1998 Elantra

Discussion in 'Hyundai Elantra / Lantra' started by shawn, Apr 30, 2005.

  1. shawn

    shawn Guest

    Hi again! Well the replacement of the TPS worked great. But now a weird
    thing happened.

    I was driving and my lights shutoff and the instruments starting going crazy
    and the battery finally died. No problem!! I put a new battery in and it
    starts right up!

    BAD There doesnt seem to be power to the headlights, windows, ac, and
    heater. The stop lights, gauges still work fine. I checked some of the
    fuses under the hood and couldnt seem to find anything wrong.
    Should I check them all? I have no clue why they just all stopped working.
    Any ideas? Thanks!

    Shawn
    1998 Hyundai Elantra(dam electronics!)
    1978 Ford Fairmont(no heater/ac but at least is EASY to fix!)
     
    shawn, Apr 30, 2005
    #1
  2. shawn

    hyundaitech Guest

    Check the large main fuse under the hood. It's probably blown, preventing
    the alternator from charging the battery and the other items from
    receiving power. If it's not blown, check the bolt-in contacts to be sure
    they're not burned.
     
    hyundaitech, Apr 30, 2005
    #2
  3. shawn

    shawn Guest

    Ok, I checked the fuse both visually and with an ammeter and found its ok.
    You are right in that the attery isnt charging and the other items have no
    power.
    The contacts to the fuse you mean? or is there something else like maybe
    the alternator is dead?
    I really appreciate any and all help! :)

    Shawn
    1998 Elantra
     
    shawn, Apr 30, 2005
    #3
  4. shawn

    hyundaitech Guest

    The alternator being dead wouldn't cause the other items to not work.
    You'll want to check to make sure you have proper power to the alternator.
    Pull the connector and turn the key on and check with a test lamp. One
    wire should light brightly and the other should be a little dimmer. With
    the voltmeter, one should read basically battery voltage, and the other
    should read up to 40 percent less. Also check the big voltage drop on the
    heavy wire if you haven't found a problem yet. Clip one lead to the bolt
    terminal on the alternator (being careful not to short it to anything) and
    the other to the positive terminal of the battery. On the voltage scale,
    you should not read more than 0.5 volts. More than that means you have
    excessive resistance in that wire/circuit somewhere.
     
    hyundaitech, Apr 30, 2005
    #4
  5. shawn

    hyundaitech Guest

    I suppose I should add to check all the fuses inside and out.
     
    hyundaitech, Apr 30, 2005
    #5
  6. shawn

    shawn Guest

    Theres 2 main boxes right? I checked both the one inside and out and all
    are good. I am totally stumped since I seem to be getting power to the
    fuses.
    There has to be something I am missing. :)
    Maybe a fusable link or something. Since the alternator isnt working also,
    maybe the voltage regulator? (wherever that is)

    I guess this is what I get for buying a newer vehicle! bleh

    Shawn
    1998 Elantra
     
    shawn, May 1, 2005
    #6
  7. shawn

    shawn Guest

    I FEEL LIKE A DUMBF^&%!

    Ok, I go to check the fuses, they are all good, but since I checked some of
    them night it could be one was misplaced. Yeah, one was misplaced, but I do
    believe the alternator is dead. Which was the problem in the first place.

    Thanks Hyundai tech for helping! You rock!

    Next question: WTF do the dam alternators cost almost $200!!!??? Seems
    like Id be better sweating and freezing my butt off in my old 78, then this
    dam money pit. Maybe I should have bought a toyota or nissan....Live and
    learn i guess!

    Thanks!

    Shawn
     
    shawn, May 1, 2005
    #7
  8. shawn

    Rick Guest

    Changed one in my 97 Elantra a few months ago. A bosch rebuilt ran me right
    around $150.00. Now I need the transmission worked on, no doubt rebuilt:(
    unless hyundaitech has some tricks up his sleeve:) reverse, 2nd and OD is
    gone!!! 1st and 3rd work fine!

    Rick
     
    Rick, May 1, 2005
    #8
  9. shawn

    shawn Guest

    Thanks Rick! Now you made me even more nervous about this car! :)

    I guess ill just drive it until something major goes(prob soon eh). At that
    point ill tow it to the junkyard and buy a nissan or toyota.

    Shawn
     
    shawn, May 1, 2005
    #9
  10. shawn

    Rick Guest

    Don't worry too much about it Shawn unless you've got higher mileage on your
    Elantra. My Elantra has 170,000 miles. I use it every day for work and to
    be honest about it I've been pretty much pleased with the little car. I
    guess I'll get it fixed, but I hate to put $1000-$1400(quotes I've got for
    the trannie) into the car. The engine itself is strong, doesn't use a bit of
    oil between changes(3000 miles) and the body and interior is still in good
    shape.

    Rick
     
    Rick, May 1, 2005
    #10
  11. shawn

    shawn Guest

    Yeah this one has 59,000 miles. The sister-in-law is hard on cars but the
    engine does run strong. Im going to replace the alternator this week, just
    doesnt look like fun though. :) (small cramped space)

    Soon as I got this car I changed the oil to 10w30 synthetic. I did the same
    with the 78 ford fairmont. I think it will help them last longer.

    Shawn
     
    shawn, May 1, 2005
    #11
  12. shawn

    Rick Guest

    Actually the job isn't as bad as it looks. You have to drop the plastic
    shroud underneath the car first and that will open things up pretty good.
    Take the power steering pump loose and just move it off to the side out of
    the way. The alternator has to come out from the bottom too. After doing it
    once I think I could remove and replace one in a about 30-40 min. and I hate
    working on newer cars:(

    Rick
     
    Rick, May 1, 2005
    #12
  13. shawn

    Jacob Suter Guest

    Why not take the alternator to a local shop for a quote? Theres
    absolutely zero 'magic' inside there, compared to any other
    manufacturer's alternator. I've found this generally costs about half
    as much as a cheezy 'exchange' alternator from a parts store, and in my
    experience, works better.

    The reason they're expensive is the same reason they're usually not
    locally stocked parts - they're not regularly needed enough to be worth
    stocking.



    JS
     
    Jacob Suter, May 2, 2005
    #13
  14. shawn

    hyundaitech Guest

    Sorry, no tricks on the trans. Factory remans are reasonable priced,
    though, if you want to put that kind of money in a 1997 Elantra.
     
    hyundaitech, May 2, 2005
    #14
  15. shawn

    hyundaitech Guest

    Actually, you may want to try it with the p/s pump in place. I find it
    doesn't really get in my way. Removing the oil filter will ease your
    removal through the bottom.
     
    hyundaitech, May 2, 2005
    #15
  16. shawn

    Rick Guest

    Yep that's my dilemma. The engine is still very good and the body isn't too
    bad either, in fact it looks pretty decent when it's cleaned up. I just
    hate throwing a $1000 into it knowing the car has little resale value. Of
    course I by my vehicles to drive:) and pretty much use up, but still I'm
    thinking I can use the money that i would spend on the transmission for a
    little down payment on something newer and with less mileage.

    Rick
     
    Rick, May 3, 2005
    #16
  17. shawn

    shawn Guest

    Thanks for the tips. :)
    It went pretty good. I CANT believe she never had the belts changed. They
    were cracked so bad that im surprised they even worked. So i replaced all
    3. It runs good now. YEAH!

    Thanks!

    Shawn
     
    shawn, May 3, 2005
    #17
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