Alternator/Battery Problem(s)

[haggisgood]

Hello.. Just got my 00 VX 10 days ago..heres the problem..
When purchased, I had a feeling the engine turned over weakly.. but thought it was just the vehicle itself. Took it to Hungry Valley over the Christmas weekend.. ran great.. (will attach pics soon).. took it to the local do-it-yourself wash to clean.. shot the water under vehicle.. etc.. just the general cleaning.. after I was finished.. turned on heater.. it ran for 10 seconds..shut off itself..then came on for 3 or so more seconds then shut off altogether..battery light now on.. noticed almost no juice from wipers.. got it back to camp..
Took vx to local repair shop.. diagnosis was dead battery cell along w/ low voltage..
Replaced battery.. now check engine light is on.. (can see the battery light on..however its very faint)..
Is this an alternator?.. getting fixed in Pine Mountain Club, CA (had to leave it there for the week)..
Mechanic says our VX's are electrical disasters.. I havent heard anything like that before..
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Haggis

[tom4bren]

I haven't heard of any systemic problems with our electrical systems other than minor gremlins.

etlsport put a high output altenator on his & always has a warning light on & hasn't found a fix yet.

A couple of owners have taken their VX 'swimming' & toasted their altenators so we know they don't like that.

Some of the undercarriage weatherproof connectors ... aren't, but those are tranny, TOD & ABS related.

There is a wiring harness located under the hood on the passenger fender wall that is subject to chaffing over time but I can't remember what symptoms that exhibits.

It's not a good idea to pressure wash the engine. Some members have noted that water can puddle in the spark plug wells & short out the plug. Easy fix tho - just dry it out & try not to spray there again.

The bottom line is that you are approaching the fix correctly: new battery - nope that wasn't it; new altenator - should fix the problem.

Sorry to hear that you are having problems so soon after getting it. Hope this is the last of the problems for a while. Let us know if the altenator fixes the problem.

Tom

[VX1032]

How much did you wash under the engine?

The VX is not an electrical disaster, but the alternator hangs low on the Isuzu V6. Usually it dies from muddy water offroad, but if you hit it with the pressure washer a lot it may be a cause.

[Y33TREKker]

...Mechanic says our VX's are electrical disasters.. I havent heard anything like that before..

While I haven't heard that exact comment before, that particular kind of comment coming from a mechanic usually induces me to take a vehicle somewhere else for diagnosis and repair. Maybe (and hopefully) that's not the case here, but to me, those comments are an unscrupulous mechanics' way of implying that the fix isn't going to be an easy one (whether it actually is or not), and that it's going to cost you mucho $$$ (again, whether it actually takes much time and/or parts or not).

Given what the heater did (at least it seemed like that's what you were saying was turning on and off by itself, and not the engine/VX itself), I'd start pulling fuses for the heaters' electrical circuit to see if the problem went away. If it developed some sort of short due to the car washing, taking the short out of the system by removing the fuse(s) might at least help you narrow down what the problem might be.

You can also do a fairly simple self-diagnosis of the alternator by checking what kind of charge it is producing by putting the (+) and (-) leads of a multimeter across the battery terminals with the engine running. A properly working alternator should be sending around 14 volts to the battery.

[kodiak]

Actually as far as Japanese vehicles go Isuzu has one of the best reputations for good electricals. Have you had an aftermarket alarm install recently?

[haggisgood]

Couple things.. I forgot to mention that I did NOT open the hood to spray down the motor.. just sprayed from outside up into the wheel wells and such.. and upon replacing the battery.. the Heater/AC did work again..
That said, I did hit quite a few rather large mud puddles..
Now thinking back to when the vehicle was first purchased.. it did start way weaker than now after the new battery..
Mechanic (and hes one of these local gas station boys) put the ODBII on the vehicle and removed the Check engine light.. but says there is not much voltage .. I think he said around 12 or so..
Thanks guys!

[Cobrajet]

I would definitely have the alternator checked by a reputable electrical mechanic. I've replaced the battery in my VX twice since new, and the only symptoms I experienced were slow/non starts. However, I chased an electrical problem in my '82 Mustang for over a year. Two new batteries, and the voltmeter check of the alternator showed over 14 volts. When driving at night the lights would dim when applying the brakes, the radio would cut off, and the turn signals were arratic. I finally took it to an auto electric specialist to have an upgraded alternator installed. Turns out there was nothing wrong with anything EXCEPT the pulley on the Autozone alternator was too big, resulting in slow speed at idle, and not enough juice to charge the system. New belt, new pulley, and all is well.

[tom4bren]

"the pulley on the Autozone alternator was too big"

I've heard of this before too. Are the maintenance records available for your VX to see if the altenator was ever replaced?

[etlsport]

yea i replaced my alternator with a high output one.. and do have my battery light on all the time.. i did manage to fix it by bypassing a relay in the engine fuse box... wouldnt recommend it as a permanent fix though.. its just making due for the time being

sounds to me like your alternator is dead though, not too hard to replace yourself if you get a new one (or used) just make sure you have a helper.. while you are in there it doesnt hurt to run a large gauge wire from the alternator post to the positive terminal on the battery.. that solved my dimming issues (high output alternator only puts out 80amps at idle.. 150 when rpms are over 850)