Diagnosing Possessed Electrical System
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 614
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From: Johnson City Tennessee
Diagnosing Possessed Electrical System
If you've been keeping up with the video progress on this car you know I'm building it with your help from the internet & you know all to well that the way this project has been going from day 1 is "Fix 1 thing & 2 more break" so I wont beat around the bush here, I've eliminated 1 chunk of problems & now have a chunk of new problems times 2 on my hands & my electrical system has major problems.
Recently, to eliminate a big chunk of the problems I pulled all my center gauges & replaced them with aftermarket gauges(don't hate me). It did help because I now have a few gauges (oil pressure & volt meter) that work but the problems are wide spread & erratic, not just gauge related.
This erratic behavior; works one day doesn't the next, does something but nothing remotely coherent etc., has to have a logical solution but it is beyond my current electrical diagnosis capability & thats where I need your, the brilliant & patient members of Corvette Forums, help again.
I own a little volt meter but very inexperienced with using & understanding it. The car is not blowing fuses. I do have detailed wiring diagrams that I can refer to. (happy to E-mail them to you as well they are for a 1979)
Ask me questions, tell me to check specifics & I'll tell you what says what & what does what when I make changes. I am very poor when it comes to troubleshooting & diagnoses. So I must stress "specifics". Like many threads, this thread will be a crash coarse for me but I do learn quickly.
I wish to thank you ahead of time for posting & reading. I know this thread has potential to get lengthy quickly.
Here is the latest video link that shows & describes the majority of the problems. (Yes, I do have too much time on my hands).
Corvette Video 21
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/C...tem_205854.htm
Recently, to eliminate a big chunk of the problems I pulled all my center gauges & replaced them with aftermarket gauges(don't hate me). It did help because I now have a few gauges (oil pressure & volt meter) that work but the problems are wide spread & erratic, not just gauge related.
This erratic behavior; works one day doesn't the next, does something but nothing remotely coherent etc., has to have a logical solution but it is beyond my current electrical diagnosis capability & thats where I need your, the brilliant & patient members of Corvette Forums, help again.
I own a little volt meter but very inexperienced with using & understanding it. The car is not blowing fuses. I do have detailed wiring diagrams that I can refer to. (happy to E-mail them to you as well they are for a 1979)
Ask me questions, tell me to check specifics & I'll tell you what says what & what does what when I make changes. I am very poor when it comes to troubleshooting & diagnoses. So I must stress "specifics". Like many threads, this thread will be a crash coarse for me but I do learn quickly.
I wish to thank you ahead of time for posting & reading. I know this thread has potential to get lengthy quickly.
Here is the latest video link that shows & describes the majority of the problems. (Yes, I do have too much time on my hands).
Corvette Video 21
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/C...tem_205854.htm
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
Since you say your not experienced with a voltmeter I would suggest you go to the auto parts store or Harbour Freight and buy a standard 12v test light ($5-$8).You are going to be looking for power on each circuit you are testing,the voltmeter is TOO sensitive for what you are doing and can show you 12 volts even on the grounding side.I can also explain to you how you can reverse the test light when you are looking for available grounds.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,117
Likes: 104
From: charlotte north carolina
your headlight situation may be a vaccum leak on the close side of the actuator. when you installed the new gauges, you may have disconnected a ground wire. remove the battery ground wire from the chassis point and freshen the contact. pull a kick panel and run an extra ground from the metal of the lower birdcage to the frame. make sure the large ground lug that attaches to the bellhouse bolt near the starter is there and making good contact.
btw nice video, speilberg!
btw nice video, speilberg!
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 614
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From: Johnson City Tennessee
No but I noticed on this new picture diagram I got that there is a harness ground to the left of the speedo. Doesn't actually show what it goes to, I assume there is a piece of metal in the dash. I'll tear into it & find it & check it out here pretty soon.
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Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 614
Likes: 0
From: Johnson City Tennessee
Since you say your not experienced with a voltmeter I would suggest you go to the auto parts store or Harbour Freight and buy a standard 12v test light ($5-$8).You are going to be looking for power on each circuit you are testing,the voltmeter is TOO sensitive for what you are doing and can show you 12 volts even on the grounding side.I can also explain to you how you can reverse the test light when you are looking for available grounds.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 614
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From: Johnson City Tennessee
By chance, I ran across this at a yard sale today for $2 & figured it was worth a shot. Are any of these testing tools what I needed to get? I'm pretty sure the one on the right will tell me if something has power because it has a light but I have no clue what the rest of them do.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Johnson City Tennessee
Spielberg? Hardly! After that episode I fired my car as an actor for artistic differences.
I wanted the radio to come on & play you keep a knockin, it stopped coming on so I had to do it without showing the radio. I wanted the seat to adjust to do the squished against the steering wheel scene, it didn't move. I wanted it to crash through a gas station & have it burning on fire chasing me down the road but it wouldn't run long enough to drive down the street to the gas station to do it etc etc.
Anyway, I had several things I was gonna do with that episode but like I said, I had a lot of artistic differences going on between me & the car so thats all I was actually able to get on film.
I wanted the radio to come on & play you keep a knockin, it stopped coming on so I had to do it without showing the radio. I wanted the seat to adjust to do the squished against the steering wheel scene, it didn't move. I wanted it to crash through a gas station & have it burning on fire chasing me down the road but it wouldn't run long enough to drive down the street to the gas station to do it etc etc.
Anyway, I had several things I was gonna do with that episode but like I said, I had a lot of artistic differences going on between me & the car so thats all I was actually able to get on film.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Johnson City Tennessee
However, I've never driven this car so I don't have any insurance on it.
For now, I'll just keep unhooking the battery before I turn my back on it.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Johnson City Tennessee
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 75
Likes: 0
From: texas
in looking at your picture
you have all the grounds tied together including the fuel guage ground.
and reading the instructions at http://earchitect.50megs.com/corvette/gauge.htm
it says several times to reuse the original ground for the fuel guage.
you have all the grounds tied together including the fuel guage ground.
and reading the instructions at http://earchitect.50megs.com/corvette/gauge.htm
it says several times to reuse the original ground for the fuel guage.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,269
Likes: 480
From: Salmon Arm, BC
In regards to your yard sale find, the one on the right is for your 110v plug in recepticle. I think the one you need to use is second from the right. The one on the left looks interesting as well........any instructions with this set???
Pro
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 649
Likes: 8
From: COOKEVILLE TN
I heard that, but you could have the mechanic tell you what's up and what he did to fix the problem. It's always a last resort to take it to a mechanic ( hate to dish out money for somebody to work on any of my cars )......Do you want to drive it or just wait around and hope somebody tells you how to fix it ? I feel your pain man !
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Johnson City Tennessee
I'm PMing my address for mapquest or GPS use. 
Racer
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 402
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From: Kingsport TN
Got PM
Do you have an assembly manual? What kind of wiring diagram do you have? I have a 79 Also so we can reference off of it if needed. Its tore apart so all the wires are easy to access.
Ill PM you my schedule.
Do you have an assembly manual? What kind of wiring diagram do you have? I have a 79 Also so we can reference off of it if needed. Its tore apart so all the wires are easy to access.
Ill PM you my schedule.