*FORD COUGAR - ELECTRICAL PUZZLE!!!*

[R300_PM]

Need advice & ideas if you will...

Vehicle: Ford Cougar 2.5 V6 24v Coupe

Fault: Battery light flickering on/off but not all the time, battery completely discharging only occasionally, engine misfiring also occasionally when battery light flickering. Otherwise, car runs really well when behaving itself!! This is an intermittant fault.

So Far: Vehicle has had two NEW alternators and a NEW battery within the past year. Wiring has been checked (no wiring faults found).

Part number of alternator currently fitted (non genuine): DRL DRA3586 Does anyone know who makes this and what rating it is!?!?

Local motor factor reckon the car should have a 130 amp alternator (which sounds right as it has air con, electric everything, etc!?!!?)

I'm stuck!!!!! Help!!!!

Thank you for your help in advance!!!!

[Trooper2]

Sounds like it has an intermittent fault in the alternator wiring to me. Has a wiggle test been done? Wiring needs to be wiggled while being monitored to see if it's a loose terminal in a connector or such.

[Podie]

Battery light normally indicates a charging fault.

Bit of a long shot, but same engine in my ST200. Copied and pasted from my car's blog. Might be worth trying the TSB..?


The headlights and interior lights on the car are “pulsing”… which is annoying to say the least.

Cleaned up a couple of rusty looking earth connections by the nearside headlight cluster, but to no avail. At fellow PH’er GregE240’s suggestion I took the car to Halfords for their free battery check, which confirmed that the alternator was doing it’s job and that the battery was only holding 52% charge.

There was no receipt in the service history for a new battery, so figured the car was due for one. Decided to replace the existing Motorcraft [model / xxAH / xxxCCA) battery with a Halfords heavy duty battery rated at 70AH and 640CCA – even has a 3 year warranty. (Standard replacement battery rated at 60AH and 540CCA). £94.99 and twenty minutes later, it’s all fitted.

Good news is that the headlights don’t pulse when driving, and that hot starting is a lot quicker. The pulsing interior lights are still there when the car is at idle, but I’ve now discovered there is a Ford TSB to resolve the issue..!


TSB 053/2001

Summary

Should a customer express concern about flickering headlamps, wavering illumination of the instrument cluster, interior lighting and audio unit the probable cause is an extremely high resistance in the battery wiring harness from the central junction box (under the bonnet) to the B+ terminal on the alternator. To rectify the concern an additional cable should be installed.

Part number for this cable - 1133503

Apparently the high resistance from the 7.5A fuse to the alternator multi plug causes it to "pulse" so the new loom does away with this by taking a new feed direct from the main battery cable on the back of the alternator.



It solved the problem of the pulsing lights. Bit of an outside bet...

Edited by Podie on Friday 29th February 19:04

[rspurr]

Hi Podie.

I know your post was from a long way back, but...

I've just got an old (2000 W reg) V6 Mondeo Ghia as a run about, and it has the flickering lights.

I'm okay with a soldering iron, so I'm happy to fix up an (earth) wire for TSB 053/2001 myself.

All I need is the detail. You couldn't pass me the details for TSB 053/2001 could you.

Many thanks
Richard.

[Podie]

Sorry, I don't have a copy of the actual TSB any more

[bisto86]

i have the same car and experiencing the same problem. i have already fitted a new heavy duty battery and that lasted 5 days before going dead.
did you find the problem with yours?


any help will be much appreciated guys.
thanks

R300_PM said:

Need advice & ideas if you will...

Vehicle: Ford Cougar 2.5 V6 24v Coupe

Fault: Battery light flickering on/off but not all the time, battery completely discharging only occasionally, engine misfiring also occasionally when battery light flickering. Otherwise, car runs really well when behaving itself!! This is an intermittant fault.

So Far: Vehicle has had two NEW alternators and a NEW battery within the past year. Wiring has been checked (no wiring faults found).

Part number of alternator currently fitted (non genuine): DRL DRA3586 Does anyone know who makes this and what rating it is!?!?

Local motor factor reckon the car should have a 130 amp alternator (which sounds right as it has air con, electric everything, etc!?!!?)

I'm stuck!!!!! Help!!!!

Thank you for your help in advance!!!!

[bisto86]

i have the same car and experiencing the same problem. i have already fitted a new heavy duty battery and that lasted 5 days before going dead.
did you find the problem with yours?


any help will be much appreciated guys.
thanks


R300_PM said:
Need advice & ideas if you will...

Vehicle: Ford Cougar 2.5 V6 24v Coupe

Fault: Battery light flickering on/off but not all the time, battery completely discharging only occasionally, engine misfiring also occasionally when battery light flickering. Otherwise, car runs really well when behaving itself!! This is an intermittant fault.

So Far: Vehicle has had two NEW alternators and a NEW battery within the past year. Wiring has been checked (no wiring faults found).

Part number of alternator currently fitted (non genuine): DRL DRA3586 Does anyone know who makes this and what rating it is!?!?

Local motor factor reckon the car should have a 130 amp alternator (which sounds right as it has air con, electric everything, etc!?!!?)

I'm stuck!!!!! Help!!!!

Thank you for your help in advance!!!!

[seagrey]

DRA is a Delco Remy part no.
some fords of that era were fitted with ecu controlled alternators,you can verify this by counting the wires in the multi plug to the alternator,2 is good 3 is ecu controlled and if so is possibly where your problem lies.