Electrical issue????

AZRED944 · 11-24-2008, 02:40 PM

So here's the story...

I bought an 83 944 5sp car...

First issue I had was the fans didn't wnat to work right... It turned out to be a fuse that was burned on the top, not the joining wire which is why I didn't see it... You all helped me with that endeavorlooking for some more...

1. Battery discharges easily... As in I make couple trips to work or for the wife and I need to be jumped... Put the battery on charger and it takes a charge just fine... Could this be a bad ground????

2. About every 3 or 4 days the fuse for the fan burns... and I have to replace it... Again, could this be a bad ground???

Well any help would be appreciated..

Ps. the car only has 84,000 original miles on it... Paid $1700 for it...

AZRED944 · 11-24-2008, 02:46 PM

One More thing...

The headlights r very dim.., Noticed last night when I put into reverse(obviuosly activating the reverse light) the headlights flickered... Almost as if there is not enough consistent juice.... Maybe Alternator???

Thanks again

HondaDustR · 08:09 PM

What voltage do you get at the battery when the engine is running and no accessories turned on? It should be about 13.5v-14v. Check the battery to engine ground that's bolted to a stud on the top of the bellhousing behind the cylinder. Also check the + connections at the starter, since the main alternator output wire is connected there and if it's corroded the voltage won't make it to the battery. The battery, alternator, and main ground wires have a tendancy to corrode internally, thereby weakenning the wire so it can carry less current. They might need to be replaced if everything else checks out. Sometimes just the battery clamps go bad and don't make good contact with the wires. I just got some cheap brass ones at advance auto and actually soldered them to the battery cables.

AZRED944 · 11-25-2008, 12:42 PM

Thanks I really appreciate the help...

This am I replaced the negative cable, and changed battery lug to brass with an accessory tap on both positive and negative sides...

Heads up to anyone else that does this be careful that the new lugs don't hit your hood and sparks go flying... Yes i did that... Sometime not the smartest guy in the world..

AKCJ · 11-25-2008, 01:01 PM

My fans don't work right on my 83 either.

1. Battery. I would say get it load tested so you know if it's good or not. Best would be to charge it, wait about a day (or over night) for the surface charge to dissipate, then take it in for the load test. If you've been deep discharging the battery much it's likely toast.
2. Fan Fuse. My first guess would be that the fan motor(s) are drawing too much current. This would be no surprise with these (crappy) old fans. You may be able to measure the current draw (in amps) and compare it to a normal draw. Sorry I don't have that info. Last year I ended up replacing the old three blade fans with the newer style 6 blade fans - check the for sale area. Also check and clean your grounds.
3. Dim Headlights. This is a symptom of low voltage. Your alternator isn't putting out like it should or you have a poor connection. Aside from checking the connections and cables I would pull the brushes out of the alternator to see if they're worn down too far. Do a search for alternator brushes for more info. Note that replacing the brushes is cheap compared to rebuilding or replacing the alternator but there are other things that could be wrong with the alternator.

Like Honda said - check your voltage at the battery with the car not running and then running. You can also check voltage at the far end of the battery cables to see if you're getting voltage drop through the cables.

Good Luck

Gordon Rankin · 11-25-2008, 06:23 PM

This sounds very similar to something that I had a problem with and it took a long time to figure out(Dont Ask!) My problem was that my battery would run down in a short time and I cound not figure out why...It turned out that the dome light was grounding out on the frame. Didnt cause blown fuses but did deplete the battery charge. Fix was duct tape over the back of the light so it no longer grounded out on the frame. Just to be safe, I did the same fix to the luggage area light.
However, I need to find a safer fix than the duct tape cause the tape itself wears out from the light heat.
Any ideas?

Gordon Rankin · 11-25-2008, 06:28 PM

Also, any Kragens or other major parts store will have a portable machine to check out load, alternator output etc. This is an easy way to test the components. However, you may have to pull the starter to have it tested.

HondaDustR · 11-25-2008, 06:49 PM

There is also a grounding point in each of the headlight cavities. They're bolted to the frame and has the grounds for the headlights, and some other stuff (maybe the fans, too).

MrWrong · 01:08 AM

Now for an alternator Question.

Does the light on the dash for the alternator come on when you click the key to the accessory position, and go out when you actually have the engine running?

On our early cars this light must come on in the accessory position for the alternator to work right.

The alternator is actually run through this light, so if the bulb is burned out the alternator won't run right.

I was jump started many times before I figured out that when this bulb is out the alternator only puts out something like 80% charge.

HondaDustR · 11-27-2008, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrWrong

Now for an alternator Question.

Does the light on the dash for the alternator come on when you click the key to the accessory position, and go out when you actually have the engine running?

On our early cars this light must come on in the accessory position for the alternator to work right.

The alternator is actually run through this light, so if the bulb is burned out the alternator won't run right.

I was jump started many times before I figured out that when this bulb is out the alternator only puts out something like 80% charge.

Yes, it should light with the key on and the engine stopped. The energizing wire gets its voltage through the bulb (the little blue wire on the alt. that is labled D+). I don't know if the alternator will self energize without it connected, but apparently it does. Not too long ago I found that the actual circuit inside the guage of mine was bad and had to solder jumpers btw the bulb holder and the connector on the circuit board. Coincidentally, the alternator rotor coil went bad at the same time and left me stranded, but I don't think it died because of the bad connection, at least not according to the guy at the alternator rebuild shop.