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My saddle won't start

2K views 26 replies 9 participants last post by  Neuron 
#1 ·
Walked out to my '96 GT and when I went to start it. nothing but a faint click and every light on the dash and clock went dark. I checked the battery and it read 12V. Put a battery charger on itand it shut itself off after about an hour. I tried the car again and... Nothing.

The Mustang did this once before and the lot's mechanic found a wire dangling off the positive post and one strand was arc welded to the dip stick tube. He removed said wire and the car was fine up until yesterday.

I can get the car on a flatbed this week and take it to my trusty mechanic but first I'll get the battery to my favorite battery shop and have it load tested. If it fails I'll just buy a new one. It is an Optima Red Top of unknown age but I don't think it is the problem. I also checked all the fuses and breakers and they are all intact/set.

The previous owner screwed up all the wiring under the dash and the fault may be there.

Anyone here have the same problem and if you fixed it let me know how?

Thanx in advance.

Jim
 
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#5 ·
I've been around a lot of horses, and saddles. I've yet to need to start a saddle, or use a car battery.

Be sure to video attaching the battery to the saddle while on the horse. It should be entertaining. [emoji848]?
 
#10 ·
The voltage regulator went bad in my 68 Olds. Killed the battery, even tho the charger showed it charged. Does the 96 Mustang have one?

Sent from my SM-J700P using Mustang Evolution mobile app
 
#11 ·
I'll look. Most alternators today have built in regulator so the entire alternator will have to be replaced.

I'm going to put the car on a flatbed and haul it to Bob's Auto in Garden City. He has a way to get out of this rain, since I do not have space in my 3(?) car garage.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Sadly no. One bay is all woodworking machines, another is full of lumber. The third has a bunch of leftover Harley parts along with three Ford flathead V8s and a couple transmissions. Anybody out there need a flathead engine or two?

Side note: I broke my little toe on a clutch pressure plate. That will teach me not to walk in the garage with bare feet.
 
#16 ·
good news: I got the Mustang to the shop.

bad news: They can't get it to not start.

They are keeping the car overnight so they can try and figure out what caused the no-start. They are also going to give the car a complete checkup to see if there are any future problems.
 
#17 · (Edited)
The problem has been identified and fixed! The Mustang runs great again.

It turned out not to be the connection of the clamps to the posts, but the connections of the cables to the clamps. The former mechanic built the battery cables themselves to add cables for the extra amplifiers and other high current applications. Somebody removed the amps and subwoofers for which I thank them. I got rid of the multi hundred dollar stereo that was in the car and gave the whole thing plus the wiring harness to our favorite underpaid waitress. Her boyfriend installed it in her SUV and she is living large to and from work. I installed a low buck AM/FM radio. All the other features come standard in our Cadillac CTS-V, including a subwoofer. The Bluetooth to my smartphone in the Caddy works great. The last thing I want to do when having fun hauling around in the Mustang is answer a stupid phone call.

So a brand new set of factory built battery cables were installed and try as they might, they could not recreate the problem.

I also asked Bob's crew to do a nose to tail inspection of the car and they checked everything. They looked for rust, bushing wear, leaking anything and the quality of all the fluids. They said the car did not look like it was 21 years old and congratulated me for finding a gem of a car. In the spring I'm going to rub off the tiny bit of oxidized paint and give it a good cover of wax. The Mustang will sparkle like a gem.

I have not decided what to do with the chewed up interior, but I will probably leave it as is. I want to drive this car, not show it. But when the car's outsides shine as much as the big 'ol grin I'll be wearing while driving I will be quite satisfied.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Here you go. I wonder what the antenna mounted to the top of the windshield frame was for. I'll leave alone because removing it may cause more damage that I don't want to fix.

The interior is another issue. There is a weird something attached to the rear of the of the center console, extra wires, four speakers mounted on each side with a couple of big uncovered holes in the rear side panels where the big speakers are mounted under the stock rear speakers and a 10" video screen mounted in what looks like a custom built passenger headrest.

The driver seat's leather is shot and there is a cigar burn hole on one side. With the top up there is a faint cigar smoke smell. I might bite the bullet and turn the car over to my favorite interior guy, but the whole house needs new carpeting upstairs and down first.

Decisions, decisions.
 

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#22 ·
In the winter? No. I have a 4WD GMC 1500 for snow and ice driving.

Boise does not use salt. The feds wanted us to use salt but since the snow melt goes into the Boise river, then into the Snake and then the Columbia the EPA told us not to use salt. Dilemma?

We use sand, which the EPA complains makes too much dust in the spring. We get the sand from a huge sandbar downstream on the Boise River. When spring comes all that sand washes back into the river and then back to that same sand bar.

Talk about a renewable resource!
 
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