engine dies while driving battery replaced/alt replaced 2x
The original problem was a battery light that came on when the car was being driven during a light rain. The solution suggested by our normal mechanic (who is very good and has serviced the car for years) was to replace the alternator and then it was noted the battery was bad. It was replaced since it was three years old. After the repair the car started to die intermittently while being driven. The car was taken back to the mechanic who check the diagnostics and said it appeared to be pointing to the ignition switch (based on their diagnostic flowchart). The mechanics service technician was able to duplicate the stalling in the vehicle when he drove it. Suggested we take back to the dealer who had replaced the ignition switch tumblers during the recall for this vehicle last November. The Dealer wanted a $85 diagnostic fee to just check the switch. We received a download of the diagnostic codes which appear to be related to multiple failures of ignition modules but the dealer reported his service technician had not been able to duplicate the failure. He thought it might be the TIPM but was sure it was not the switch. He was unable to tell us what the failure was and said we would have to pay for more diagnostics if he was to find out what exactly it was. I was unwilling to pay for an extended search with no guarantee of a favorable outcome. I took it back to my mechanic and we surmised it might be that the rebuilt alternator that was put in had received a defective diode rebuild kit (similar to the 2012-2014 Jeep alternator recall) so my mechanic (at no cost to me) obtained a new (and better) alternator. However, as I was driving the car last Saturday it died after we stopped at a railroad crossing waiting on a train and then tried to cross the tracks after the arms had gone up. The crossing T-bones into another road and a very deep bar ditch at the side of that road. The crossing was a steep incline. Almost put car in ditch. My wife would not have been able to control and stop it as I barely was able to. After much research I am beginning to believe that the issue is the TIPM. I believe there is a possibility that the alternator diode or battery shorted and failed and burned out or damaged relays on the TIPM. Need a better diagnostic routine to determine and the dealer just seems to want to milk you for more repair revenue rather than find the root cause. I am an engineer and have done diagnostics on many process control systems. This appears to be a failure in the basic electrical controls hardware. What I keep asking is why after not having a problem like this for 150,000+ miles does this manifest itself after a simple alternator or battery failure (which are normal equipment failures as vehicles age). It should not lead to total unreliability of the electrical system that controls not only the operation of the car but the safety of the vehicle and its passengers.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
engine dies while driving battery replaced/alt replaced 2x
The original problem was a battery light that came on when the car was being driven during a light rain. The solution suggested by our normal mechanic (who is very good and has serviced the car for years) was to replace the alternator and then it was noted the battery was bad. It was replaced since it was three years old. After the repair the car started to die intermittently while being driven. The car was taken back to the mechanic who check the diagnostics and said it appeared to be pointing to the ignition switch (based on their diagnostic flowchart). The mechanics service technician was able to duplicate the stalling in the vehicle when he drove it. Suggested we take back to the dealer who had replaced the ignition switch tumblers during the recall for this vehicle last November. The Dealer wanted a $85 diagnostic fee to just check the switch. We received a download of the diagnostic codes which appear to be related to multiple failures of ignition modules but the dealer reported his service technician had not been able to duplicate the failure. He thought it might be the TIPM but was sure it was not the switch. He was unable to tell us what the failure was and said we would have to pay for more diagnostics if he was to find out what exactly it was. I was unwilling to pay for an extended search with no guarantee of a favorable outcome. I took it back to my mechanic and we surmised it might be that the rebuilt alternator that was put in had received a defective diode rebuild kit (similar to the 2012-2014 Jeep alternator recall) so my mechanic (at no cost to me) obtained a new (and better) alternator. However, as I was driving the car last Saturday it died after we stopped at a railroad crossing waiting on a train and then tried to cross the tracks after the arms had gone up. The crossing T-bones into another road and a very deep bar ditch at the side of that road. The crossing was a steep incline. Almost put car in ditch. My wife would not have been able to control and stop it as I barely was able to. After much research I am beginning to believe that the issue is the TIPM. I believe there is a possibility that the alternator diode or battery shorted and failed and burned out or damaged relays on the TIPM. Need a better diagnostic routine to determine and the dealer just seems to want to milk you for more repair revenue rather than find the root cause. I am an engineer and have done diagnostics on many process control systems. This appears to be a failure in the basic electrical controls hardware. What I keep asking is why after not having a problem like this for 150,000+ miles does this manifest itself after a simple alternator or battery failure (which are normal equipment failures as vehicles age). It should not lead to total unreliability of the electrical system that controls not only the operation of the car but the safety of the vehicle and its passengers.
- marctx, Sealy, TX, US