82 electrical question
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
I don't know much about '82 Corvettes...but I would put money on it being related to a fault with the factory alarm system. Hopefully someone with more knowledge or a book will chime in. Good luck.
Do you have a manual for the car? An AIM or shop book?
Do you have a manual for the car? An AIM or shop book?
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
I just purchased this car in the spring so I dont know all of the cars history. One thing that I do know is that the car had an aftermarket alarm system on it which I removed. While I was removing it I did notice that some of the GM components that are referenced in the GM shop manual seemed to be missing. I dont know if an alarm system was a standard option, so I dont know if these missing components are the culprit, or its o.k. that some of the components are missing. I just wanted to be able to know what electrical systems could be checked for current draw at the fusebox and what systems couldn't.
B.T.W. Thanks
B.T.W. Thanks
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by Ivan_the_Red
I just purchased this car in the spring so I dont know all of the cars history. One thing that I do know is that the car had an aftermarket alarm system on it which I removed. While I was removing it I did notice that some of the GM components that are referenced in the GM shop manual seemed to be missing. I dont know if an alarm system was a standard option, so I dont know if these missing components are the culprit, or its o.k. that some of the components are missing. I just wanted to be able to know what electrical systems could be checked for current draw at the fusebox and what systems couldn't.
B.T.W. Thanks
B.T.W. Thanks
What I DO know is that the alarm system installed from the factory was spidered all through the car. It had it's fingers in everything from the ignition, to the horn, and lighting I think. I would do what you can to read up on it, and learn all it's ins and outs.
Your problem may not be the alarm, but it's good to know these things, so down the road when it won't start you'll know it's because the alarm has cut the ignition...
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 188
Likes: 1
From: Kamloops BC
if you have a multimeter that can measure current it is not that hard to trace down the problem.
Disconnect the ground connection and measure the total current flow to the battery by connecting the multimeter in series between the ground wire and the battery ground connection. Be real carefull about sparks at the battery, exploding car batteries cause more cases of acidental home blindness than any other cause.
I believe that the current should be somewhere around 35 mA after the interior lights shut off. Reconnect the battery and go to the fuse box. pull one fuse at a time and measure the current in that curcuit by using the multmeter in place of the fuse.
Someone else posted this procedure and it helped me find my problem.
I also had found that the alarm curcuit was drawing the battery down.
Cheers
Dale
Disconnect the ground connection and measure the total current flow to the battery by connecting the multimeter in series between the ground wire and the battery ground connection. Be real carefull about sparks at the battery, exploding car batteries cause more cases of acidental home blindness than any other cause.
I believe that the current should be somewhere around 35 mA after the interior lights shut off. Reconnect the battery and go to the fuse box. pull one fuse at a time and measure the current in that curcuit by using the multmeter in place of the fuse.
Someone else posted this procedure and it helped me find my problem.
I also had found that the alarm curcuit was drawing the battery down.
Cheers
Dale
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
A new, complete, all bells and whistles, custom electrical harness from Painless will cure all ails and update a VERY old electrical system.
J/K
A DMM will be your best friend in the long road to tracking down an electrical drain.
J/K
A DMM will be your best friend in the long road to tracking down an electrical drain.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,050
Likes: 147
From: Phoenix AZ
2021 C4 of the Year - Modified Finalist
electrical drain
the alternator is not fused.
unbolt the battery lead from it, and take the battery lead and just touch it to the battery stud on the alternator. if it sparks, there's your drain. You can buy a diode trio in a rebuild kit at your local auto parts store.
if it leaks current, your isolation diode in the alternator can be the problem.
do the fuse thing. if no results, trace the little wire that is part of your battery cable, and see where it goes. un hook it where it is connected to the wiring harness, and connect the ammeter to it, and if you get a amp reading, something on that bus is draining the battey.
unbolt the battery lead from it, and take the battery lead and just touch it to the battery stud on the alternator. if it sparks, there's your drain. You can buy a diode trio in a rebuild kit at your local auto parts store.
if it leaks current, your isolation diode in the alternator can be the problem.
do the fuse thing. if no results, trace the little wire that is part of your battery cable, and see where it goes. un hook it where it is connected to the wiring harness, and connect the ammeter to it, and if you get a amp reading, something on that bus is draining the battey.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
I did some electrical work tonight when out in the garage, and found a small drain that I never knew existed. It seems to have been going on for a long time, but I replaced the relay, and not it's all even. I'm surprised this never caused a dead battery before.
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