometer/odometer keeps working. I can't say about the tach as it doesn't have one.

A couple times now, they have stopped, then a few minutes later while still driving it'll start working again.

At first I was thinking crank sensor, but it seems that the OD would stop working also? So the only other thing would be the wiring harness on the passenger wheel well?

Any ideas?

Thanks, Aaron
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Old Aug 24, 2009 | 05:48 PM
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I'm still gonna go with crank sensor trouble.
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Old Aug 24, 2009 | 05:53 PM
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Originally Posted by wannadiesel
I'm still gonna go with crank sensor trouble.
Would the computer not cut out the the OD also?

When they crank sensor goes bad is it all of the sudden or can it be intermittent?

I checked the gap, and the wiring, all seems well there.
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Old Aug 24, 2009 | 06:06 PM
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I really can't think of anything else that would take out the A/C and the charging system at the same time. The relays get their feed from different fusible links.
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Old Aug 24, 2009 | 06:13 PM
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Originally Posted by wannadiesel
I really can't think of anything else that would take out the A/C and the charging system at the same time. The relays get their feed from different fusible links.
Well some of the fusible links have been moved to circuit breakers, and they may have ended up on the same breaker. Which i was thinking of that, but it doesn't seem that the AC clutch or the alt field would take much amperage?

Also from searching, i'm going to check over the harness where it goes around the head a little closer.
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Old Aug 24, 2009 | 10:04 PM
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How about a bad relay on the fender well ?
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Old Aug 25, 2009 | 04:13 PM
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Not a bad idea, but it would take two bad relays to kill both systems...
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Old Sep 10, 2009 | 10:54 PM
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any luck with this? my 2000 just starting doing this tonight. with ac on, alt shuts off. turn ac off and the alt comes back on after about 30 secs.
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Old Sep 11, 2009 | 08:31 AM
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Well I taped up my crank sensor wire, made sure the plugs into the relays were snapped in, and also made sure the plug on the fender for the A/C and alt was plugged in good. And so far it hasn't happened again, so....
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Old Sep 11, 2009 | 07:49 PM
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the wire harnnes off alt and a/c comp some times shorts,made a new one ,no more troubles,it is about a foot long.
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Old Sep 11, 2009 | 07:56 PM
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My guess is the "harness" that lays on the right fender where the little alternator wires and A/C wires all connect, then the A/C wires connect again farther down; that plug is the one place that both A/C and alternator share in common.

As soon as time allows, I am completely removing the A/C wires from that whole business and routing them around it.

Other than assembly-line convenience, I can see no reasonable excuse for wiring it like it is.
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