Dak won't start - Please Help!

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Dak won't start - Please Help! - 5/12/2008 10:14:42 PM    DaveinSoCal   Posts: 16 Joined: 8/15/2006 Status: offline Problem started the other day when I started my '98 dak (2.5 w/5 speed) and noted a "check guages" light on the dash. So I looked and saw the amp guage needle only 1/4 way up...uh oh, looks like alternator went bad. Drove home & pulled alternator and took it to Autozone for a bench test. Tested OK. Went home and put it back on and charged the batt. Been driving that way (charging batt every day) for a few days. Yesterday I noted that the fuse closest to the batt cables, in the power distribution center was burned out. Couldn't find another 140 amp fuse in town so laid a small peice of metal across the fuse to make a connection. Started the engine and sparks flew from the fuse and almost melted the little peice of metal. Sounds like a short somewhere. Had a mechanic do a quick test and he said even though the alternator tested good there could be something wrong with it. He said the black wire from the batt to the alt was "dead". How does a wire go dead? Later I started it up to leave work and it started spitten', sputtered and died. Got it started again and in a few seconds it ran fine. Went to Napa to price a new alternator and when I came out it wouldn't start. Turns over fine; batt charged up enough, but won't even begin to start. Had it towed home, put on a new alternator  but same problem. I'm sorry for the long post, but that's the only way I could fully describe the problem. I'm hoping you guys can come up with the answer as the garage want $80 just to diagnose. Thanks for any help you can give me. Dave Post #: 1

RE: Dak won't start - Please Help! - 5/13/2008 1:34:00 PM    DaveinSoCal   Posts: 16 Joined: 8/15/2006 Status: offline Somethin' else: poured some gas down the throttle body this morning and it starts up and runs fine. Shut it down and try to start it without doing that and it won't start. Any ideas? (in reply to DaveinSoCal) Post #: 2

RE: Dak won't start - Please Help! - 5/13/2008 3:23:51 PM    moe7404   Posts: 328 Joined: 7/7/2007 Status: offline      moe in wichita ks i have never seen a 140 amp fuse, but iam not saying you dont have one.  could it be a circuit breaker?  you may have a bad conection some where.   dead wire?  what i have seen is one end will have a no conection between the cable and the metal end, sound crazy but it does happen.  you cant see it cause its inside.  (in reply to DaveinSoCal) Post #: 3

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