Random electric demons 2005 Freestyle

[Ermuck]

Hi, I have a 2005 that has gone bonkers. About a month ago I replaced my alternator and battery. Alternator was from a reputable local rebuilder. I cleaned the throttle body about a week ago. Yesterday I went to leave work, started up, and the radio made an odd screaching noise, then stopped putting out any sound, but the display stayed on. At the same time my windows, lights, and dash all went out. I tried moving the vehicle, putting it in hear it kicked hard going in reverse or drive, and wouldn't move out of the lowest gear ratio. I put her in park and turned off the key. All accessories came back, message center displayed "transmission data loss". Let her idle for a while, everything came back. Check engine, check transmission displayed, but ran normally. Today the issue has returned. I've checked grounds, connections tight, but I'm noticing some boiling residue at the battery. How best to procede?

[pmassey31545]

Ground.

You have a grounding issue. That would be my first guess. Go back under your hood and check ALL-ALL of your grounds. Clean them off real good. Make sure the battery terminal is clean.

Look at this. I had something similar just a few days ago.

https://www.myfordfreestyle.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7941

Did I mention to CHECK YOUR GROUNDS???!!!

[Ermuck]

Thanks, I was thinking I might be missing a ground somewhere, now to find it.

[pmassey31545]

Thanks, I was thinking I might be missing a ground somewhere, now to find it.

You may even want to double check the connections at the alternator and clean up the mounting bolts as sometimes they provide ground for the alternator. Notice the last post in that other thread I linked to???

[RVAFreestyle]

Recheck all your work....and then report back look for loose connections anywhere you touched anything.

[Ermuck]

Will do today. Fortunately the Freestyle is in the garage next to the 76 vw bus (talk about electrical fun!) and out of this WI spring weather. Thanks everybody, I'll let you know what I find!

[Ermuck]

Just go home, battery is stone cold dead.

[Ermuck]

Got home, not go home.

[pmassey31545]

Just go home, battery is stone cold dead.

Bad battery? My F150 was skipping bad and head 3 misfire codes. All caused by a bead battery.

Even if new, they can go bad. If pull the battery and alternator and have AutoZone check them.

[Ermuck]

Got the battery on the charger, going to charge it up and reconnect battery, see what happens. Found four ground points in engine bay, cleaned those and checked alternator connections as well. Two weeks ago it was sixty here in WI and I had lots of free time to boot, now it's snowpocalypse and my wife leaves with our other vehicle in three days-how do cars know when you're in a time crunch?

[pmassey31545]

:lol: ...wife leaves with our other vehicle in three days-how do cars know when you're in a time crunch?

CIA!!!!!!

[Ermuck]

Okay, had some time today. Remove and cleaned four grounds under hood, one in each fender two on the drivers side inner fender under the fuse box. Pulled the air intake and checked the tb connections and all around to see if I had spilled any coolant when I removed it thinking I may have got something wet but that was all clean and dry. I checked the harness plugs as well to make sure something hadn't been knocked loose as well. All good as far as I can tell. On the other side I checked to see if the harness was rubbing on the ac lines but they're all clear of them. Rechecked the harness plug to the alternator and the throttle position sensor and the nut for the output cable on the alternator. Let the car sit with the ground cable off the battery and a jumper wire to the positive for an hour. Now I seem to have a dash display again but get check traction control on the dash display and transmission data error. The yellow tell tales are lot up for engine, traction control and the happy little wrench. I repeated the ground removal and jumper twice more for a shorter time but with the same results. I can't access engineering mode with the Trac control warning coming on but I did the other day and had them written down. 9318 D900 E023 and 9352. Battery voltage is at 13.8 when running. They're the same ones that were on when I had the alternator failure early in February and I never cleared them, so they may not mean a thing. Going to put the boy to bed and try some more.

Any known grounds I missed? Could it be the voltage regulator is causing the issue? What to do next...

[pmassey31545]

If you are anything like me, you hate to take it to a shop. Because all their going to do is what you ARE doing...but charge you $100 an hour to do it.

That said...I still say you have an electrical gremlin somewhere. Again I say, pull the battery and alternator and take them to a store to get checked-OFF OF THE VEHICLE. It will tell you if you have a bad cell in the battery, or a bad ground on the alternator, or bad VR. It is an elimination of potential issues.

As for the grounds-I'm not sure where they all are. I know there are 4(?) small ones under the hood. 2 behind the driver side headlight housing and 1-for sure, (maybe 2) on the passenger side quarter panel. But, I would imagine there is at least 1 or 2 more main/heavy gauge wire grounds directly to the block/engine somewhere. I just haven't had the need or desire to locate them.

There is a thread here somewhere with wiring diagrams that will show all the grounds, but I'll have to see if I can find it.

[Ermuck]

Here's today's update. Pulled battery and alternator. Shop checked alternator and voltage regulator, pronounced healthy. Took battery in, it is rated at 650 cca, tested at 775. Guy said this may show bad battery, but needs to keep it overnight to test. Talked to our old mechanic, he says likely a had battery but could be pcm issue. What say you good fellows?

[pmassey31545]

Not saying PCMs don't go bad. And I'm not a certified mechanic. But I had never had one in all my vehicles go bad. I am fighting an issue with a Volkswagen van I have that seemed like it maybe electrical/PCM. But if so is because of the short that happened when the alternator fried.

You MAY... Have had the same thing happen. But I would think unlikely.