Power Out - Completely Dead
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 447
Likes: 5
From: Double Oak TX
Power Out - Completely Dead
Trying to track down an electrical gremlin and could use some help. I have a 1969 L-46, manual transmission (coupe).
While driving, the car will just go completely dead. No lights, no engine, just completely dead. Disconnect the battery, wait a couple of minutes, reconnect it and it will fire right up. No evidence of a drained battery, which seems to also eliminate an alternator problem. I've checked, cleaned and reconnected the battery cables to the battery terminal posts, the battery to frame ground, the ground from the block to the frame and the connections from the battery to the starter.
Any suggestions?
While driving, the car will just go completely dead. No lights, no engine, just completely dead. Disconnect the battery, wait a couple of minutes, reconnect it and it will fire right up. No evidence of a drained battery, which seems to also eliminate an alternator problem. I've checked, cleaned and reconnected the battery cables to the battery terminal posts, the battery to frame ground, the ground from the block to the frame and the connections from the battery to the starter.
Any suggestions?
Last edited by Cajun_LS3; May 14, 2016 at 10:33 PM.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 316
Likes: 39
From: Machesney Park IL
After thinking the car is running on Windows, as a reboot fixes it with no explanation...
The only thing I see you are doing is moving wires. When it happens, I would leave the key on, turn the radio all the way up, and try moving the wires, near the starter first. You might have a bad wire inside the insulation, gets hot and separates, cools and you move wires, and it touches again.
The only thing I see you are doing is moving wires. When it happens, I would leave the key on, turn the radio all the way up, and try moving the wires, near the starter first. You might have a bad wire inside the insulation, gets hot and separates, cools and you move wires, and it touches again.
Last edited by vbgod1; May 15, 2016 at 12:03 AM.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,615
Likes: 150
From: Forth Worth TX
You may have a shorted cell in the battery, it can be intermittent. Sometimes you can smell rotten eggs/sulfur near the battery? If you do, time to replace.
Last edited by Revi; May 15, 2016 at 01:18 AM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 447
Likes: 5
From: Double Oak TX
Started it up this morning without issue. Disconnected the positive cable from the battery. Car kept running and lights stayed on.
Seems like this eliminates an issue with the battery, or battery cable.
Also seems like the alternator is doing its job.
Looks like the electrical distribution goes from the battery to the starter and then branches off from there. Starter cranks fine, but I wonder if something has gone wrong internally causing complete power failure?
Seems like this eliminates an issue with the battery, or battery cable.
Also seems like the alternator is doing its job.
Looks like the electrical distribution goes from the battery to the starter and then branches off from there. Starter cranks fine, but I wonder if something has gone wrong internally causing complete power failure?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 447
Likes: 5
From: Double Oak TX
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,259
Likes: 154
From: Deplorableville Nebraska
I assume that if the fusible link goes, it would stay dead.
Make a long story short, the fused link at the horn relay fried. The 2 sections of wire were still close however, and must have made contact to supply power again. Just because an old link fails doesn't mean it kills the circuit when re-connected.
Got the t-shirt.........
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,430
Likes: 59
From: Long beach NY
St. Jude Donor '15-'16, '18
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