to JOHN SHELTON

[darkstar_one]

hey i heard something about ur car problems. Can you please describe what ur car has had problems with. Right now im experiencing a problem with my car turning off and on within the blink of an eye. its barely noticeable but u can tell it turns off. The stereo turns off and on and the FLUID level thingy resets itself. They are pointing to me that its probably something with the ignition but i dont know. i need to know what ur problem was so that i can fix mines. thanx

[al35thsc]

John,

This is regarding the troubles you had with your switch and loosing brakes and having the car shut off. Thought I'd let our friend here approach you about it :)

Alex

[SuperCoupe007]

Hey darkstar_one does the tach and speedo go to zero, do all the lights in the dash light up as well when the car turns off ??

[darkstar_one]

im pretty sure they do for like a split second. all i noticed when i felt the car turn off was that the Check Engine light came on for a split second also and that my STEREO turned off and on adn the FLUID LEVEL indicator started flashing like if u barely turned on the car. and the car jerks itself. like as in a hic up. the car just turns off for a split second. but its noticeable only to the driver not the passenger. dont know what it could be

[SuperCoupe007]

hhhhmmmmm well at first i was thinking it might be your crank sensor, but with those kind of symptonms it could be a power source issue, how are the battery terminals ?? any corrosion or are they craked ?? also check the ground terminal.. just thinking out loud.. :p

[darkstar_one]

my batter terminals look black from the tips of the copper wire. well can it be a power source problem? cuz i thought that the car only uses the battery to crank it but once it starts spinning the ALTERNATOR takes over? Any tests i can do to make sure it is the power source? I mean if i have to i have some POWER cable in my garage. Let me know.

[SuperCoupe007]

Welll yeah the car uses the batttery to crank the engine, but even after the engine is running the car still gets its power from the battery, the alternator just recharges the battery while the car is on. thats why even when your alternator goes out you can still drive around for some time before your battery dies out completely.... but what you should check for is to make sure that your ground terminals are tight and making good contact.. if all that is good.. then i guess the next step would be to check the ignition switch and see what happens from there..

[darkstar_one]

alrighty then.... well this other guy on the forum told me to turn on my and jiggle the key while its on... and to tap it and to tap the steering wheel column. i tried it and the car was normal. engine kept running. nothing. well ill check the terminals and connections. and idea were that big red positive cable leads to from the battery? i might *** well replace it.

[SuperCoupe007]

Hhhmm welll if i remember correctly the red cable (postive battery terminal) goes from the batter to the starter solenoid. The starter solenoid is that black piece behind the batter. and from there it branches out the the power distribution block, you know the black fuse block..

[darkstar_one]

alrighty then... also let me add that i was having problem with the STARTER SOLENOID RELAY. but i fixed it. it wouldnt crank and i had to jiggle this lil red wire. but i fixed it though i flipped it around to the other side so basically it creates tension and stays on. havent had a problem since. thanx i will replace it. ill let u know.

[SuperCoupe007]

uumm what are u gonna replace ????? :confused:

[darkstar_one]

well ima replace the BATTERY CABLES and terminals. ima make sure everything is properly fitted.

[SuperCoupe007]

ooh. u sure u wanna go replacing those wires.. i mean as long as they are working thats all taht matters... just clean the terminals and make sure the grounds are tight...

[darkstar_one]

alrighty then... well whatever is clever... ill keep u posted

[John Shelton]

Darkstar, I was having intermittent brake problems:
http://pub29.ezboard.com/fthunderbirdscenthusiastclubfrm5.showMessage?topic ID=183.topic

It turned out to be a bad ignition switch. It was only $13 from Ford. Might be a cheap investment.