1992 Ford Taurus Engine shuts off intermittently while driv

Tiny
SIDESHO09
  • MEMBER
  • 1992 FORD TAURUS
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 135,800 MILES
I have a 1992 Ford Taurus SHO. Sometimes while driving or stopped at a stoplight, the engine will die with no warning. When it shuts down all the dash lights come on as if I put the key in and turned the ignition to the on position. After the engine dies I try to start it back up but it cranks strongly but will not fire. I usually have to wait from less than 1 minute to an hour for it to fire up.
Also eveytime I start the car up the battery light stays on until I rev the engine to 2k rpms at which point it goes off and does not come on again until the engine is restarted. When I rev past 2k rpms, the interior lights and headlights get brighter and I notice the fuel pump gets a little louder as if more voltage is going through the system.
Could a bad alternator be the cause of all this or do I have some faulty wiring? Ive been told it could be my crank sensor but the check engine light does not come on after engine is started. There are no codes. What could be causing this?
Monday, January 12th, 2009 AT 6:51 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
JAMES W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,395 POSTS
Everything in your description points to alternator. I would have the charging system tested. The test is a simple process involving the battery and can be done in a few minutes.
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Thursday, August 29th, 2019 AT 8:02 PM
Tiny
SIDESHO09
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  • 3 POSTS
I have had the charging system checked and the battery tests fine as it is no older than a year but the test says that there is no voltage coming out of the alternator. Hope a new alternator solves the problem.
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Thursday, August 29th, 2019 AT 8:03 PM
Tiny
JAMES W.
  • MECHANIC
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If you have nothing coming out of the alternator, I have to say it's gone "belly up". You should have 13 to 14.5 volts coming out.
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Thursday, August 29th, 2019 AT 8:03 PM
Tiny
SIDESHO09
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Ok now I know the alternator is bad. Next is the problem of why it stalls out with no warnings and cranks strongly but does not start both of which happen intermittently. Could it be that the bad alternator is not providing the correct amount of voltage to the neccessary sensors like the crankshaft sensor. These just dont seem like the symptoms of a bad alternator. BTW, thank you for you help.
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+1
Thursday, August 29th, 2019 AT 8:03 PM
Tiny
JAMES W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,395 POSTS
The ECM uses the input signal from the alternator to tell it that the motor is running. Without that signal, it has to guess.
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Thursday, August 29th, 2019 AT 8:03 PM

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