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hey guys...im about to ask a question on a ford explorer and i know this is a honda forum but i have been reading this forum for a long time and have alot of faith in the members...would appreciate the help

My friend was driving home the other night and i guess his vehicles lights started to short out then it would die...he would just start it back up but not to long after starting it up again it would die...Could it just be the iac valve or what???

 
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its a 98 ford explorer with a sohc v6

 
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is the whole vehicle dieing or jsut the lights?

 
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Faulty alternator not producing enough power to maintain ignition perhaps..

 
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Ok i have a 97 Honda civic OHC 2 door EX coupe, i just got it 3 weeks ago and it makes this ticking noise coming from the motor, its kinda loud but i know its not a rod knock, it speeds up when reved up, can any one point me what i need to do.

 
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If you need help start a thread in the 6 gen civic area, this thread is dedicated to philmagroin's problem.

 
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I'd check the alternator and battery before defaulting to an engine problem. Have your friend get those checked out and let us know what comes from that

 
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Battery/alternator/ground/fuse

First thing's id check

 
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thanks for the help guys...He just went out and bought a brandnew alternator the other night and its still having the same problems...and the vehicle shuts off entirely not just the lights.

 
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They also tested the battery and its good...i was wondering if it could be the fuel filter or a bad iac valve??

 
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Did you even check the problem before buying an alternator?
It could be a low CCA battery

 
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The fuel filter or IAC has nothing interlinked with the lights

The only thing that could cause it is an electrical problem,
defaulting to an engine problem wont solve anything

Biggest electrical problems:
1. Starter
2. Starter Solonoid
3. Alternator
4. Battery
5. Fuse
6. Grounds

Have them all checked out.
Battery can hold a charge at ~12.5V, but if it's running at 200CCA instead of 400CCA, then your engine wont crack, and will just click

 
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Its not my vehicle...so i didnt check anything. He said that the person at a automotive store said he needed a new alternator, so thats prob why he did that...The vehicle does not have a problem starting up and the battery is good..As soon as he puts it in drive, not but five mins after driving it starts to sound like its going to stall then it does

 
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Well, you didnt say that it starts and is drivable, that changes everything

THEN now it might be fuel filter...etc problem

 
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Yes, he said at the very beginning lol

Fuel pump is a possibility, has it been hooked up to a code reader?

 
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No he didnt, he just said lights werent working and engine dies

I assumed he meant while cranking...

Maybe be more specific next time? lol

 
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*ahem*

 
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ok......
Maybe I didn't read it all the way...

But who's counting anyways! :P
and who's looking into the smaller detail!

Go help the OP instead!

 
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some kind of short that happens only when the car is in drive?

 
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You answered you're own question in the first post

short

well and Ford Explorer

Finding shorts is a bugger.

Last winter we had some extra crappy weather here and my dash/marker lights went out. Turns out someone at some point had spliced into my right front marker light and some moisture got in and caused the short. It took hours to find it. Multimeter is your friend.

I'd check and clean the main grounds first (engine,frame,body off the battery). This can eliminate most eletrical 'gremlins' then start tracing your circuit back from the headlights (visually, then electrically).

Should've tested that alternator before replacing it. Takes like 2 minutes. Generally it's pretty easy to rebuild alternator for about 5% the cost of a new one. Brushes for my Toyota were $13 and lasted 100K miles.