electrical trouble *DELETED*

[hotrod 84 lesabre]

Post deleted by hotrod 84 lesabre

[2seater]

Was the battery really dead, or did it just act that way? No good suggestions other than a weird occurence that happened some years ago on an Olds. The positive battery cable ran through a metal tube for a short distance, clamped to the engine if I remember right. The conductor inside the cable eventually broke but the outer plastic sheath looked okay. When it would get hot the plastic covering softened and allowed the contact to break inside. When it cooled it shrank back and allowed the car to operate normally. Maybe no help, but odd things can happen.

[hotrod 84 lesabre]

it just clicked when i turned the key

would not do anything,lights appeared normal.cables are 2 gauge.

i can't think of any thing else to check.

[Reatta Man]

Get an inexpensive test light, and with the engine off, wire it in series between the battery and the positive terminal. If it glows, you definitely have a power drain. If it doesn't, you have a bad cell or broken cell connector in the battery. If the light does not glow, all you need is a new battery.

If the light glows, pull one fuse at a time out of the fuse block. When the light goes off, you have found the circuit with the drain. You have to do this with the door closed, or else the dome light will always keep the test light on. Once you find the circuit with the drain, you can start at the component and follow the wiring back until you find the problem.

Off hand, if you do have a drain on the battery, I would suspect the trunk light. They have a mercury switch that sometimes comes loose and lets the light stay on all the time. You can do the test light process to see if the drain is in the trunk light, or you can shut the car off, and wait an hour or so. Then go put your hand on the trunk lid where the light is mounted. If it is on, the trunk lid will be warm or hot to the touch only in that small area.

Another common problem is a sticking brake light switch that leaves the brake lights on all the time. The brake lights are one of the few things that will still work with the key off. If you normally shut the car down in the daytime, you could easily not notice the brake lights are still on. Shut the car down and check the brake lights to see if they stay on.

I would also get the battery and electrical system tested at a shop with the equipment to test the entire system, not just the battery. You could have an alternator that is marginal, meaning it is putting out about 12.4 volts and barely keeping the battery charged, instead of the 13.8 volts it should put out to fully charge the battery. If the alternator is weak, check the belt tension before chunking the alternator. A loose belt could be slipping just enough to prevent the alternator from putting out enough current at the right voltage. A good shop will also be able to check the amperage draw of the starter when it is hot. Sometimes it will draw the specified amperage when cool (about 200 amps; some cars draw more, some less) but jump way out of spec to 500 amps or more due to the starter having internal wear problems.

Running down electrical gremlins is tough, but nothing feels better than figuring it out and knowing it won't be a problem again any time soon.

Joe

[hotrod 84 lesabre]

i found my problem: i had my fan switch wired wrong

i disconnected it,and all is well now.