"Milky" (jordanmielke)
09/29/2016 at 13:53 • Filed to: Crossfire
0
36|
"Milky" (jordanmielke)
09/29/2016 at 13:53 • Filed to: Crossfire | 0
| 36 |
Drove through some large puddles because Detroit floods with any rain. None too deep and never went quickly. Battery light came, car still got me to work.
At lunch I checked the battery out with a voltage meter. 12 volts, turn the car on and still 12 volts. In the shop now, who wants to guess what’s wrong/how much this will cost?
EDIT: Alternator for $550 with labor. Might be getting ripped off but it’ll be done around 5pm and I don’t know if I could make it the 45 minutes home to change it myself.
OPPOsaurus WRX
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 13:55 |
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Broken rear bumper mount $500
CalzoneGolem
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 13:55 |
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As it is a Chrysler/Mercedes product I imagine you’ll have to disassemble 85% of the car to get to the battery.
TheTurbochargedSquirrel
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 13:56 |
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Sounds like you short circuited some alternator wiring. Diagnostics and new wiring for a fuck ton of money?
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Milky
> CalzoneGolem
09/29/2016 at 13:58 |
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Inaccurate. To the left of the highlighted fuse box in this pic.
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Milky
> OPPOsaurus WRX
09/29/2016 at 13:59 |
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I would literally LOL.
mazda616
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 13:59 |
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Belt slipped and alternator got wet?
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Milky
> TheTurbochargedSquirrel
09/29/2016 at 13:59 |
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Genuinely hope not. I wanted to sell the car before something expensive broke.
vondon302
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 14:05 |
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What is up with the floods around here lately? All the construction? I don’t remember it flooding like this 10 or even 5 years ago. Warren turns into a lake when we get a inch of rain.
Fuse box and all your money.
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Milky
> mazda616
09/29/2016 at 14:08 |
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When it happened I popped into a gas station to look and the belt was still going around just fine. I waited to lunch to see if drying out would help. No ideas but we’ll find out.
jimz
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 14:09 |
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you actually got to work.
I took Groesbeck/Hoover/Gunston down to Gratiot (NOPE) cut over to Harper down to Poletown (LOL) and basically had some asshole truck driver force me onto I-94 (FAIL.) There I sat at the peak of the overpass at I-75 for 20 minutes (smh.) Then a gap opened up to my right, I hopped over to I-75 N, called my boss and said “F this S” and got to 8 Mile and went back home.
I nearly got caught in the August 2014 flood on I-696. no way was I going to risk that again.
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jimz
> CalzoneGolem
09/29/2016 at 14:10 |
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doesn’t Mercedes usually put it in the trunk? The only goofy battery location I can recall on Chryslers is the JA/JR cars sticking it in the front wheelwell.
Dave the car guy , still here
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 14:11 |
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I’m guessing alternator at about $325 and roughly $100 labor. We’ll see if I’m close.
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mazda616
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 14:11 |
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The only reason I suggest that is because I’ve had it happen before. My belts on my Mazda3 would squeal like a stuck pig if I drove through heavy rain or if it rained all day.
But if the belt was going around okay and has dried out, hmm.
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jimz
> vondon302
09/29/2016 at 14:13 |
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I wouldn’t be surprised if the storm drain ducts have a lot of obstructions here and there. Plus, you can’t assume all of the pump houses are operational. It was a total shitshow this morning on all of the Detroit freeways, I gave up trying to get to work.
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Milky
> vondon302
09/29/2016 at 14:18 |
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The fuse boxes are up high so really hoping no on that.
And yea no idea about mother nature.
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Milky
> jimz
09/29/2016 at 14:21 |
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I saw the highway was fucked on google maps and took Van Dyke straight up. Luckily not much traffic and isnt wasnt full of puddles after I got past like 7 mile.
Yea I know a (dumb) person who lost their car in that flood. He was on 75 south.
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TheTurbochargedSquirrel
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 14:21 |
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Well it sounds like there is no voltage getting from the alternator to the battery. This leaves 4 potential options.
1) the alternator is completely fried. I find this one unlikely as there is nothing within the alternator itself which would be super sensitive to getting wet (it is just some magnets and coils).
2) The control circuitry for the alternator is fried. This one is somewhat likely as the circuitry would be sensitive to water however they are usually sealed and potted units which would be fine submerged but it is not out of the question.
3) Short circuit (or disconnect) somewhere between the alternator and the battery. A short circuit would cause the voltage from the alternator to short to ground preventing any current from getting to the battery. This sounds a bit unlikely unless Chrysler put systems in place to prevent the battery becoming short circuited at the same time. It is more likely that something happened to open the circuit. This could be a broken wire or a disconnected connector. This is the kind of problem that would take a long time to diagnose.
4) The belt came off. It’s always the simple things you forget to check.
Options 1 and 2 can be fixed with a new alternator as the controller is built onto the alternator itself. Number 3 is the big scary one you want to avoid. Number 4 is dirt cheap to fix but you look like a dummy.
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Milky
> Dave the car guy , still here
09/29/2016 at 14:29 |
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Close but a little more. They said it was hard to find an alternator. Which I kind of half believe.
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Milky
> TheTurbochargedSquirrel
09/29/2016 at 14:30 |
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Lol I checked for #4 first. Shop called and said alternator. I dont feel like risking the 45 minute commute home to fix it myself. Expensive Thursday.
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jimz
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 14:31 |
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the risk with the surface roads inside the city of Detroit is standing water can hide some nasty potholes. I found a good one today.
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TheTurbochargedSquirrel
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 14:34 |
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Hey it’s the stupid things that get you. It took me a month to figure out that the reason the Mini would randomly lose all power when you went to crank it was because there was some corrosion on the inside of the clamp for the negative terminal.
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CalzoneGolem
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 14:34 |
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Well dang that’s right easy to get to.
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Milky
> jimz
09/29/2016 at 14:47 |
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Ah yea they’ll get ya.
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Milky
> TheTurbochargedSquirrel
09/29/2016 at 14:50 |
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Stuff like that always confuses me. My first Jeep, a total pile, had terminals that were completely covered in corrosion. Yet started every time. Maybe thats becasue it had like 2 computers but cars now a days seem to be sensitive.
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TheTurbochargedSquirrel
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 14:57 |
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It was really strange because it was only one position where it would disconnect. Only time it ever reared it’s head was on the very first vibration from cranking the engine.
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Dave the car guy , still here
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 15:58 |
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In Ohio we have 5 alternators at Autozone, Advance and Oreilly’s within 15 miles. I’m with you on not believing it was hard to get. I’d imagine it was more like someone didn’t want to do the job today and thought they might be able to put it off another day.
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Dave the car guy , still here
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 16:02 |
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So I was $125 off but I had the correct diagnosis, still no ding ding winna.
merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 16:04 |
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Mound and Ryan are decent north south routes. Mound gets shitty south of 8 mile, but not too bad. Waze routes me down those roads over 75 about 50% of the time. How far north do you live from the city? I’m up at 16 and Ryan.
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Milky
> Dave the car guy , still here
09/29/2016 at 16:17 |
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Yea I often get BS about how no one has parts for it. But you know, everyone has parts for the SLK/ML/CLK/C/E/S 320. So thats fun. I just take it as money lost for me, but a costumer lost for them.
Sucks that I had a shop that was trustworthy and great location wise, but they went out of business a few months ago.
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Milky
> merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
09/29/2016 at 16:23 |
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I’m actually the other way. Work at like 23 mile but live close to downtown. I can speed north on 75 in the morning most days. But often for the commute home van dyke is the same time, which means less stressful than the highway.
Flyboy is FAA certified insane
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 17:32 |
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I did the same damn thing a little while back. It kills the rectifier or something, which kills the alternator.
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jimz
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 18:37 |
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the Clinton River is angry right now. There’s supposed to be a park here.
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merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> Milky
09/29/2016 at 22:57 |
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You’re doing it wrong ;). Not a bad deal though at least you should be going opposite most traffic.
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Milky
> merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
09/30/2016 at 09:31 |
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It takes me 40 minutes to go 32 miles :) and I like Detroit.
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Milky
> Flyboy is FAA certified insane
09/30/2016 at 14:09 |
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Well that sucks. Learning lessons the hard way whatever.
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merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> Milky
09/30/2016 at 20:36 |
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That goes to show the difference in the traffic patterns. It takes me 30-40 mins to go 15 miles.