Run some extra "temporary" grounds and see if that cures the problem.
Need help! electrical probelms driving me crazy.
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Racer
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Orange massachusettes
Need help! electrical problems driving me crazy.
Need help w/sorting out electrical problem. Sitting in garage the radio and brake lights and clock all work. Go for a ride and radio cuts out/shuts itself off. Seems to happen at the same time brakes are applied. Most of the time you can just turn radio back on, and it will stay for a while until it happens again. Radio doesnt cut out every time you hit brakes, only sometimes. The last time the radio went out it would not come back on. I also lost brakes lights at that time, and clock also stopped working. The wipers also quit working at about the same time these other problems started happening. The other day I drove 25 miles w/out brake lights or radio until I got home. Then everything started working again, W/the exception of the wipers. If you push wiper switch in for washer/mist they will cycle, otherwise they dont work. I am thinking that there all related, or at least the radio and the brake lights. I have half of the dash apart trying to see if they all share a common ground. So far no luck. I was expecting to see a ground stap/cable from metal wiper switch console and radio console to bird cage or frame, but i dont see any. ANY suggestions would be great.
Last edited by 72 LT1; Sep 29, 2008 at 02:41 PM.
Melting Slicks
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My vote is a grounding problem. The radio gets it's ground from the drivers side door jamb grounding point. My assembly manual says it's around the door hinge pillar reinforcing plate, above the courtesy lamp switch. Look for a black 14ga wire.
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Racer
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From: Orange massachusettes
Blue by you, thanks for the idea, I was thinking the same thing. Any ideas on the wiper problem? Starting to think that might be something on its own. Like I stated before, the wiper motor will cycle when washer/mist wiper button is pushed in, otherwise wont work. I can hear a"snap" sound thru radio speaker when wiper switch is cycled. Any thoughts??
Thread Starter
Racer
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From: Orange massachusettes
shafrs3, thanks for the reply. I found the wire in the manual and have located it under the dash. Looks like I'll have to drop steering column in order to get enough room to get dash and gauges out of the way. Just not enough room to get to the ground wire, where it is bolted to door jam.
Melting Slicks
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You may be able to locate it by following the harness from the fuse block up. It should be the first back 14ga wire that breaks out of the harness, unless bubba has been there.
Yon might save yourself some work and strip some insulation from the wire and run a clip cord from the bare wire to a good ground and see if that cures your problem.
Yon might save yourself some work and strip some insulation from the wire and run a clip cord from the bare wire to a good ground and see if that cures your problem.
Last edited by shafrs3; Sep 29, 2008 at 03:10 PM.
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Orange massachusettes
I have had the radio playing for over an hour today, damn thing wont go out! Hard to find the problem when its working. Good idea on temporary/supplementle ground. Will get some wire and run new ground on Tues.
Race Director
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From: Dayton, Ohio
One other thing to note if you are trying to engage the wipers with a bad ground to the switch...if the switch receives a ground through your hand and the wipers start to move you will be bit (shocked) pretty good.
Run a temp ground to the cluster frame holding the wiper switch so you dont experience this.
EDIT.A question for the electrical engineers.Why does this "no hard on for a week" shock take place? Is it the motor windings storing this energy,the wiper door solenoid or a capacitor in the system?
Last edited by ...Roger...; Sep 29, 2008 at 03:47 PM.
Thread Starter
Racer
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From: Orange massachusettes
DWncchs, thanks for the shock warning, but its too late. Allready got "bit". I noticed that the 2 radio console studs that attatch to the center console are w/ out nuts. They are just sitting in the slots. Are you saying that they should be grounded thru the center console?? I am going to chk center terminal on temp guauge(it works by the way) make sure its clean/tight.
I noticed that the 2 radio console studs that attatch to the center console are w/ out nuts. They are just sitting in the slots. Are you saying that they should be grounded thru the center console?? I am going to chk center terminal on temp guauge(it works by the way) make sure its clean/tight.
Race Director
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From: Dayton, Ohio
DWncchs, thanks for the shock warning, but its too late. Allready got "bit". I noticed that the 2 radio console studs that attatch to the center console are w/ out nuts. They are just sitting in the slots. Are you saying that they should be grounded thru the center console?? I am going to chk center terminal on temp guauge(it works by the way) make sure its clean/tight.
I noticed that the 2 radio console studs that attatch to the center console are w/ out nuts. They are just sitting in the slots. Are you saying that they should be grounded thru the center console?? I am going to chk center terminal on temp guauge(it works by the way) make sure its clean/tight.You ask- Should they be grounded thru the center console?.......Yes but in addition to the other grounds.The bolts were not for grounding but serve as a path for ground.
Look for black wires that are unconnected or cut off.
It wont hurt to add some extra grounds but there should plenty of factory grounds providing you can find them.
Melting Slicks
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According to the Dr. Rebuild schematic, there should be another ground wire spanning from the dash harness grounding point to the center console, ring terminals on both ends. He calls it the "PW ground on console", looks like the main console ground to me.
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Racer
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From: Orange massachusettes
Well, the saga continues. I ran new ground from radio/harness directly to neg post on batt. Went to try out radio, and NOTHING happens. Chked fuse box for blown fuse and found only half of the fuse block has power. The acs. side powers up w/ the key on, but no constant power/no power to tail light fuse/stop light fuse/radio fuse/clearance light fuse nor clock fuse. It was my understanding that the stop/tail and batt terminals were hot all the time, key on or off. I ran out of time working on car for the day. I will attempt to remove bulk head connections at fuse block this week, hoping for bad/corroded connection. At least now I have a direction to go. Any other suggestions??
Le Mans Master
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From: McHenry Illinois
You may have a bad conection where the harness plugs into the front of the fuse box. There should be a screw in the middle of the harness plug on the engine side of the firewall. One of the contacts in there may be corroded or loose.
Thread Starter
Racer
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From: Orange massachusettes
Pulled bulkhead connector off and chked for corroded or loose terminals. None found, all looks good. Pulled fuse box loose and split it apart (BIG pain in the ***) hoping to see a direct wire thru bulkhead to power up stop lamps/tail lamps/batt terminal ect. No such luck. All wires run up into harness THEN come back down to power up fuse box. Struck me as kinda odd to have unfused power running thru car, even if its just up and thru ignition switch and back down. Any thoughts??