TECH TIP FOR APRIL, 1996

"IT'S YOUR TURN IN THE BARREL MORE THAN JUST THE PUNCH LINE TO A RATHER CRUDE JOKE, THIS IS A DESCRIPTION OF HOW MY STAFF AND I HAVE FELT OVER NEARLY A YEAR. DURING THAT TIME OUR WARRANTY RATE HAS GONE FROM ABOUT 1% TO SOMETHING WE DON'T EVEN WANT TO CALCULATE. WE SEEM TO HAVE FAILURES IN ALL THE THINGS WE EXPECT TO BE PROBLEM UNITS, BUT ALSO IN THINGS THAT SHOULDN'T GO WRONG AT ALL.

WE HADN'T CHANGED SUPPLIERS AND WHEN I CALL TO SEE IF THEY WERE HAVING ANY PROBLEMS, I WAS TOLD  "NO YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO'S COMPLAINING ABOUT THAT!". WITH THAT IN MIND WE STARTED TO CHANGE PROCESSES AND THE WAY WE DID THINGS TO TRY AND FIND WHAT WE WERE DOING WRONG. WHEN THAT DIDN'T APPEAR TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, I WENT TO THE REBUILDER'S ASSOCIATION MEETING DURING THIS PAST MONTH AND ASKED MY FRIENDS WHAT THEY THOUGHT.  LOW AND BEHOLD I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO'S COMPLAINING. IT SEEMS THAT WE WERE ALL COMPLAINING BUT EACH OF US IS THE "ONLY ONE". NOW I FIND, THERE APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN SUPPLIER PROBLEMS FOR ALMOST A YEAR, IN AT LEAST 3 MAJOR COMPONENTS OF ALTERNATORS AND 1 OF STARTERS.

SO NOW I'VE CHANGED PROCESSES AND PROBABLY CREATED PROBLEMS IN DOING SO, WHEN I COULD HAVE CHANGED OR CHECKED SUPPLIER'S PRODUCTS MORE CLOSELY AND MAYBE AVOIDED COMPLICATING MATTERS. THE LONG AND THE SHORT IF IT IS PLEASE BEAR WITH US, WE ARE REVERTING TO OUR ORIGINAL PROCESSES (WHICH WERE SOUND) AND CHECKING TO SEE THAT SUPPLIERS HAVE CORRECTED THEIR PROBLEMS, SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN CLIMB OUT OF THE BARREL. YOU KNOW IT'S BAD ENOUGH WHEN YOU THINK YOU'RE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL, BUT WHEN YOU START TO THINK YOU'RE WHERE THEY PUT THE BARREL BEFORE THEY STARTED TO FILL IT...

NOW FOR A TECH TIP.  A CUSTOMER REPORTS HAVING A 1985 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX W/305, BROUGHT IN WITH THE ALTERNATOR LIGHT ON, BUT THE ALTERNATOR WAS CHARGING. THE CHARGE RATE WAS SLIGHTLY LOW AND WENT LOWER AS THE ENGINE RPM INCREASED, AND THE GAUGE FUSE IN THE PANEL WAS BLOWN. WHEN THE ALTERNATOR WAS REMOVED AND CHECKED, IT WAS FINE, AND ONCE REINSTALLED CHARGED PROPERLY AND THE LIGHT WENT OUT. THAT IS UNTIL THE ENGINE RPM WAS INCREASED, AT WHICH POINT THE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AND THE GAUGE FUSE WHICH HAD BEEN REPLACE BLEW AGAIN.

MY CUSTOMER EVENTUALLY HAD A 30 AMP FUSE IN THE GAUGE FUSE HOLDER, AND EVERY TIME THE RPM WAS INCREASED, THE FUSE WOULD BLOW AND THE CHARGE LIGHT WOULD COME ON. THE FINAL OUTCOME WAS THE TRANSMISSION.

THERE IS A VACUUM ACTIVATED, ELECTRICALLY OPERATED LOCK-UP RELAY, AND THIS HAD A SHORT IN IT. WHEN THE ENGINE WAS REVVED UP, THE RELAY WOULD BE ACTIVATED AND BECAUSE IT WAS SHORTED, THE FUSE WOULD BLOW, TURNING THE LIGHT ON. SINCE THE ALTERNATOR WAS ALREADY ACTIVATED, IT WOULD KEEP CHARGING, BUT BECAUSE OF THE SHORT THE VOLTAGE RATE WOULD DROP AS THE AMP RATE CLIMBED. I THINK THAT THE SYSTEM WAS WIRED THIS WAY AS SOMEBODY'S IDEA OF A JOKE. "MR. MECHANIC, CAN YOU FIX MY CHARGING SYSTEM , THE LIGHT IS ON ?" "YES I CAN, WE'LL REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION". I'LL BET THE ENGINEER LAUGHS HIMSELF SICK EVERY TIME HE THINKS ABOUT IT.

I HAVE BEEN PUTTING OUT TECH TIPS SINCE 1992, AND HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED FOR PICKING ON FORD AND CHRYSLER, MEANING I WAS A GM SUPPORTER. THE TRUTH IS, I DON'T PARTICULARLY LIKE ANY BRAND, (MAYBE PORSCHE) BUT IT SEEMS THAT GM'S PROBLEMS ARE FINALLY COMING OUT. I HEAR MORE AND MORE REPORTS OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH 1989 & UP GM VEHICLES AND I EXPECT TO HEAR MORE AS THESE CARS AGE. 

HERE IS THE LAST PART OF THE FORD CHARGING SYSTEM SERIES, I HOPE THAT YOU'LL KEEP THE THREE PARTS TOGETHER FOR FUTURE REFERENCE. NEXT MONTH WE START THE CHRYSLER COMPUTER CONTROLLED SYSTEM (WHICH WILL BE A REVIEW FOR THOSE WHO ATTEND THE TECH SEMINAR AT THE END OF MAY).