On Thu, 9 Jul 1998, St. Lupus wrote:
> Basically when running the car I am not getting any charge into the battery
> at all. The voltage across the battery drops when the car is running. I've
> spent the last week trying to figure out what the problem is and can't
> figure the damn (oops there I go) thing out. The obvious culprit was the
> alternator (lucas 2 wire regulator), but having it rebuilt (twice) didn't
> help at all. The Ign light comes on when the key is in the on position, but
> goes off as soon as the car is started.
The best way to use swear words when asking for help is to break them down
into component form and use the letters to form different words ;-)
Since you are losing power I surmise that an unfused (or improperly fused)
circuit is shorting out.
Dan Masters is no doubt in the process of meticulously researching your
problem and will spew forth a mind-bogglingly comprehensive reply. In the
meantime, my stuff will have to do ;-)
Check over the electronic ignition and be sure that the wirings are all OK
and aren't touching something bad. You may also want to try out a new
condensor (easy to blame nasty things on it)
With the battery disconnected, you can also check continuity between
wires. Anything that's supposed to carry 12V to somewhere that is
grounding is a short circuit.
Another (long shot) is that you could have a voltage leak across the
battery. If the battery is clean and new, then I doubt it. If it's got
damp stuff all over it (and a voltmeter reads voltage with one probe in
the middle) then take it out and carefully clean it with baking soda (wear
gloves)
hope this helps,
-Malcolm
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