Here is my 1st problem.

I have an 84 vette that has some sort of charging issue. I replaced the battery, the battery terminals, and cleaned several chassis grounds. At the same time had the alternator tested at autozone (off of the car). The alternator tested fine and the new battery is new and has been tested as well. I took the vette back to autozone today to get another electrical test done on it when running and alternator connected. The testing equipment determined that I did not have any charge coming from my alternator. The autozone man said that it must be in my wiring from my alternator. I am not sure of how to test the wiring or where to start looking for the problem. If anyone has any pics, ideas, or has been through the same situation your help would be greatly appreciated.


Here is my 2nd problem

When I bought the car about a month ago, the lights worked fine. When I changed the battery, the headlights, dimmer, interior lights, and radio quit working. The parking lights wont turn on either. I double checked everything that I did when changing the battery to make sure I did not leave something unplugged and did not. I also went through the fuse box to make sure all fuses are in good shape which they are. Is there any chance that something could have surged when changing the battery to blow a relay or switch? Has anyone else experienced this?

 

I have similar problems with my 84. I'll be watching how this post goes.


GOOD LUCK!!!

 

The regulator is built into the alternator. You can get one from the parts store, and tear your alternator apart to change it. It is nothing special. Most people don't bother to diagnose and repair alternators, they just exchange them.

I doubt changing the battery had anything to do with the other problems. I am not familiar with those troubles, but I would start by checking the fusible links.

RACE ON!!!

 

The alternator checked out fine though on the autozone alternator diag machine when removed from the car. I would hope that this test would also cover the regulator as well seeing how it's built in?

Which fusable links most often cause the trouble in the lighting system, are there any that usually fail first? Does this sound like a problem with the headlight switch itself??

 

The red alternator output wire goes to your battery and has a fusible link. If the alternator tests ok out of the car but doesn't charge the battery in the car, then most likely the fusible link is blown and needs to be replaced. Measure the resistance between the battery positive terminal and the alternator output wire, it should measure very low resistance, the same as touching the ohmeter probes together. There are other possible causes, one being a blown fusible link that goes to the ignition switch. This could explain no alternator output because the alternator voltage regulator gets power from the ign sw. Also this would explain no headlights, interior lights, and no radio. With the ign sw in run, measure the voltage on the red wire on the connector that plugs into the alternator, you can unplug the connector and measure this voltage, it should be 12 volts. If no 12v, then find the fusible link that goes to the ignition switch and measure its resistance, it should be the same as touching the ohmeter probes together.

 

Thanks very much JFB, that's the intuitive answer I am looking for. I will try those things tomorrow and see what I can come up with.

 

There are also about three fusible links down by the starter and of course it would be woth just cheching those as they do sit low and could also get hit by debris while driving. My fan stopped at one time and I went through all the gyrations just to find a fusible link broke due to age and corrosion as it sits right under the battery area.
good luck,
Woody

 

I decided that I needed a clamp style voltmeter to really determine which fusible links are the problem. I purchased one today and will begin diag on the fusible links located at the firewall junction block and the starter this weekend. I am kinda curious as to where the fusible links for the ignition are located? Are they inside the car under the dash? Or are they just the formentioned ones? I would like to test those as well to help solve my problem with the lights. Are there fusible links all over this car or just a few? Seems to me that these fusible links are really a pain.

 

you should have links from the alt to the battery and behind the battery are 3 or 4

 

What firewall junction block? Where is that located?


Not behind the battery, on an '84.

RACE ON!!!

 

I am trying to locate the jump start block or junction block on my 84. I can't seem to find it. I have searched this forum and everyone seems to say it is a bolt that sticks out with a nut on it that is behind the battery that has several all time positive wires running to it. Was this block not present on an 84? It seems to be very difficult to trace the wire back from the alternator to the battery to find the fusable link. I have tried to locate where the fusable link is, but can't find it due to the wire snaking around so much.

 

"everyone" who "seems to say it is a bolt that sticks out with a nut on it that is behind the battery that has several all time positive wires running to it." don't own 1984s. Had you looked in your service manual, you would have seen where all the fusible links on the '84 connect to the large, positive battery cable terminal on the starter.

RACE ON!!!

 

I appreciate the help. That does clear a lot up about my 1984. The manual I have for my vette is a haynes manual that addresses all of the c4's and is not really that explanitory about fusable links or the 1984 corvette in particular. There are also a couple of fusable links that go into the firewall by the battery. Are those the links that are for the column wiring?

 

alot of "weird probs" spawn from the starter wires if they are loose or shorted!

 

FWIW- When I first got mine I had charging issues as well. Replaced the battery and tested the alternator. Everything was fine but would still not ended up with a dead battery. Anyways we had done some tests using a DVM and found a draw on the battery when the key was off. End up being just a small draw from the digital dash. Once I got that fixed I never had the problem again. I'm not saying this is your problem but it might be worth doing some simple testing and find out if something is draining your battery when its not suppose too.

 

I found the problems!!! Of the three fusable links that were located by the starter, only 1 of them was functional. I put new connectors on on 2 of them and replaced a link with a napa link that came with a connector on it. This solved all of the above mentioned problems. Thanks to everyone who contributed to helping my issues. I did however notice that a headlight is dimmer than the other and I guess I have a ground issue with that. I will be addressing that next.

 

AWESOME!!!!!!! i knew taking a look at the starter would help he he, (been there done that)