[Jester The Slacker]

I’ve got a 2004 Santa Fe 2.7L engine 6 cyl. Engine. 157k Miles.

Last week my speedometer stopped working. Mechanic told me to wait until a engine light come on to rule out a problem with the cluster before changing the speed sensor but never did. Today as I was driving to the shop to get the cluster checked the car stalled on me in the middle of the goddamn road. All the lights in the dash came on.

I was able to restart and drive to the shop but dude told me he couldn’t even look at it until Monday. I don’t have that kind of time. The engine light came on and a scan at autozone gave me oxygen sensor codes (as it has done for four years). I hear a periodic clicking under the car that sound like electrical sparks to me but could be nothing - I don’t know.

Would a ****** battery cause my alternator to overwork and the car to stall? I know the oxygen sensors wouldn’t do that. Airbag light came on as well.

Thanks in advance

 

[jsinton]

I"ll bet you 10 to 1 you got bad ground from motor to battery. Please see link: http://www.hyundai-forums.com/entou...r-electrical-gremlin-ghost-entourage-kia.html

 

[Jester The Slacker]

I"ll bet you 10 to 1 you got bad ground from motor to battery. Please see link: http://www.hyundai-forums.com/entou...r-electrical-gremlin-ghost-entourage-kia.html

10-1 heh? Pretty good odds then.

How should I proceed? What should I look at first before going to a car electrician?

 

[AUTOSPARK]

What should I look at first before going to a car electrician?

I'd suggest you take a look at the crank sensor wiring and make sure you don't find anything like the two 2.7 crank sensors shown in the photo below. There is a known issue on the 2.7V6 engine with the sensor insulation becoming brittle and breaking up due to heat from the exhaust. That could certainly explain why it stalled while driving. It wouldn't have any bearing on the speedometer fault though.

 

[Jester The Slacker]

I'd suggest you take a look at the crank sensor wiring and make sure you don't find anything like the two 2.7 crank sensors shown in the photo below. There is a known issue on the 2.7V6 engine with the sensor insulation becoming brittle and breaking up due to heat from the exhaust. That could certainly explain why it stalled while driving. It wouldn't have any bearing on the speedometer fault

I’m familiar with this issue. I had that sensor replaced around this time last year. I’ll have my mechanic look at it for me. Other than replacing the sensor what else should I do? Is it just gonna happen again later on? Maybe add some additional insulation before reinstalling a new one?

I’ve researched and haven’t been able to find any info on how to prevent that sensor from burning up like that.

 

[AUTOSPARK]

If you've recently replaced the sensor the wiring is unlikely to be damaged, but routing the wire through a length of heat reflective sleeving should prevent future damage.

 

[jsinton]

10-1 heh? Pretty good odds then.

How should I proceed? What should I look at first before going to a car electrician?

It's real easy to fix yourself if so inclined. Simply go out and buy a suitable length of black battery cable with suitable ends and bolt one end to the negative battery post, and the other to a solid ground on the motor, i.e. a bolt on the motor which bolts to metal. Instant relief if indeed this is your problem.

 

[AUTOSPARK]

I hear a periodic clicking under the car that sound like electrical sparks to me

Maybe you have one of those Van de Graaff generator crank pulleys that some 2.7 engines have.....

 

[AUTOSPARK]

It's real easy to fix yourself if so inclined. Simply go out and buy a suitable length of black battery cable with suitable ends and bolt one end to the negative battery post, and the other to a solid ground on the motor, i.e. a bolt on the motor which bolts to metal. Instant relief if indeed this is your problem.

What about the body ground? Shouldn't he beef that up too?

 

[jsinton]

What about the body ground? Shouldn't he beef that up too?

By all means, most certainly clean the ground too. The cheesy oem battery cable bolts to the body. But if you just want to test the starting gremlin and not get too dirty, just add a cable.

 

[Jester The Slacker]

Maybe you have one of those Van de Graaff generator crank pulleys that some 2.7 engines have.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IKesd4fqHM

Yes! That’s exactly what I hear. Is that supposed to happen? Or is it an issue?

 

[Jester The Slacker]

It's real easy to fix yourself if so inclined. Simply go out and buy a suitable length of black battery cable with suitable ends and bolt one end to the negative battery post, and the other to a solid ground on the motor, i.e. a bolt on the motor which bolts to metal. Instant relief if indeed this is your problem.

Do you have a picture or diagram of what that fix might look like? If it is a bad ground what symptoms would the car show?

 

[AUTOSPARK]

But if you just want to test the starting gremlin and not get too dirty, just add a cable.

Did I miss something? What starting gremlin?

Yes! That’s exactly what I hear. Is that supposed to happen? Or is it an issue?

No, it's not supposed to happen. I don't think it will cause any issues though, other than radio interference perhaps. Unless you've got a fuel leak :surprise:
You might want to replace the belt though to see if that cures it.

 

[jsinton]

Did I miss something? What starting gremlin?


No, it's not supposed to happen. I don't think it will cause any issues though, other than radio interference perhaps. Unless you've got a fuel leak :surprise:
You might want to replace the belt though to see if that cures it.

Oh, silly me. Starting gremlin...duh. Stalling please.

 

[jsinton]

Do you have a picture or diagram of what that fix might look like? If it is a bad ground what symptoms would the car show?

I don't really have a picture. But I would suggest that if you cannot visualize and conceptualize how it would work for you, then perhaps it's a job for someone with a little more knowledge and skills that could do for you?

There are a myriad of symptoms that could occur. Mostly having to do with stalling/starting gremlins that can come and go intermittently. Dead battery is another, that's what it does on my 2007 Tucson. One day it's okay, then it mysteriously has gremlins the next, etc.

 

[gibbardish]

Today as I was driving to the shop to get the cluster checked the car stalled on me in the middle of the goddamn road. All the lights in the dash came on.

Did it stall while you were driving? (How fast where you going?) Or did it stall while you were stopped?