Can I get a diagnosis on my car?

I drove to school today and noticed that every time I stepped on the gas I would hear a high pitched whirring noise through my radio speakers, and my check engine light kept flashing on and off, when it was on, I experienced periods of decresed power. I pulled over and turned the engine off, and restarted it, and everything was back to normal.

When I tried to start my car again after my class, it made a loud clicking/ratchet noise when I turned the key in the ignition.

The only thing I know of off the top of my head that causes that clicking is a dead battery, but I tend to think it's something else because the radio, lights, heater etc are working fine when I'm not trying to start the car, and well, it started less than 2 hours beforehand just fine and I didn't leave any lights on.

It was 14 degrees when I drove to school and about 25 when I was trying to start it at school, if that's any help to you guys.

Thanks in advance for any help!

I've had that clicking happen to me a lot of times.

TlalocW

Of the car, DinoBoy.

1990 Ford Taurus, IIRC 3.8 l engine, automatic transmission.

The whirring noise is the interference of the cars electrical system. You should hear it get louder as you go faster and it is more pronounced on AM stations. A radio filter is usually present to dampen this interference, so if you noticed a pronounced change at or about the same time as the check engine light and diminished power, it sounds like either something came loose or fried. The alternator/generator is a good place to start. Followed by the starter relay(when this is bad this is where the clicking sound will be from) and the ignition module.

You said it went back to normal after stopping and then restarting, so the car's brain, PCM computer module, may be involved.

Since the lights etc worked fine, the alt/gen are lower likelihood problems. Had you witnessed a dimming or flickering of the lights while driving that would be a greater signal for alt/gen problems.

Try disconnecting the battery for 15 minutes to "clear" the PCM and see if all is well.

Then moneywise, the cheapest to costliest should be; Make sure all wires are secure(spark plug/distributor/coil/etc), starter relay, ignition module, alternator/generator, PCM

Seems like a scattershot, but electrical problems are the trickiest to find.

Also, any burning wires smell?

I wish you success! Remember F.O.R.D. = Fix Or Repair Daily, Found On Road Dead, okay, that's probably not helping...

I will try to disconnect the battery and see if that does the trick. I have not been smelling any burning wire smells, but will double check with the hood up etc.

And yes, I know all about the ford acronyms :-) It's not my damn choice of car, but it's what I'm stuck with for a while....

Thanks again!

:evilgrin:

You may have to replace them both.

Are all your radio stations re-set?

I don't have them pre-programmed (I can't figure out how...), but the station remained where it was when I was driving to school.

I had just replaced the alternator maybe a year ago, and well, I hope that's not it :-)

I don't mean that it in a bad way, but if pre-programming your radio is not in your skill set, print out any advice here and take it with you to a trusted garage!

And the just replaced alternator means alot. Are today's symptoms similar to what happened before?

Believe me I've tried, and the manual=no help whatsoever.

My mechanical skills are so-so, but I was asking the question to get any idea of what was wrong and estimate costs of repair in my head.

The previous problem with the alternator was different. Electrical power was draining my battery every time the car wasn't used for about 24 hours. After the alternator was replaced, battery stopped draining. It never made any clicking noises, nor did any electrical appliances work with the key in (radio etc).

:kick:

That often seems to be the problem. Otherwise I would check the air in your tires. In that extreme cold it is very important that you have put winter air into your tires. If you are driving on the same stuff you used in the summer you could have some major problems.

:spank::spank::spank::spank::spank::spank:

Probably electrical, however. Sounds as if the voltage regulator is shorting or opening under load (i.e. when asked to do more than normal).

Is the car parked outside? Outside chance it could be moisture related - back in the "old days" broken/cracked spark plug wires would case radio interference, and on rare ocassions power malfunction, since a full spark was not generated at the spark plug itself.

Not a mechanic - just trying to remember back when I used to know this stuff...

Unfortunately..... So staying outdoors in winter temps in Montana is the norm.

Oh - you want a diagnosis for your car?

One or more of the three.

Cold weather can make it die suddenly. The "whirring" noise you heard was the Alternator, which on a Ford puts out "dirty" DC, counting on the battery to soak up the ripple and make it smoother.

All the accessories work because they don't draw that much current. Heater blower, maybe 8 Amps, radio, 2 amps, lights, maybe another 8 amps, starter motor? 200-300 Amps, more if it's cold.

Cold weather IS hard on batteries. Go to a parts store on the first really cold morning of the year and look at all the dirty dead batteies laying on the floor waiting for the rush to end so they can be put in the back room.

Borrow a voltmeter and check the battery. anything less than 12.4 Volts is bad, less than 10 volts means a dead cell and the battery is definite junk. Jump-start the car and if the voltage climbs to more than 14 volts, the charging system is OK, but unless you get a good battery in there, it won't be for long.