Electrical...????

Need some help with electrical problem.Was driving the car yesterday..when it died...Just before it died the stereo was cutting in and out...no previous problems starting.

Symptoms:
1. Car does not turnover or crank.
2. No lights, etc.
3. Alternator is fairly new.
4. Starter is fairly new.
5. Belts are tight.
6. Battery cables were warm after it died.
7. Battery is a couple years old...was charging when died..according to instrument.

Any ideas on where to start diagnosis?

 

Check your battery connection at the starter. Remove wires, clean up terminal an connectors, check condition of your wiring to starter and reinstall. Thats where your fuse box gets its power. Had the same problem once. No crank, no lights, no nothing. Hope this helps.

 

check if you have a loose connection, check the voltage the alt. is putting out too. that a good place to start.

 

Thanks guys!

 

warm cables tell me you have a loose connection, loose connections cause fires, and shorten the life of anything electrical.

 

Check your ground connection as well - tight and no paint under the cable.

 

Could a loos connection at the iginition switch be a cause as well?

 

check your ground connection to the frame & body. Warm cables definately point to a bad main connection. good luck.

 

any loose connection, loose connections will cause a connection point to arc, and get a carbon build up making the problem worse. this is why everything should be tight and clean. i dont think you have a huge problem, just a loose connection somewhere on your system. just take it one step at a time, process of elimination, you'll find it just keep looking.

 

Thanks for the info guys!

 

Any part of an electrical system that feels warm means that there is arcing taking place in that area... not good. The nice thing is in your case it should be pretty easy to find. Often a loose connection can provide enough amperage for the lights and accessories but not enough to start the car. That can be harder to locate the problem but a warm wire is not a good thing.

 

The guys are pretty well right.
Check the battery to make sure that it is actually charged and then starting at the cable connections to the battery start checking connections though the main power feed system.
Spade terminals tend to come loose and sometimes a crimp on a wire end isn't just right among other things.

Make sure that the wires are in touch with the exhaust too as on some setups that happens.

 

If there were arcing...wouldn't there be a smell?

 

sometimes,but not usually, the smell usually comes from the insulation on the wire being burned most times, or frying an electrical component.

 

Yes the smell the smell would come from the insulation or instrument burning the arcing is caused buy the electrical charge building up in the wire high enough to over come the insulation factor or the air between the ground and the frame. thats why the wires would get hot. i back up what every one else says check and clean the grounds.

 

Doubt you have a problem with the battery or alternator as you don't even have lights. Sounds as if everything electrical is dead. You may not have arcing either. Good suggestion to check your battery ground wire and connection. I'm sure you tried a jump start, and Ill bet it didn't work or change your symptoms. Not a bad idea to check your ignition switch connections and for any power, use a test light. Please let us know what electrical Gremlin caused your problem. I'm betting on a loose connection or faulty connector.

 

If your Ground is at a waterpump bolt change it to an engine block mount,,,,waterpump bolts do not make good grounds...

 

Just because it gets warm doesn't mean that its arcing. Battery cables will get warm with heavy charging. Ever jump start a car? The cables will get warm with out any arcing.

 

have checked some connections...so far have found nothing...battery is dead...currently charging. Will let all know when I find the electrical gremlin!
Thanks for the help!

 

Pauls Ford, what's wrong with water pump grounds? Millions of Chevy's came with grounds connected to water pump brackets from the factory. The water pump bolts go into the block just like any other bolt you could think of.

 

have you tried a different battery? some batteries will never hold a full charge after they have been fully killed. i say keep charging the battery but try a different one on in the car. and when you get the car running check the alt. output voltage.

 

If the battery is dead and the cables were hot it sounds like you have a short to ground of a shorted component rather than a loose of bad connection.When you get the battery charged you should check for a draw before you connect the cables. Use an amp meter and check if there is any load on the system.I believe a short could cause the symptoms that you describe.

 

Will check battery tomorrow for draw..

 

Update....checked major connections...all good.
Battery is good..after charge.
Tried to connect battery but arced when neg ground put on.

 

That tells you that you have an open circuit that is drawing at all times. One easy way to isolate is to remove fuses one at a time and see if it arcs the same way. When you find it doesn't arc, that circuit is your culprit.

 

Thanks Don...thats my chore for the next couple of days.

 

You can try pulling fuses but as I said it has to be a short to ground which would probably blow the fuse.The problem is most likely in the supply side of the fuse block.Check all of the main positive wires from the battery to the starter,power supply to the alternator and fuse box.Start at the battery and go forward.