need help for fixing electrical issues

georgecox · 11-27-2005, 10:26 PM

I am purchasing a 1985.5 944.

I am trying to troubleshoot a major electrical issue. The car runs great and all the major components work fine. What doesn't work are the power windows, mirror controls, interior lighting, heating/ac controls, windshield wipers and washer pump, rear windshield wiper and fuel gage. The ground connections (ones I could find ) look great.

Any information or ideas would be greatly appreciated. If you have any photos of connectors and/or grounds please email the to me at georgekcox@aol.com.

Thanks in advance.

George Cox

Eldorado · 11-27-2005, 10:46 PM

check your fuses. i'm not sure if much changed from the early to 85.5 cars, but this is the way the earlies work...

the rear wiper and outside mirrors are on the same fuse... (the back up lights are on the same fuse - do yours work?)

the front wipers are on their own fuse..

or your window switches could be borked up - open them up and check for carbon deposits and clean the contacts... that is a very common issue with these cars..

your interior lighting could be anything from a bulb, to the switch in the drivers door jamb, to the wiring inbetween (including the switch in the lens)... or a fuse..

check all your fuses first and report back... (if you haven't done so already)

georgecox · 11-27-2005, 10:52 PM

all fuses are good. previous and original owner says they all work every once in a while.

Eldorado · 11-27-2005, 10:53 PM

...at the same time?
do they all cut out at the same time? like they're mutually dependant on something?

georgecox · 11-27-2005, 10:55 PM

i have not seen any of them work. have hadthe car for a week

Eldorado · 11-27-2005, 11:01 PM

Ok, first of all allow me to introduce to you the reason for your problems....

now.. if your fuses, bulbs, and grounds check out ok...
then check out relays 1, 3, and 10 for (respectively) the cooling fan, AC system, and wipers...

after that... start looking for lamp cord and old socks...

georgecox · 11-27-2005, 11:04 PM

check out relays 1, 3, and 10

located in the central unit?

Eldorado · 11-28-2005, 12:18 AM

near the fuse box on the early cars.. not sure on the lates...

EA425 · 11-28-2005, 06:43 AM

If the fuses check out okay, maybe it's a problem in/around the ignition switch? Or maybe where the ignition switch feed goes to the fusebox? Seems like an awful lot of circuits to be down at once.

Granite 944 · 11-28-2005, 06:26 PM

Congrats on your purchase! These ARE fun cars. Older, maybe a little tattered due to age and some abuse, BUT wonderful cars to own and drive!

If your new to 944 ownership, than you really NEED to source a factory service manual ( to get all the wiring diagrams and such), get a haynes manual, AND, BOOKMARK Clark's garage.com.

Take each item one by one, and don't try to lump 'em all together (things will get lumpy enough later, as you go).

A lot of electrical problems ARE due to degraded grounds. ALWAYS the first place to start work on, and then, go from there. (A fella named Sid, comes to mind here, for some reason

).

Ya can chase gremlins till your blue in the face, but ya got to start somewhere, and follow a logical sequence (hehe....right) . All grounding areas, and any and ALL connectors of anything/everything as you touch them, SHOULD BE cleaned and delt with along the way (including connections on the fuses and relays in the fuse/relay box). Scotchbrite/fine sanding block/fine sandpaper/solvent/dielectric grease/ and rebending all connectors/pins/sockets to achieve tight fits are essential along the way. Of course, the PO's issues are always a situation, so watch for added/deleted/mickeymoused wiring along the way. Damaged/burned/scored/chafed wiring is already a given...."deal with me now" issue.

FIX EACH ISSUE AS YOU FIND IT, don't just mickeymouse it more. Then ya don't have to backtrack later on, wondering what was that "temperary fix" I did, and I wonder if that might be an issue now.

If you don't have, or know how to use a multimeter, then........NOW is the time to learn. Its not that hard to learn how, and cheapie ones are out there, that work just fine. If ya need help in the usage area, after reading the manual that comes with it.........ask. No problem.

I believe you will find most those issues you listed are seperate issues. One at a time, you'll be good to go in no time! None of them are gonna be THAT big a deal. Again, check Clark's garage too!

Good luck!

pokey · 11-28-2005, 10:15 PM

If the fuses are good, check both ends of each fuse with a multimeter or test light. I'd guess you have corroded or loose fuse holders, or a loose connection on the back of the fuse box.