Electrical Issue
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 24
Likes: 3
Electrical Issue
Recently purchased an 84 vette and it has an electrical issue. Car starts, headlights, blinkers, brake lights, LCD dash all function but the door lights, hatch lights or the radio turn on. I checked all the fuses and each light bulb but they are all good. Is there a main source of power feeding the cabin?
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,759
Likes: 1,647
From: Fairfax Virginia
Hello mannymendez25,
Welcome to the Corvette Forum!
I am not an expert on the 1984 C4 Corvettes, I have a 1988 C4 and that experience might help here. On my C4 there is a Post mounted under and behind the battery on the 1988 Model. The best way to find it is to follow the battery wires from the Battery positive (Red) side towards the rear of the car on the drivers side. One of those wires supplies power to the post mentioned before. This post on my car has the battery Positive cable (directly from battery) and seven fusible links all stacked up using ring connectors made of brass or copper.
When you find this post you are looking at the the "Constant Source of Power" for many of your Corvette's electrical systems as these fusible links are between the battery and the fuse panel. My post was covered with corrosion both copper corrosion on the ring terminals and rust on the post and threads and the entire mess gave me a nice voltage drop going through it. I cleaned each ring individually and the the post with a wire brush, after everything was nice and clean I reassembled it after greasing the terminals so they and the post will rust or corrode any more. Before this work my radio was getting less than 11 volts (+) with the car running, afterwards it had almost the exact same number as the battery did itself. All of the sudden things worked all over the car again. I found a vacuum cap that will protect the threads as I filled it with grease and pushed it on snugly.
Since your car is probably different than mine I would start at the battery and clean those connections and then go do the positive ones and then hit your grounds. Most people I meet rarely ever service their battery, Batteries may say things like "Maintenance Free" and all sorts of gibberish. The fact is unless you are driving a Tesla or a Hybrid using batteries your Corvette's battery needs maintenance too.
I simply remove them from the car, clean them, top off the electrolyte with DISTILLED water and then I charge it until the electrolyte starts bubbling and let it do that for a few hours. The electrolyte in small cases like that can still "Stratify" and you might have a high acid concentration at the lower level eating away at your battery. You NEED to make the electrolyte de-stratify by either driving the car or charging it up fully on a bench. Most all lead acid batteries have some way of getting to the electrolyte and if you can the battery will probably last longer. Batteries USE water, it is a fact, if you choose to believe the manufacturer that told you it was "Maintenance Free" go ahead and replace batteries needlessly. Anyway after topping off the electrolyte to the proper levels I would then re-install the covers over the electrolyte and wipe the battery down properly again. I leave my batteries in a warm garage during the winter with a small float charging system. The terminals are cleaned as well as the posts and then I reassemble the battery terminal connection and then grease it to keep corrosion away. Your battery will live a long and productive life if you take some care of it.
If you take good care of your Corvette it will last longer and cost less to operate. I hope you really get to enjoy the Corvette you bought! 1984 is a special year for Corvettes, I will always remember the release of that model. I also have an older C3, I have a 1968 BB convertible with the Muncie 4 speed which was the beginning of the longest running body design for Corvettes. The 1968 is so unique kind of like your 1984. Good year Corvette to hang on to!
Good luck finding the source of power that you are looking for. I hope this helps a little.
Best Regards,
Chris
P.S. Here on the Corvette Forum we like to know as much as we can about your car to help you the best we can. And when you do finally beat the beast and all is working again tell us what you found so others learn from your "experience"! This way it works the best for everyone as WE ALL learn from your (unfortunate) issue. There are a bunch of 1984 experts here so you are at the right place if you have questions about this new to you Corvette! Again, we are glad you are here, our goal is to help keep our Corvettes on the Road where they belong!
Welcome to the Corvette Forum!
I am not an expert on the 1984 C4 Corvettes, I have a 1988 C4 and that experience might help here. On my C4 there is a Post mounted under and behind the battery on the 1988 Model. The best way to find it is to follow the battery wires from the Battery positive (Red) side towards the rear of the car on the drivers side. One of those wires supplies power to the post mentioned before. This post on my car has the battery Positive cable (directly from battery) and seven fusible links all stacked up using ring connectors made of brass or copper.
When you find this post you are looking at the the "Constant Source of Power" for many of your Corvette's electrical systems as these fusible links are between the battery and the fuse panel. My post was covered with corrosion both copper corrosion on the ring terminals and rust on the post and threads and the entire mess gave me a nice voltage drop going through it. I cleaned each ring individually and the the post with a wire brush, after everything was nice and clean I reassembled it after greasing the terminals so they and the post will rust or corrode any more. Before this work my radio was getting less than 11 volts (+) with the car running, afterwards it had almost the exact same number as the battery did itself. All of the sudden things worked all over the car again. I found a vacuum cap that will protect the threads as I filled it with grease and pushed it on snugly.
Since your car is probably different than mine I would start at the battery and clean those connections and then go do the positive ones and then hit your grounds. Most people I meet rarely ever service their battery, Batteries may say things like "Maintenance Free" and all sorts of gibberish. The fact is unless you are driving a Tesla or a Hybrid using batteries your Corvette's battery needs maintenance too.
I simply remove them from the car, clean them, top off the electrolyte with DISTILLED water and then I charge it until the electrolyte starts bubbling and let it do that for a few hours. The electrolyte in small cases like that can still "Stratify" and you might have a high acid concentration at the lower level eating away at your battery. You NEED to make the electrolyte de-stratify by either driving the car or charging it up fully on a bench. Most all lead acid batteries have some way of getting to the electrolyte and if you can the battery will probably last longer. Batteries USE water, it is a fact, if you choose to believe the manufacturer that told you it was "Maintenance Free" go ahead and replace batteries needlessly. Anyway after topping off the electrolyte to the proper levels I would then re-install the covers over the electrolyte and wipe the battery down properly again. I leave my batteries in a warm garage during the winter with a small float charging system. The terminals are cleaned as well as the posts and then I reassemble the battery terminal connection and then grease it to keep corrosion away. Your battery will live a long and productive life if you take some care of it.
If you take good care of your Corvette it will last longer and cost less to operate. I hope you really get to enjoy the Corvette you bought! 1984 is a special year for Corvettes, I will always remember the release of that model. I also have an older C3, I have a 1968 BB convertible with the Muncie 4 speed which was the beginning of the longest running body design for Corvettes. The 1968 is so unique kind of like your 1984. Good year Corvette to hang on to!
Good luck finding the source of power that you are looking for. I hope this helps a little.
Best Regards,
Chris
P.S. Here on the Corvette Forum we like to know as much as we can about your car to help you the best we can. And when you do finally beat the beast and all is working again tell us what you found so others learn from your "experience"! This way it works the best for everyone as WE ALL learn from your (unfortunate) issue. There are a bunch of 1984 experts here so you are at the right place if you have questions about this new to you Corvette! Again, we are glad you are here, our goal is to help keep our Corvettes on the Road where they belong!
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 24
Likes: 3
Go Pack go - I already checked all the fuses,and they are all good.
Chris, thanks for your detailed reply. I really appreciate it. I will follow your recommendation and see if there is a Post similar to your 88. I agree that the 84 is a special year not only that it is the first year for the C4 but it is also the first car I bought when I was 16 in 1987. You can imagine the memories I created in that car being a 16 year old. I drove that car daily for 10 year. Now that I am 48, I saw this 84 for sale a few blocks away from my house in the same exact color as the one I had, light bronze, dark bronze and I had to buy it. It does bring me back memories. The car does need some major TLC but in the end, it will be rewarding to get her back on the road.
Chris, thanks for your detailed reply. I really appreciate it. I will follow your recommendation and see if there is a Post similar to your 88. I agree that the 84 is a special year not only that it is the first year for the C4 but it is also the first car I bought when I was 16 in 1987. You can imagine the memories I created in that car being a 16 year old. I drove that car daily for 10 year. Now that I am 48, I saw this 84 for sale a few blocks away from my house in the same exact color as the one I had, light bronze, dark bronze and I had to buy it. It does bring me back memories. The car does need some major TLC but in the end, it will be rewarding to get her back on the road.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,173
Likes: 152
From: norway
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,173
Likes: 152
From: norway
