Roadmanz33

So I recently swapped my alternator. The back story to this is it died on me while I was cruising at night with my lights on around 50 in 6th gear (I have a 2003 m/t performance coupe). Lost all power but I could hear the motor still running, I put it into neutral & it would rev and other gear 1-6 nothing literally 1mph. I towed it home and swapped the alternator after. I know what the new piece and the installation is sound. Now I have nothing showing up on my dash except the seatbelt and the brake light. My speedo,turn signals, gas, and my trip gauge is all pooped out with no backlight. I got to work and took out my keys and noticed my ac control lights were still active. The voltage reads at about just over 14 on the gauge itself so I know the alternators probably running most of it. I know I’m gonna get bashed for this but I’m using the battery out of a 89 accord which was new at the time with extra cranking Amps. But I’m questioning if this is the main culprit to my issues, I haven’t blown any fuses I’ve checked both panels. The battery was tested at the shop and charged its “okay” they say. If I got the right battery for it would everything go back how it should or is there anything else I have to do. I’ve read, watched, and read some more. Searched service manuals and everything I can’t figure this out. Any help??

rustyschopshop

there are 3 fuse panels, bet you blew a fuse

Roadmanz33

Dang I thought there was only two. I checked the one on the clutch pedal & the other by the battery box.

rustyschopshop

2 fuse boxes near the battery, the other is further under the wiper cowl and need to remove the passenger side of the cowl to access.

Roadmanz33

Ahh, I see. It’s late now so I’m going to check first thing in the morning. I’ll let you know what I find, many thanks!!

Roadmanz33

So I just checked all the fuses in all the fuse boxes. All were good. One or two had the wrong fuse in by previous owners but I corrected how the layout was matching the covers. Do you think it could be the relays? Idk how to check. I’m going to get the correct battery soon but I’m not sure if that alone will fix what’s going on with the dash. The car was good with no check engine lights to warn.

Roadmanz33

I’m so devastated. Changed the battery to the correct one, had the alternator swapped & now it’s just as bad as before. My volt when first turning on with jump to just about 14 and within a min hit a lower 12v so I’m assuming is let’s just the battery powering. The cluster is still dead although earlier today I was running a test on the alternator by disconnecting the battery. It jumped to a high 14-15 volts ran for a min or 2 then just died abruptly. I haven’t seen the alternator charge like that since. Was that the new alternators last effort?? I have warranty so I’m going to swap it out with a new one tomorrow. Hopefully I can come to the bottom of this

rustyschopshop

Only 2 issues i have seen browsing threw past threads today that could cause this... electrical short most commonly due to a improperly installed head unit( short could be other places as well) or a problem with the a/c amp head under the stereo. A/c amp head seems to be more guage lights related. If you have a friend with a z you could see if you could swap this part and see if its resolved. If it doesn't resolve that way you may need to find an reputable auto electrician.

Roadmanz33

I see, I have my stereo out at the moment. Do you think belt tension would cause the alternator to fail though. I’m thinking about that. If I know the batteries good for sure & the alt is a new refurbished piece. Could have failed but I’m just thinking about the belt now. It does make some squeaks. It’s not crazy but it stops after awhile then starts back. When the volts jump

rustyschopshop

Another note, never disconnect a battery while the car is running. Can blow the diodes in the alternator. Older vehicles with external regulator were a bit different. If voltage is low again after the battery disconnect you will probably need another alt...
As far as your issue, you have enough power to start the car so don't worry about the battery atm. Guage cluster issue is not related to current status of battery or alt, although it could have been due to a short in the system. Possibly even knocking out the alternator.

Roadmanz33

Understood, that must have been what happened when I ran the “alt test” by disconnecting the battery. I’m going to swap it it’s still under warranty. I’ll be sure to triple check all my steps and connections because right before I did the alt test my instrument cluster came back and appeared to be back in functioning order. Then the battery light appeared, when I disconnected the negative post the battery light went away but the car stalled a min later. You’ve been a big big help in painting a clear understanding on how everything coexists. I think maybe having the battery disconnected overnight and a properly connected & functioning alt will finally solve it. It’s my errors that I’m continually having to fix, but it’s a learning experience. Oh and I’ll run through all the fuses once I see daylight.

rustyschopshop

wish you luck, hope you don't still have an electrical short somewhere that started this whole senario.

813_350Z

Didn't realize you had started a new thread. Just carried over my response from your other post:

I will be 100% honest, I do not know for a fact, but I am wondering if it may have something to do with the control box behind the climate controls. It's weird that your climate controls would still be active even after the car is shut off indicating that they are somehow getting power from somewhere other than their usual source, and these are linked in with the cluster. I would look into finding a wiring diagram between the cluster and the control box behind the climate controls. It is a long shot, but maybe the alternator somehow caused a problem with the box when it went out.

If your install was a straight forward install, I can't imagine it would be anything with the alternator / battery since your voltage seems to be within specs (at face value) and the battery swap did not change anything.

Where about in Florida are you located?

Roadmanz33

I can check the white box to see if anything has been damaged. I took out my radio a while ago I’ve been rocking without it for a while. I’m located in Orlando.

813_350Z

If you haven't had any problems since the radio removal then I would rule that out. I am leaning more toward a short somewhere causing issues either at the box or from the box to the cluster. It's just odd that this occurs after an alternator replacement since you said everything was working fine before.

Electrical gremlins are the worst.

Roadmanz33

So it turns out, the battery and alt are testing good. It’s such a relief to know I can stop fidgeting with it. So now I have to start trouble shooting elsewhere for the cluster. I’ve just been topping up fuel ever such because I’m scared I’ll run out. I have no speedometer nothing. I’ll keep you guys posted with what I discover next

brrndon

have you ever found this fix? i’m having the same problem with my cluster but my car is running and driving perfectly fine, i’m really confused rn 😭

Axel

iTrader: (1)

My 03 instrument cluster went dark while driving. Did similar troubleshooting; fuses, wires, grounds etc. Ended up my cluster panel went out. I sent it off to a tron repair in Richmond Va. Not saying your issue is the same, but,,,, something to consider. Especially, after spending all that time rechecking the same components over and over with no new results. Hope this helps.