Electrical Question.....

[Mr2SlOw...]

I was driving my car the other night and when I pulled up to my driveway the lights dimmed and it was like i was losing electricity. The day after I wanted to check out to see if there was a problem and when I put the key in the ignition my greddy boost guage and it was hooping when it ususally stays at 0 in the middle. Then for the icing on the cake, I stepped on the brakes and my stereo turns off. This must be an electrical problem. Might it be my alternator or anything electrical.... SOME1 HELP ME!!!!

[NESW20]

might be a bad ground. if you're not sure, have a reputable shop take a look at it.

-Mike

[mr2nsilvias15]

lights dimming, radio cuting out, electrical components acting funky sounds alot like a alternator i would also check your grounds unlikly that its the grounds with all thats going on but with electrical problems you can never be to careful

[Mr2SlOw...]

I agree with you. I am almost positive it is the alternator. It is the stock alternator soo i guess it couldnt handle more than 13 years of wonderful service . Its alright though because i will be ordering the new alternator and i minaswell change the ground wires while im at it. Thanks Guys.... By the way, anybody ever change an alternator on their 2? Is it easy??? anything I should no before I go ahead and change it?

[skybandit]

Howdy,i just replaced the alternator in my 91 N/A and the most pain free way to do it is to remove it from the top.Take all the bolts from the alternator and remove the alt and let that sucka just lay on the bottom.Then remove all the bolts from the alternator bracket(i think there was 5,not 100%,just feel around and find them all),then remove the bracket from the top,take the alternator out from the top with a little twisting and turning and then reverse the whole process.Took me about 45 minutes to do it all and that included the obligatory beer break,ggod luck.

[heritage36]

I would still check the grounds and connectors first before replacing the alternator. You would probably be having some rough starts, and it is unlikely that an alternator would cause intermittent electrical issues. When two unrelated systems like brakes and electrical seem to interact when there are problems, it is almost always a ground-related issue. Good luck!

[Mr2SlOw...]

OK.... i came to the conclusion that it is not my alterator. I borrowed a battery from another car and it works ... then i disconnected it and it was still running so it deifnately rules out the alternator. The thing is it only turns on when i have a new battery or when i give it a boost with a good battery. The plot thickens.... I had the car running for an hour + and then when i turn on the lights it all turns offf.... Can it be a short circuit? somthing to do with the lights maybe??? PLEASE HELP I MISS MY 2

[Tercel GTS]

Replace the battery with a new one and tell us if you have any further problems. MR2's do strange things with weak batteries.

[Mr2SlOw...]

That seems to be my only option.... someone told me its probably a short but i find that hard to believe... I mean it is possible but its a long shot.... well if you tell me they do wierd things with weak batteries ill just have to buy a new one and try my chances... If the problem still persists, what else might you think it can be?

[Mr2SlOw...]

You guys are the greatest it was the battery and thank you (you know who u are) and everyone who also helped...