90' Q45 needs LOVE, help me love it

[xcrazymike]

ok so awhile back i had a 91' and swapped that engine into a 90' body and here and there i would get a display message "low battery charge" and when this was lit up there was no charge to the battery and this occured even before the engine swap. also all the electrical stuff seems to be crazy such as, a/c wont turn on until about 5minutes of driving after pushing the button, speedometer chooses when it wants to work it actually flew up and landed on the wrong side now and is stuck, also i took the alternator off with a buddy and brought it to autozone and it showed it was pushing out 19-20volts so since i know nothing about my car... could this cause it and have i already fried my q45? do i need a new alternator or a new voltage regulator and if so i was going to order an alternator but it showed it had a built in voltage regulator?? i didnt order anything. i need this car to run safely as a family car, it has been sitting for over a year now with very little driving done at all. also the "low battery charge" went away after i put a new battery in it to bring it back to the house from sitting in a parking lot for sale- whats up with this crap?!?! and i smell gas from the rear inside the car , the engine swap was messed up due to the mechanic plugging 2 switches into the engine that were backwards and they tried many procedures to fix this such as switching fuel pumps because it wouldnt start - i need some help! please?! also i think my title to the car is in my glovebox and i believe the lock is broken so i cant open it any suggestions would be great help, thank you all -

[Infinitiguy19]

I think you need a new alternator.

Do you have the master Key (Big a** key) or the little valet or wallet key?

What switches did they plug in backwards?

Can you confirm that there is fuel and spark?

Welcome to NICO.

Paragraphs are your Friends.

[qship96]

Cash For Clunkers is your BEST friend!

[xcrazymike]

hey paul wall, im not great on proper punctuation or anything im charging up my camera and i will take pictures very soon because you ask me what switches and i can't tell you so i'll need to post them - sorry! i have the wallet key right now but i had my mother hide the big key from me so i wouldnt drive it along time ago but i found the wallet key and learned it cranked the engine

what do you mean can i confirm it has fuel and spark??also, do you really think it may just be the alternator? should i order an alternator with the voltage regulator in it??

thank you in advance, help me save this car! pics will be up very soon

[xcrazymike]

hey by the way.... where can i upload these images i have of the car for you to see?

[qship96]

You can not open the glovebox with the small valet key by design. Low battery charge warning went away with brand new battery because a new battery has a full charge.....give it a little time with a malfunctioning charging system and the warning will reappear.

Sounds like alot of typical old Q deferred maintenance issues are happening at once on the ole girl- you must be prepared to sink a few thousand upfront into the Q to catchup and then plan on a operating budget of about $250/month to maintain some sense of a reliable semi functioning daily driver.

[xcrazymike]

hey qship, you are right i bet but i need this car for now and i dont have much money lol... lawyers get all my money also, i have the big key now and it doesnt open the glovebox ...! how can i open it up or should i just rip it off and deal with it since my first Q had the glovebox in the trunk anyhow lol

how do i post images on here? do i need my own server?

[Infinitiguy19]

what do you mean can i confirm it has fuel and spark?

I mean is the fuel pump working, as in can you hear it prime for about 5 seconds when the ignition is in the ON position?

And for spark can you confirm all the spark plugs are firing?

also, do you really think it may just be the alternator? should i order an alternator with the voltage regulator in it??

You should either have someone who has been in the business for a long time rebuild your current alternator or Buy a New OEM one.

The rebuild is cheaper, but it depends on the person rebuilding it as to how long it will last.

As for aftermarket well you can take your chances there but some do get lucky, It all depends on the Chinese persons day.

[xcrazymike]

i'm not sure paul wall about thee fuel pump i dont recall ever hearing it but who knows i would go check but kids left a door open and the battery is dead once again

i'm not quite sure about the spark plugs.. i just remembered that sometimes i try to crank the car and i guess it floods then i have to do a trick my uncle taught me , clamping off a hose under the hood then cranking it and let it fire then quickly go remove the clamped hose...

that mechanic butchered my car

i have images of my trunk and looks like gas stains everywhere and a picture of the switches from the front of the car on the left side of the engine near the transmission stick.. how could i show you the pictures?

i have time to save some money since i MAY get my license back near the end of september, im just trying to get prepared to drive this sexy beast again.. lol