Fordnatics List Archive

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Mail From: Keith Kucera {82644} <(email redacted)>

From: Brian Haskett <(email redacted)>

>I went out to
>start the car and go to work one morning, and the entire electrical
>system was completely dead. After numerous attempts to jump-start it,
>with no luck, it finally started itself. The radio presets were gone.
>It never happened again, and the dealership could offer no explanation,
>even after testing the car.

>When I turned it to the first notch, there was a
>whirring noise in the back, left part of the car (computers?) that is
>definitely not normal. When I turned the key all the way to "start", the
>entire electrical system went dead. No radio, seat belts, lights or
>anything. I tried to jump the car, and after hooking up the jumper
>cables and fiddling for a little bit, the electronics came back.

I would vote for the battery. Batteries can cause intermittent
electrical failures. They can have an internal failure that when
bumped just right can be dead, then bumped again and work fine.
When very weak, trying to start the car will cause the voltage to
drop below the level required by the lights and electronics. If your
battery is more than 2-3 years old I would replace it as a starting
point.


K e i t h K u c e r a '91 Escort GT S P E A K I N G F O R M Y S E L F
(email redacted) Tewksbury MA N O T, M Y E M P L O Y E R