Electrical problems
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Mar 2021
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Edmonton
Electrical problems
Hey everyone,
I wanted to see if anyone is aware of or has experienced this problem. This season when I was changing the oil and pumping the tires up after taking my ‘76 out of storage, I noticed some electrical problems. The passenger power window wouldn’t go down, the dash light bulbs don’t light up (signal lights work, just the general backlight/bulb to light speedometer), and the signal lights on the back and front don’t work while I’m in gear, unless I have my foot on the breaks.
Having all these problems occur at the same time, I wonder if a fuse has possibly went and a common electrical circuit was effected, but I know next to nothing about vehicle electrical. Is there an obvious problem here? I live in AB Canada and it got to -45°C (-49F°) some days of the winter, though the vehicle was stored in an attached semi-insulated garage (no heat other than attached house heating, but no connection to furnace like the rest of the house).
thanks in advance to anyone reading and replying!
I wanted to see if anyone is aware of or has experienced this problem. This season when I was changing the oil and pumping the tires up after taking my ‘76 out of storage, I noticed some electrical problems. The passenger power window wouldn’t go down, the dash light bulbs don’t light up (signal lights work, just the general backlight/bulb to light speedometer), and the signal lights on the back and front don’t work while I’m in gear, unless I have my foot on the breaks.
Having all these problems occur at the same time, I wonder if a fuse has possibly went and a common electrical circuit was effected, but I know next to nothing about vehicle electrical. Is there an obvious problem here? I live in AB Canada and it got to -45°C (-49F°) some days of the winter, though the vehicle was stored in an attached semi-insulated garage (no heat other than attached house heating, but no connection to furnace like the rest of the house).
thanks in advance to anyone reading and replying!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 7,417
Likes: 1,554
From: mount holly NC
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2019 C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods)
WOW! That's cold.
Let's start here:
Check that the fuses have power on both sides as it sounds like you might have corrosion on the terminals that hold the fuses.
With the headlight switch pulled out check the instrument fuse on both sides.
Check that the fuses have power on both sides as it sounds like you might have corrosion on the terminals that hold the fuses.
With the headlight switch pulled out check the instrument fuse on both sides.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Mar 2021
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Edmonton
thanks I’ll give this a shot. Where would I be without people like you on this forum
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 13,151
Likes: 7,764
From: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
2025 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Ahhhh, sounds like ground problems to me.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2021
Posts: 2,261
Likes: 1,304
From: Fleming Island, FL
You description of the symptoms are a little vague so I'm going to take a guess. It sounds like the signal light but don't flash, right? At those temperature I would bet that the alternator belt is slipping and you have a low voltage situation.
