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Maintenance & Repair Electronic Gremlins: Electrical Problems That Are Driving You Crazy
1085 messages, Last post on Oct 29, 2009 at 11:41 AM
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Ok, so I just gifted myself a swank new Z2. Was wondering if I need to buy any expensive accessories to protect it? You know like a leather pouch or plastic screen shield.
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Replying to: typethree (Jan 06, 2009 9:41 pm) |
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My '91 toyota celica keeps blowing alternator fuses. I took the alternator to advance auto and they said that its fine. I also tried replacing the fuse with the alternator unplugged, but when I reconnected the battery, the fuse blew right away. Sounds like a bad ground or a short, but does anyone have any idea where it may be?
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Replying to: email4kh (Oct 22, 2008 1:26 pm) 
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Replying to: swnkylaxplyr (Jan 31, 2009 10:27 pm) The alternator fuse does usually protect other circuits besides the alternator, let me try to give you an analogy which isn't the greatest, but you may get the concept. Lets assume you have a savings and checking account at a bank. Your paycheck normally gets deposited into your checking account, and you pay your utility bills each month directly from your checking account. In a normal month, you may have zero dollars transferred between your savings and checking account, but lots of activity within your checking account. That fuse is between the battery (your savings account), and the checking account (your alternator). Hanging off on that alternator circuit side could be a number of different fused circuits, all capable of drawing off current (those utility bills). As an illustrative example only, lets say one of them might be a fused headlight circuit. When those headlights are on and the engine is running, the power is coming directly from the alternator, it does not pass thru that 90? amp alternator fuse. Only if the engine wasn't running and the alternator wasn't making power, would the required power come from the battery. So the current going thru that 90? amp fuse, is more like the current that is charging back up the battery. Back to the analogy, when you buy some furniture you withdraw money out of your savings, and then over the course of the next couple of months you slowly fill your savings account back up. In a vehicle, some circuits are wired on the battery side (typically like the starter motor), and some are wired on the alternator side of that fuse. So if you had electrical schematics, you'd be able to see which fused circuits are on the alternator side of that fuse. You should be tripping the individual fuses first before being able to draw the 90? amp and blow that alternator fuse. If it was my vehicle without electrical schematics, here's the stuff I would probably do: - would suspect first, anything added electrically to the vehicle, where someone might have spliced into some wires (added in a new stereo, trailer hitch, alarm system, HID lights?) - inspect for corrosion on cabling, either on the positive or grounds, at battery connections, starter connections, fuselink box connections. - I would then suspect electrical things that 'wear' with age. The ignition switch, which on an old vehicle has seen many cycles of turning off and on, and may have developed an internal short. The cig socket, which can get prongs bent inside, wiring on the drivers door jamb or trunk which goes thru bending opening and closing, etc. - the next diagnostic technique I'd try is to carefully label and pull all the fuses I could find (both engine compartment and cabin. Make sure you know exactly which fuse came out of which slot, and take close up pictures if need be. Once all the fuses were out, replace the 90A alternator fuse and hopefully it won't blow. Begin putting the fuses back, starting up in the engine compartment first as those tend to be the main circuits. If your 90A fuse then blows, then you have focused in on the problem area. This can be a very labor intensive approach. A set of electrical schematics could save you hours and hours of work, so personally, I'd be buying that first. The real point of this post, expand your diagnostics beyond thinking you have an 'alternator' problem. |
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For 6 months or so, once a month, when it rained HARD for HOURS (not in light rain), and my car (2004 Accord EX) was outside, I would experience the nav unit (which includes the radio and clock) quickly flickering off and on until the car warmed up. My mechanic told me "well, you could bring it in and pay me to fish around, but it doesnt seem worth it. Wait and see if it gets worse." Last Friday, torrential rains, car outside all day. Nav unit was again flickering on and off, with greater rapidity than I have seen. Over the course of 15 minutes (before car warmed up/dryed out I guess), it probably flickered on and off 75 times. Maybe 15 times, the flicker was accompanied by the ABS and Brake indicator lights on the dash flickering on the dash itself (i.e. as far as I know, it was just the indicator lights flickering), and the gas cutting out. These are super quick flickers, the gas cutting out was noticeable, but over so quickly it didnt seem overly dangerous and I crossed my fingers and drove home. I am very concerned I got ripped on the repair work that was done. The tech essentially admitted to me that there was no thorough testing of the electrical system. Sounded like he stopped at a visual inspection of the wires/connections. He noticed that by jiggling the key in the slot, he could make the power flicker and decided the ignition switch was bad. He recovered a code that had led to the check enginge light being on, which reported a problem with the main computer control system, which he said was hopefully just from the power spike. He reported that he "used a hose" on the car but was unable to recreate the problem. He took the car for a "test drive" today (no rain today.) So "maybe" it was the ignition switch. I am getting a bill for $390 for this! Hope I'm wrong, but my guess is that the next time the car is out in/after heavy rain, I'm going to be cursing up a storm when the problems reoccur. Most of my drive to work is a busy highway, so its probably not to safe either. What the heck? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. |
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i have a 88 ford ranger 4/4. we put a new battery in it and starter and drove it home. my son drove it up the road, now it wont start.rolls over but wont fire. we have replaced ingnition key cylinder, distributer. distributer cap and rotor button, coil, plugs wires. we have also had the ignition module checked 3 tmes they say its good. it rolls over but still wont start. i was told it was in the distibuter so thats why i bought the new one, but it still wont fire. please help.
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Replying to: sunfire344890 (Apr 10, 2009 6:40 am) Has anyone tested for the following? 1. Is there a spark at the plug when the engine cranks? 2. Is there a pulse at the injectors when you crank? 3. Is there fuel pressure in the fuel rail? Any good mechanic has the testing tools for these 3 tests, and the "yes/no" answer will tell you which way to proceed toward a solution. |
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Hello, Passenger electric window stopped working on my 1999 voyager a while ago, Recently driver electric window stopped working. it looks like Chrysler have some major electric problems, I woul appreciate any feedback.
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Replying to: m1966 (May 12, 2009 1:35 pm) Sounds like you need to get to the underside of your drivers switch to check whether it is supplying voltage to the window regulator/motor assemblies, or not. |
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