Alternator Disaster

[slickness_44]

Changed my alternator the other day and now my car wont run! i didnt touch anything else in the engine bay so i have no idea what to do. The only differance was i had to custom make the alt bracket because i deleted the A/C. But now i cant even get the car to run!!!! Any ideas??????

[euroteknique]

Lets clarify

run do you mean start or turn over?

[slickness_44]

ok, the first start after the new alt was installed it ran but barely. sounded like the timing was off or sounded like an old beetle. like it was running off 1 cylinder. but i had to keep on the gas to keep it running. after that i couldnt get it to run. still turns over but wont run....

[polov8]

Check all your grounds

[StuckinAZ]

Check all your grounds

This.

Also wondering about the tension on your belt after the install....

[euroteknique]

technically the alt is not needed to run the car. i've driven cars with bad alt's when my commute was 5 minutes to and from work I would just charge the battery each night until i could get a new alt.

well if you have starter fluid you can see if the issue is fuel or spark. spray some and see if it runs if it runs then its a fueling issue and you can check that if it still doesn't then its most likely a spark issue and start there

it could be coincidence that something stopped working

[slickness_44]

Grounds are good. Checked for spark and its sparking off atleast one wire. i can hear the fuel pump when i turn on the key. i will give the starter fluid trick a whirl for sure

[ANSAracingb]

Did you accidentally touch the wrench to (-) ground when installing the power cable (assuming you left the battery connected)? I've done that before but I knew about it as soon as I did it...sparks were flying! And now I always disconnect the battery, lol.

I agree with euroteknique, the car does not need the alternator in order for the engine to run. It sounds like some kind of electrical issue is keeping the thing from starting.

[euroteknique]

update?

[TBerk]

Changed my alternator the other day and now my car wont run!

Hmmm, OK.

I didn't touch anything else in the engine bay so I have no idea what to do.

You're doing it...

The only difference was, I had to custom make the alt bracket because I deleted the A/C.

OK, so:
1) "I changed the Alternator."
2) "I deleted the A/C."

Take a little bit and detail out just what all you did/went through: We're on the other end of the Interwebs and need more help w/ stuff you might be taking for granted. Step by Step it out.

But now I cant even get the car to run!!!! Any ideas??????

General Questions:

- Did the car sit awhile during this repair/upgrade? Was it all in a day?

- Was the Battery Cable disconnected on the Terminal end during all this moving things around?

- the A/C Delete; was the A/C 'running' prior to, or was it just along for the ride for a long time' ie" belt/no-belt, etc, etc.

OK, the first start after the new alt was installed, it ran but barely. Sounded like the timing was off or sounded like an old beetle. Like it was running off (of) 1 cylinder.
... I had to keep on the gas to keep it running. After that I couldn't get it to run. Still turns over but wont run....

I'm concerned about Spark and Timing. I'd recommend the Timing Marks all be verified;
Cam Sprocket, Crank, Intermediate Shaft/Distributor. (Just for grins, verify the Crank's key hasn't been sheared...) <-- peace of mind so we can move on...

Spark: I'm intuiting the Hall Sensor loom/connector (or some other wiring for that matter) may have gotten bumped and/or dislodged during wrenching. Pull all four plugs and check for good combustion, fouling, wet plug following cranking over, etc.

Also I'm thinking to verify Spark by pulling one plug and Grounding it out against the Block while your able assistant turns the motor over. Nice Blue Spark?

Remember; It wants to run, we just need to help it along...

[slickness_44]

the a/c was removed last year. and everything was fine until the alt crapped out last week. the car was only sitting for about 3 days before i was able to replace the the new alt. I did check one spark plug and it sparked just fine. But i decided to check the other plugs because i was running out of options and the other three were totally shot. Replaced them and she runs like a champion again! i dont really understand how that happened but now shes ok. thank you everyone

[Granitethewolf]

the a/c was removed last year. and everything was fine until the alt crapped out last week. the car was only sitting for about 3 days before i was able to replace the the new alt. I did check one spark plug and it sparked just fine. But i decided to check the other plugs because i was running out of options and the other three were totally shot. Replaced them and she runs like a champion again! i dont really understand how that happened but now shes ok. thank you everyone

Ended up being just the spark plugs? Should have checked those first, sometimes its always the simplest things that can cause a headache

[TBerk]

the a/c was removed last year. and everything was fine until the alt crapped out last week. the car was only sitting for about 3 days before i was able to replace the the new alt. I did check one spark plug and it sparked just fine. But i decided to check the other plugs because i was running out of options and the other three were totally shot. Replaced them and she runs like a champion again! i dont really understand how that happened but now shes ok. thank you everyone

Well alrighty then.

I'm gonna call it a Win!