I've experienced a pretty major electrical problem tonight. I was driving down a hill with my headlights + highbeams on. I was approaching a corner, so I downshifted from D4 to D3 (could have been D3 to 2, but I rarely do that) and just then everything went really bright then black. My headlights were off, my gauges were dark, and the engine shut down. I pulled off to the side of the road and definitely smelled something burning. I restarted the car, and switched everything off and back on. My gauges came back, but the headlights and highs are blown. My radio, interior lights, fogs (directly hooked to the battery), and everything else still work. I drove the rest of the way home with just my parking lights, fogs, and hazards.

However, my gauge lights are unusually bright, and the windows roll up and down 2-3x faster than usual. Also, my ABS and Alternator lights are stuck on.

Besides checking fuses and all of that, what could have caused this?

 

How high did the rpm's go up when you downshifted? It sounds like the alt when ape shit and fried everything, but I'm not sure why it wouldn't fry the fogs as well... This would explain the alt light. Maybe it blew the ABS sensor, I dunno, though, you'd have to check that...

 

Fogs were not on at the time. Not sure how high the RPMs went because the gauges went dark. Not dangerously high - no where near red line.

Oh, and a correction - the engine may not have shut off, but it felt as if I lost power steering as I pulled over to the side of the road. I think maybe the ignition cut off and came right back on.

 

your alternator went bye bye

right?

 

Yeah, this is what I'm thinking...

OP, did your lights start to dim, or anything after you finished your drive home? How far was it? Just wondering if the alt wasn't charging at all, and you would've been running all your electrical goodies off your battery...

 

Do our alts have external voltage regulators? Almost seems like part of that function died and he is getting overvolt.

 

If they did, I wouldn't need a new one... I'm almost positive that they're either internally regulated or somehow controlled by the ECU. But yeah, overvolt is really what this sounds like...

 

Yep sounds like the alt, why the hell are you downshifting an auto?

 

I can input from experience that manually shifting an auto is a bad idea haha.

 

Cuz he was "approaching a corner", duh!

 

he's lowered, he should be accelerating into corners

 

Meh, using D3 saves brakes. Either way, downshifting isn't what caused the issue. If it didn't happen last night, it would have happened on my way to school today most likely. My tranny is going to take a shit either way.

It's looking more like the alternator (which was replaced a year ago) because the battery was dead and it's not holding a charge. However, it's putting out a solid 14v at idle, but the alt. light comes on under throttle. More testing tonight.

 

Update: Alternator bounces anywhere from 11.9 - 13.75 volts under heavy load (AC/Headlights/Heated Seats & Mirrors/etc) while idle and on the throttle. Could not get the battery light to turn back on, but 5 hours later, the battery is dead. There is definitely a whine coming from the alternator, but I'm starting to suspect that it is the battery because the alternator is definitely putting out voltage. Perhaps the whine is due to the fact it's trying to charge the battery and is struggling to do so? Any thoughts?

 

Update: I replaced the battery only and the car is running fine, except for a strange noise. I think the alternator is on its way out, but it's charging the battery so far.

 

fixed
check your alt and most def check your fuses

 

All fuses OK. Alternator is putting out anywhere from 12-14 volts consistently. There is a short or something is drawing when it should not and it is running the battery dead within 2 hours.

Example: Car is running, shut it down and check the voltage at the battery: 12.04 Volts. 2 hours later, check the voltage at the battery: 00.89 Volts.

 

My temporary fix: this is the only way I can avoid jumping the car every time I need to start it. With the battery disconnected, I'm getting 11.66 volts from it. Something is drawing big time on the battery.

 

Where did the smoke come from? What did it smell like.
Def check your grounds. Check well

 

Parasitic Test time: set your digital meter to dc amps, disconnect positive lead to battery. take black lead from digital meter and touch the terminal and place the red on the positive cable for the battery. if your battery is going dead while sitting then amperage is being drawn from it (obv). pull each fuse out one at a time and check to see if the amps drop to zero. could be a good looking fuse that's bad. buut i'm not thinking it's fuses. you sound like you're on the right track though.

 

Car left me sit tonight. Alternator stopped putting out juice I guess. We'll see once the new alternator goes in if that solves it. I'm really starting to get fed up.

 

maybe the alt is whats making the draw while off. you should have tested your ground. Might have some current in it after all throwing everything else off

 

I can't make out what that pic is of...
Looks like you're inside of a friggin UFO.

 

Thanks for the input, that helps.

 

happened to me when my alt died

 

I'd give you input if I knew about alts and what not.
But seriously? What is that? I've been staring at that pic for about 5 minutes total and still can't figure it out. My guess is still sticking to UFO.

OMG I see it now. It's your CL sitting on a flatbed!

 

My CL sitting on a flatbed.

 

<--- know how that feels

 

I made the guys at Advanced Auto go, "Oh, wow, that's really bad," when they put the alt on the tester.

 

yeah dude you sounded like your used a lot of power electrical that is. I would invest into an optima battery.

Getting one soon.

 

Meh, Optimas are alright. Personally, I'll stick with my XS Power. I highly doubt any Optima (let alone a group 51) that would support all of the audio upgrades that I've done with the stock alt. I've been running this D5100R for the last 8 months with only 1 slight hicup, and that was recently when I messed up, and overstressed the alt.