Automotive Forums

Long story I will try to be quick. 2002 Ford ZX2..5 speed..battery died because of brake light staying on because the indicator trigger under the brake pedal broke. Fixed break light and replaced the battery. Once battery installed still wouldn't start. Mechanic said my 100Amp fuse was loosened up some how while taking out the battery and needs replaced.Car is working with Battery light on. He decided to rechecked my battery and alternator just to make sure their was nothing else after putting in a new serpentine belt that snapped the next day. He now wants to charge me 210.00 to replace my alternator which he says is not charging and needs to remove and re-route the same belt in order to replace the alternator . The voltage on my NEW battery is only reading 12volts. My alternator was replaced in Oct 2007. My alternator was working just fine before all these repairs. Please tell me what you think? Can these chain of events cause a loose wire or my alternator to go bad? Thanks for all your help, sorry this is so long with a lot of possible gray areas.  

The whole thing sounds fishy,,,,,but I could be wrong since I am only going by what is written here and nothing else.
Did you do any of the work yourself? And where is this guy from-auto shop?Street?Alley?
Probably best for you to look for someone else to do the work before he keeps the car all year finding things.  

He has a Auto Repair shop but because my car was Dead he came to me.
I just don't quit get how everything good, my battery dies, replaces a belt and now my alternator. He says my Battery Indicator light is on and will stay on until I replace the 100Amp fuse that's under the hood. But 200.00 to repair an alternator..I have never..especially for an escort. I have had altenators replaced before and no one had to mount the engine, take of the serpentine belt and all that jazz...The alternator was replaced 2 mos ago. How do I know if I have a bad wire in my alternator?

Thanks for all your help and/or suggestions/thoughts  

You have a new car which is mostly electrically operated,,it is not the same car of 15 or even 10 years ago. I have been repairing my own and others cars for forty years. Just throwing out spot advice to you over the internet without actually have a lot of facts to go on would be foolish for youto take any note of.
You say the battery ran down from a brake lite switch.I know how that switch works and it seems very plausible. At that point all the car needed was a new switch and a battery charge.Now you bought a new battery instead which was maybe a very good idea because if you had an old battery and ran it down they usually poop out--theyer just too old.
When you put a new battery in a car you CANNOT EVER cross the cables to the wrong posts---it will screw up the computer. And when you charge a battery you NEVER do it with the cables connected. I hope  you did this because you can sometimes get trouble from not doing it.Fuck what a "mechanic" tells you.
But anyway,,,barring a bad battery cable (age you see) or a poor connection,,your car sholld have started right up.
I dont like to hear this bull *** of such and such happening,,,and 100 amp fuses blowing,,and alternators going bad,,and hime wanting to sell you a rebuilt for 200 dollars. Get your car away from him. Get a tow outfit and get it out of there.  

sorry for the strong language but you are getting screwed and you shouldn't let him keep doing it. Whatever he screwed up  I would have someone else fix. Who knows?? You may find a mechanic you can trust  

good mechanic with a repair shop would never fix you car in the street or in your driveway. He would take it to his shop where he has all his tools and test equipment.  

No Problem about the strong words. I know I wasnt going crazy. I don't have a computer at home to see your reply until now. But when I left work I took it to be tested and was told that my car is running off of the battery only and the auto parts store told to replace the battery cables first before replacing the alternator being that it was just replace 2 mos ago...I will be taking it in tomorrow for a full diagnostic at a nearby mechanic shop and will pay the fee to have it looked at. I guess you do get what you pay for huh??? Thank you so much for your thoughts...Happy New YEAR...  

Theres a red wire between the alternator and the positive post of the battery. I wouldn't put it past that guy to have loosened one of the connections--most likely on the alternator side. That would give you a poor recharge rate from the alternator. I cant see you getting around on a car without some charging going on. You are right about the battery cables.
     What happens is the connection points on the cables and wires--where the  connector is clamped to the wire,,are 2 dissimilar metals. Over time they corrode each other and form oxides (oxides do not conduct electricity).
And you cant see it because its under all that plastic insullation and the connectors themselves. But if you look close ,sometimes you see a greenish color. That green oxide (sometimes its white) won't let the electricity though . The more oxide the worse it is. The only solution is to change the wires and clamps.

Just some added thoughts for you to be aware of. A few extra bucks can save you a breakdown on a cold nite in the middle of the woods.