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Re: charging system problem

To: "Roderick Keeler" <rkeeler@sierratel.com>
Subject: Re: charging system problem
From: "John T. Blair" <jblair@exis.net>
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 22:06:11 -0400
At 03:59 PM 7/19/03 -0700, Roderick Keeler wrote:
>John, Jeffery, and Allan,
>
>Thanks so much for your input.  Here's what I discovered.
>
>I disconnected the battery and used a multimeter to measure the ohms between
>the connectors to the battery as you suggested.  I got 0 ohms.  I started
>removing fuses.  Still 0 ohms.  I finally disconnected the battery from the
>started solenoid, and still got 0 ohms.  At that point I figured it had to
>be the air door power that comes right off the battery.  When I disconnected
>that, I finally registered a high degree of resistance.
>
>I thought I had solved the problem.  However, when I reconnected all the
>wires to the starter solenoid, I once again got 0 ohms.  When I remove the
>small (Maybe 8 gauge) red wire from the solenoid that disappears into the
>harness behind the engine, I once again read high resistance.
>
>So the air doors have a problem, and there is some problem somewhere along
>that mysterious red wire.  Any thoughts where to go from here?

Rod,

Great!  Some progress at least.  Now you need to repeat the test of pulling
the fuses with the door wiring harness disconnected.  The red wire you are
refering to, should be the one connected to the back side of the starter 
solenoid where the main power lead connects.  If so, that is a fusable link
and supplies power to the entire car.  

Also I assume that your doors were open.  If so, then keep in mind that
both doors have switches to turn on the courtesy lights under the dash.
You have 2 options here:
  a. try and push them in and stick something like a popcycle stick in them
     to keep them from poping out and connecting the lights,
  b. pull the switches out of that A and B pillar and disconnect 1 wire from
     each switch so it can make the connection to ground for the light bulb.

With the interior lights on, I'd guess that you'll see about 2 to 5 ohms.

As to the door wiring, it's pretty simple.  My guess is that one of the
4 switches - 2 outside and 2 inside - have either shorted or broken and
is stuck in the on position.  It will probably take a bit of playing.
You can try disconnecting the connector for the solenoids in the well
behind the drivers seat.  Then using something like a paper clip to 
stick into each of the female connectors (1 at a time) and an aligator
clip to connect to the corresponding male connector and see if you can
isolate it to either the up circuit or the down circuit.  Or pop out the
switches and test each one seperately.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

John

John T. Blair  WA4OHZ          email:  jblair@exis.net
Va. Beach, Va                  Phone:  (757) 495-8229

          48 TR1800    48 #4 Midget    65 Morgan 4/4 Series V
     75 Bricklin SV1 (#0887)    77 Spitfire    71 Saab Sonett III
                       65 Rambler Classic

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