whyhoo
12-02-2006, 06:18 PM
please bear with me - i've done some searching and a lot of reading in in the forums and i'm hoping that by providing a little background on the problem that some experienced folk can point me in the right direction:
i've recently purchased an 85 p-type that has been sitting for a few years with 150k on the engine. i took the adventure to NYC, drove it back to Rhode Island and managed to make it in one piece. before leaving NYC, the seller installed a new alternator from autozone, charged the mostly dead battery, changed the front brake pads, and changed the oil with fully synthetic.
on the way home the water pump went and i ended up putting a hole in the radiator from running it too hot - though i was able to stop and go to the garage i needed to get to without ever maxing out the temperature gauge. the garage installed a new water pump and radiator, and i was on my way.
i haven't been driving the car much, but i have everything on hand to get it in order - spark plugs, cap/rotor/wires and fuel filter. so that's my brief history with this car the last couple of weeks.
after it had been sitting for a few days i went to start it and the battery was dead - not surprising considering the battery had been sitting a few years and needed to be charged to leave NYC. so i borrowed a battery and it started up, but the light was still on on the battery gauge. i bought a new 27 battery and the light was still on. while looking under the hood, i noticed that the belt from the power steering pump was rubbing against the connector from the water pump to the radiator fan, and also slightly on edge of the water pump pulley itself. so while i though it was likely that the autozone alternator had gone bad, i wondered if the power steering belt was rubbing and causing any undue strain on the other belts and pulleys - and i assumed the mechanic that installed the water pump and radiator had not adjusted the seating of the power steering pump and belt properly. i went back to the mechanic that installed the water pump and radiator this morning and showed it to him - it's obvious that the belt from the power steering pump is not where it should be. he agreed and put a thinner belt on and adjusted where the power steering pump sat - he also tested the alternator and determined we should install the new denso OEM alternator i had on hand.
with the new alternator in, the battery light went out - one problem solved. but, when i looked at the belt from the power steering pump again, it still looked like it was rubbing a little and my mechanic said that wouldn't be a problem (which i'm not sure i believe). so leaving the mechanic this morning i drive for about 10 miles and all of sudden the tach drops and the battery gauges drop down to nothing - and then i notice the oil and temp gauges are not working either. the digital clock, analog speedometer and gas gauge work still. i also noticed the power windows and sunroof do not work - but the wipers, headlights, power mirrors, power locks, and map lights still work. it also may be worth noting that i hear a relay or switch of some sort clicking from under the middle of the dash board (and had previously to this recent round of trouble) - happens every 30 seconds or so while driving, and it's quiet enough not hear while on the highway - sounds almost like the click you hear from the dash when locking the doors from inside (maybe something to do with the factory alarm?).
my questions are:
1. does any one have any idea what to look for concerning the sudden loss of specific gauges and power features?
2. any opinions on the power steering pump belt problem i've described?
3. probably easy - not sure if the gas guage isn't working right, but i can only fill up to about 2/3 before the pump clicks off - what is the cause of this?
thanks in advance for the help!
i've recently purchased an 85 p-type that has been sitting for a few years with 150k on the engine. i took the adventure to NYC, drove it back to Rhode Island and managed to make it in one piece. before leaving NYC, the seller installed a new alternator from autozone, charged the mostly dead battery, changed the front brake pads, and changed the oil with fully synthetic.
on the way home the water pump went and i ended up putting a hole in the radiator from running it too hot - though i was able to stop and go to the garage i needed to get to without ever maxing out the temperature gauge. the garage installed a new water pump and radiator, and i was on my way.
i haven't been driving the car much, but i have everything on hand to get it in order - spark plugs, cap/rotor/wires and fuel filter. so that's my brief history with this car the last couple of weeks.
after it had been sitting for a few days i went to start it and the battery was dead - not surprising considering the battery had been sitting a few years and needed to be charged to leave NYC. so i borrowed a battery and it started up, but the light was still on on the battery gauge. i bought a new 27 battery and the light was still on. while looking under the hood, i noticed that the belt from the power steering pump was rubbing against the connector from the water pump to the radiator fan, and also slightly on edge of the water pump pulley itself. so while i though it was likely that the autozone alternator had gone bad, i wondered if the power steering belt was rubbing and causing any undue strain on the other belts and pulleys - and i assumed the mechanic that installed the water pump and radiator had not adjusted the seating of the power steering pump and belt properly. i went back to the mechanic that installed the water pump and radiator this morning and showed it to him - it's obvious that the belt from the power steering pump is not where it should be. he agreed and put a thinner belt on and adjusted where the power steering pump sat - he also tested the alternator and determined we should install the new denso OEM alternator i had on hand.
with the new alternator in, the battery light went out - one problem solved. but, when i looked at the belt from the power steering pump again, it still looked like it was rubbing a little and my mechanic said that wouldn't be a problem (which i'm not sure i believe). so leaving the mechanic this morning i drive for about 10 miles and all of sudden the tach drops and the battery gauges drop down to nothing - and then i notice the oil and temp gauges are not working either. the digital clock, analog speedometer and gas gauge work still. i also noticed the power windows and sunroof do not work - but the wipers, headlights, power mirrors, power locks, and map lights still work. it also may be worth noting that i hear a relay or switch of some sort clicking from under the middle of the dash board (and had previously to this recent round of trouble) - happens every 30 seconds or so while driving, and it's quiet enough not hear while on the highway - sounds almost like the click you hear from the dash when locking the doors from inside (maybe something to do with the factory alarm?).
my questions are:
1. does any one have any idea what to look for concerning the sudden loss of specific gauges and power features?
2. any opinions on the power steering pump belt problem i've described?
3. probably easy - not sure if the gas guage isn't working right, but i can only fill up to about 2/3 before the pump clicks off - what is the cause of this?
thanks in advance for the help!