IMPORTANT ELECTRICAL INFORMATION (Long!)
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
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From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Try this:
Ground G-104
G-101
G-401 & G-402 Rear drivers and passengers fender well between the rear tire and the fender well.
Ground on the rear of the drivers side cylinder dead. (white/black wires)
Corrosion on the pins inside ground connector g-101
BC
Ground G-104
G-101
G-401 & G-402 Rear drivers and passengers fender well between the rear tire and the fender well.
Ground on the rear of the drivers side cylinder dead. (white/black wires)
Corrosion on the pins inside ground connector g-101
BC
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,720
Likes: 3
From: East Hampton CT
Bill, thanks again for all of your pics and info. I'm also having issues with my 1997 C5 showing about .5 to 1 volt lower at the DIC vs the battery. I'm planning on ripping into every ground and seeing what's up. I'd REALLY like to get the DIC as close to the true voltage as possible, as well as provide enough ground so my various sensors don't lose power when I start up. Once your grounds were fixed, did you notice if the DIC matched a volt meter @ the battery?
Last edited by Billdog350; Jan 6, 2006 at 09:47 AM. Reason: correction
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
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From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
On most C5, the DIC voltage level is lower than the actual battery voltage level. Some are worse than others. I will have to go out and see what my difference is.
Bill
Bill
Pro
Joined: Jun 2005
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From: Western Canada
Bill:
Thanks for the valuable information which I and many others will be able to put to good use. The time, money and aggravation saved will be substantial.
Thanks for the valuable information which I and many others will be able to put to good use. The time, money and aggravation saved will be substantial.
Last edited by cebars; Jan 6, 2006 at 11:01 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,720
Likes: 3
From: East Hampton CT
After cleaning the under hood grounds, the ground by the battery, and the ground by the drivers side rear tire..the DIC is reading closer to the true voltage now, within a few tenths. The battery still doesn't seem to be holding a charge...it "floats" at 12.5 volts rather than 13.5.
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Were the ground corroded? What do you mean the battery floats at 12.5? Is that with the key off and no load on the battery? If that is the case, your battery is GOOD. A fully charged new battery is 12.6 volts at rest.
BC
BC
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,720
Likes: 3
From: East Hampton CT
Bill, the grounds didn't seem badly corroded at all. I was hoping for some obvious greenish blue corrosion so I knew I found the problem, but nothing. The ground studs were a little rusted, but everything got sanded, cleaned with contact cleaner, and then dieelectric greased and reassembled.
This red-top supposedly floats (yes, key off, battery disconnected, not charging) at a higher voltage. I was told that it should sit closer to 13-13.5 volts compared to a regular lead acid that sits at 12.6 like you say. But maybe the other source was wrong? I need to buy a battery load tester soon so I can see what the battery drops down to with a draw. It sure seems like the smallest draw drops the voltage on that battery pretty quickly.
I need to check the fuse in my meter, it seems like its not working properly when I hook it up in series.
This red-top supposedly floats (yes, key off, battery disconnected, not charging) at a higher voltage. I was told that it should sit closer to 13-13.5 volts compared to a regular lead acid that sits at 12.6 like you say. But maybe the other source was wrong? I need to buy a battery load tester soon so I can see what the battery drops down to with a draw. It sure seems like the smallest draw drops the voltage on that battery pretty quickly.
I need to check the fuse in my meter, it seems like its not working properly when I hook it up in series.
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Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
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From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
I wouldnt purchase a load tester unless it something that your going to use frequently! Just go to Advance Auto or Autozone and have them load test it. They can do a COMPLETE electrical system exam.
Bill
Bill
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,720
Likes: 3
From: East Hampton CT
Harbor freight has one for $20 on sale....not a big loss.
Is it normal for your battery to drop to 12 volts when you turn your key on? it seems like it drops off pretty quickly (from 12.6 to 12) as soon as I open a door or turn on the key...another sign of a bad battery I would guess. The ground cleanup seemed to help though!
Is it normal for your battery to drop to 12 volts when you turn your key on? it seems like it drops off pretty quickly (from 12.6 to 12) as soon as I open a door or turn on the key...another sign of a bad battery I would guess. The ground cleanup seemed to help though!
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,943
Likes: 18
From: Henderson NV
Maybe a silly ??, but before tackling the task of cleaning the grounds mentioned,especially the plug in types, does the Battery need to be disconnected, if so Will it reset any changes made to the computer, such as Headlight on/off sensor deactivated, etc.
And thanx for all the useful Info, I bet this Long thread has saved people various amounts of Money and Many Troublshooting hours, and torn out Hair folicles.
thnx
And thanx for all the useful Info, I bet this Long thread has saved people various amounts of Money and Many Troublshooting hours, and torn out Hair folicles.
thnx
Last edited by Pizzano; Jan 19, 2006 at 10:54 AM.
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
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From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
The PCM and BCM grounds do go to some of the grounds that your cleaning. Yes it is recommend that you disconnect the battery prior to cleaning the grounds. I didnt but it didnt hurt anything! It just the right thing to do. Disconnecting the battery is nothing special and all that you will loose is minor settings. One thing that you need to do is reset the code to your radio to something that you can remember. If you disconnect the battery and the radio has the security mode set, it will lock you out!
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Take a look in TECH TIPS!! I think there is a really good article., If you cant find it, I will dig through my notes and post something.
BC
BC
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,943
Likes: 18
From: Henderson NV
I emailed the previous owner and they claim there is no code for the stereo, they said they had a dead battery and replaced it and everything still worked normally, can this be true that the stereo does not have a security code assigned to it.
thnx
thnx
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Originally Posted by Pizzano
I emailed the previous owner and they claim there is no code for the stereo, they said they had a dead battery and replaced it and everything still worked normally, can this be true that the stereo does not have a security code assigned to it.
thnx
thnx
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Originally Posted by Pizzano
I emailed the previous owner and they claim there is no code for the stereo, they said they had a dead battery and replaced it and everything still worked normally, can this be true that the stereo does not have a security code assigned to it.
thnx
thnx
It is possible that the stereo does not have a code assigned to it. It comes with no security code assigned. If no one ever assigned one, you should be all set.
BC