CaymanIs.928s4

The oddest thing, Driving today and the car died, while driving. After I managed to pull over safely, the car wouldn't start, the battery was down, I just had the alt rebuilt, and tested, does the cooling shrowd have to be on the back of the Alt to cool it, or does the alt go to thermal shut down when it gets to hot?.

Randy V

Model year of your car?

Did the engine crank but not start?

More details than less is always preferred.

CaymanIs.928s4

Sorry Randy for the lack of info, the car is 1989 S4 Auto, and yes it would crank but not start, any guess as what it could be?

wds928

Fuel Pump Relay

CaymanIs.928s4

what should be the voltage and amps for a good ALT. When the ALT was rebuilt it was tested and read 14.5 volts output and 60 amps, how does this compare to new or good ALT?

SharkSkin

You might want to put that info in your sig so you don't have to type it repeatedly. Fresh Alt.... new belt? Maybe it loosened a bit and needs to be checked.

Bill Ball

Charge the battery. If no better, swap or bypass (30-87) the fuel pump relay. Check fuse too. If no better, find a 928 buddy with an 87+ car and swap you LH brain into his car. Those are by far the most likely issues.

Cameron

Is your S4 on Grand Cayman? Just curious.

CaymanIs.928s4

Yeah,it's here on Grand Cayman, there is only 4- 928's here. Pretty soon I'll have the Girls from one of the bars all pose on the car on the beach with their skimpy bikini's, there thinkinking of doing it topless,( God, I hope so)......................................

Randy V

A group of us rent a house on the north side every year - not the year after the hurricane, though.

It does sound like a fuel pump relay problem.

Cameron

I was in Grand Cayman yesterday and today. I am back state side now. Let me know when you are doing the shoot and I'll try to find my way back down.

Seriously though, 4 928s on that small island seems like alot. And the fastest I was able to go in my rental with all of the traffic was about 30 mph for a stretch of about 1/4 mile!
Best of luck with the fuel pump relay.

Rich9928p

Put tape over any relay that you remove and label it with the relay number (roman numeral) and the function. Not all the relays are the same.

Toot your horn (so to speak). If it works, good. You've proven your horn relay works. The easiest relay swap is the horn relay (XII) with the fuel pump (XX).

If you still got no start. Remove the fuel pump relay and jumper the fuel pump socket where relay pins 30 and 87 would go. If you hear the fuel pump running, good. That is the first major test. Remove the jumper.

Next, remove relays LH fuel injection relay (XXV) and and EZK relay (XVI), place a jumper between 30 and 87 of those relay sockets. Put the jumber back into the fuel pump relay socket too. These are the only three connections needed to start the car, and you're testing them. Try to start the car.

If it starts, great. Shut it off by removing one of the jumper wires. Plug one relay in a socket and try to start. The latest one that is in place when the car
will not start is the bad relay (if that is your problem).

If it still will not start, you need to go to a full diagnostic decision tree (check for spark and fuel pressure first).

If you need parts, Randy can drop them off during his next trip.

CaymanIs.928s4

Hey, thanks alot for the help on this issue,
I'll add this to the rest of the problem, I charged the battery yesterday, It started fine and drove without dying, during the evening and night, this morning I started the car,drove the rugrats to school, came back home and waited for traffic to ease up. About 20 mins latter I got back in the car and went to start it, I noticed the battery was bellow 12 at about 10, tried to start it, it started but very weakly, as I was driving down the road it died again but the guage was showing about 13-1/2 to 14, at no time did the battery guage or the alt light come on to show that there was a problem.
I think I'm having a massive drain of the battery somewhere or the Alt isn't putting out the propper power to the battery, when it was rebuilt and tested it was putting out 14.5 and 60 amps does this compare to a new alt?

Bill Ball

Cayman - that's good news. Maybe a ground point needs cleaning.

CaymanIs.928s4

Does anyone know where the Alt wire leeds to, before it gets to the battery?, is there a relay or recharging circuit where the Alt leed goes to before it reaches the battery, The Alt is showing power at the dash and at the alt but it seems like the power is not getting to the battery to recharge it, and therefore the car is running down the battery,