Archived 1995 Check Engine Light

[surfbeetle]

One the way home from lunch today, the check engine light turned on and would not go out. The Tachometer is reads fine, the A/C fine, I have oil pressure and the volt meter is reading 14 volts. The water temp is also normal. The radiator overflow looked a bit low so I added some distilled water. (Plan to have the radiator flushed next week after payday, so not too worried about the water instead of coolant. )



I retrieved the trouble codes and I can tell you I hate this process since the 95 is not ODBD II compliant.



I did it a bunch of times to attempt to read the codes. I got a total of 18 flashes and had a hard time with the codes so here goes.

Turn the key on, off, on, off, on, the check engine light is steady for a bit then blinks once, pause, two quick blinks, pause, four blinks, pause, one blink, pause, then five blinks, pause, five blinks and done.



So what has me confused is that the first code looks to be a 12 which says that the battery has been disconnected in the last 50 key starts. I can't remember disconnecting the battery in a couple months so that does not seem right to me.



The next code looks to be code 41 which the manual says is a problem with the generator field not switching, what the heck does that mean?



The last code 55 to close out the code reading.



So what does the code 41 really mean? Is my alternator having issues? It seems to be charging fine. When I turn the key on, engine off, the volt meter reads 12 volts, then start the engine and the reading is 14 volts.



Several months back, I replaced the alternator with a rebuilt one, has it failed on me?

Thanks in advance.

Craig

 

[AEdelheit]

Well I would check all your battery connections, make sure everything is tight and no corrosion, since its all mechanical I wouldn't be too worried about driving it though.

 

[surfbeetle]

Thanks AEdelheit,

I left it sitting for a while and we took my wife's car to church this evening. When I got home, I started the truck and this time the volt meter did not jump to 14 volts and stayed around 10 volts. So it seems now as if the alternator did in fact fail. What had me stumped was earlier when it was still charging.



So now I have a battery charger on it so it's charged and I can drive it to work in the morning and (hopefully) back. I'm only going 9 miles each way. Then i guess I will find out about warranty in the alternator. I replaced it with a rebuilt a few months ago but it was one of those $50 dollar cash/no receipt deals since my uncle's shop did business with the rebuild shop.

 

[AEdelheit]

Eh, I wouldnt jump to any conclusions though, While its reading low on the volt gauge did you test the voltage coming out of the alternator? If your batteries are going bad or a bad connections it can often be missleading. Not saying its not the alternator just that there may be other issues aswell. Good luck though!

 

[surfbeetle]

Yeah, I hear you on that one. Yes I need to have the alternator tested. I recently had cleaned all of the connections and greased them so I can rule that out. I can't remember how old the batteries are, but I'll get them load tested after the alternator is checked.

 

[HHhuntitall]

... and if the alternator is not energizing one field side properly, it may start working after reaching a higher rpm. But the code is already set in the PCM, and it will run a lower voltage until it runs up and senses enough voltage to energize the field lead..... when you drive it in the morn, see if it comes up at highway speeds. If it jumps up rapidly at a certain rpm, it needs a rebuild..... just one scenario it could be.

 

[surfbeetle]

... and if the alternator is not energizing one field side properly, it may start working after reaching a higher rpm. But the code is already set in the PCM, and it will run a lower voltage until it runs up and senses enough voltage to energize the field lead..... when you drive it in the morn, see if it comes up at highway speeds. If it jumps up rapidly at a certain rpm, it needs a rebuild..... just one scenario it could be.

This is exactly what happened today. I started it and it was at 10 volts. It was just after twilight so I drove in with no headlights on. Then about 3 or 4 miles into my commute on the highway, the volt meter hit 14 and stayed all the way to work, it was fine on the way home as well. So I will have to go for a rebuild.

Thank you for the help.

 

[Joe Mc]

Surfbeetle - Not sure if the 95's have grid heaters, but I'm guessing they do. And, not knowing what part of the country your in it's hard to tell if they're even coming on yet. But, is it possible when you turn the key on it's cool enough to keep the grids on after the wait to start goes off and then when you start they stay on as well till you get it going? I know on my 99 they stay on till about 15 mph or 1500 rpms depending on conditions this time of year and the "Check Gauges" light stays on till the volt meter hits normal range/grid heaters go off.



Not sure if your's does the same? However, if you "just" recently had the alternator rebuilt it can't hurt to have it checked and if the batteries are reaching the end of their service life (typically 4-5 years +/- depending on type/brand) load testing them can't hurt. Good luck and hope you figure this out soon, this isn't the time of year (as if there was a good time of year) to be stuck needing a jump . . .

 

[surfbeetle]

Joe,

Yes, 95's do have grid heaters. I'm in Southern Ca. so it's not too cold here, about 60° in the mornings. My volt meter does drop a tiny amount when the grids cycle on and off but where it was yesterday morning was much further than normal.

The alternator was recently rebuilt by a shop that my uncle's auto shop used and I just now I find out from him that they stopped using them because he had too many comebacks. I only spent $50. 00 to have the rebuild done so I will chalk that one up to experience and get another one elsewhere. I agree with you, there's never a good time to be stuck needing a jump...

 

[surfbeetle]

Another question, I'm going to replace the alternator. I was looking online at alternators and some reference an external regulator. So does the alternator have an external regulator? I thought the alternator had an internal regulator. Pep Boys say they have a reman with a lifetime warranty for 133 plus core. I'm just going to get one from a chain store so that I will have a nationwide warranty, don't want it to break when I am out traveling.

 

[jakprince]

Im pretty sure that the regulator is in the PCM

 

[LandShark]

Regulator for a '95 is in the PCM. When necessary (PCM failure) it is easy to wire in a old style 3 pin voltage regulator.

 

[surfbeetle]

Thank you all for the responses. I installed a new alternator from Pep Boys on Tuesday evening. Problem solved. The failed alternator had lots of black gunk caked up on the side, that may have contributed to its demise. Also I had gotten the failed alternator a few months back from a jobber that my uncle's shop used to use but since switched suppliers because of a high failure rate. With my discount, it was only $50. 00 at the time.



I chose to get the Pep Boys "Pro Start" reman alternator since it has a lifetime warranty and Pep Boys can be found in most states. So for $134. 00 plus core, I am good to go.

 

[MLee]

One other thing a guy can do is get the rebuild kit from Genoe's and put it in the boonie box. Now its just your time thats involved.

 

[Sticks]

One other thing a guy can do is get the rebuild kit from Genoe's and put it in the boonie box. Now its just your time thats involved.

And make sure you have all the tools to do the job.