Cars and car troubles

[Warwick C]

I found it surprising the get 4 with the same problem. I will be rebuilding the motor soon as it has a leaking valve, on one cylinder. I am tidying up a spare motor to go into the car While I do it.

 

[Nitro]

I found it surprising the get 4 with the same problem. I will be rebuilding the motor soon as it has a leaking valve, on one cylinder. I am tidying up a spare motor to go into the car While I do it.

When it is out,it will be a good time to look for physical damage that could open a circuit or corroded connections. I would recommend taking an alternator to be bench tested if the car checks out

Do you know how to do voltage drop tests on wiring? They will show if corrosion is present in hidden connections(high resistance)

 

[Warwick C]

not really. I am guessing you are using a resistance setting on the volt meter. It only happened in the last month or so.

I will take a alternator to get it checked out at a auto sparky. I think there is 2 locally.

 

[Nitro]

The most accurate way to do a voltage drop is with two meters so you can monitor both the actual voltage across the battery and the one at the suspect wire starting at the final termination and working your way backwards thru the supply voltage at the battery. Both meters need to be connected to the battery first to ensure that they are calibrated properly and if not,make a note as to which meter is erred to the other to guarantee your voltage reference. An inexpensive meter can be used for the secondary meter. With the ignition on,the battery will slowly discharge which can produce reading that show error during the test. This is why I recommend two meters so you can monitor battery voltage drop during the actual test. A reading of .1volt to .2 volts less than battery voltage is considered normal parasitic resistance loss thru wire lengths in a car. Anything loss greater is considered resistance loss thru faulty connections caused by corrosion of the actual wires or terminations. Having four alternators that are bad is not likely,but also possible. If I was to look at your car,I would attack the wiring first,and after the circuits are verified,move to suspecting the alternators as your culprits. The easiest test I can suggest is to ensure that the actual charging wire,the blue one is at battery voltage,possibly even a bad connection at the starter where charging voltage appears to go to the battery according to your diagrams. No matter how you look at it,you are going to get dirty

 

[Warwick C]

I thought that was what cars are for to get dirty.

 

[Judge]

I thought that was what cars are for to get dirty.

Yep. Without cars I wouldn't have a need for Lava soap.

 

[Nitro]

I thought that was what cars are for to get dirty.

can't forget that they are also handy for drawing blood

 

[Warwick C]

and making us look silly.

 

[Meistersinger]

One way to relieve your frustration as a mechanic I learned from a not very good mechanic years ago. The first thing you learn is how to throw tools against the wall when they slip. The second thing you learn is how to cuss worse than a sailor.

 

[Nitro]

One way to relieve your frustration as a mechanic I learned from a not very good mechanic years ago. The first thing you learn is how to throw tools against the wall when they slip. The second thing you learn is how to cuss worse than a sailor.

I threw a huge screwdriver on the driveway when I was 16. It bounced off the concrete and went thru the sidewall of a customer's tire. It absolutely destroyed the tire and any chance of turning a profit that day. I never threw another tool again
On the other subject,I can guarantee that I could make a sailor blush and teach him some creative combinations of bad words he didn't think could be used together

 

[Warwick C]

I had a vague memory of there being a fuse in the alternator so had a look at the work shop manual and some did. I restrung the fuse between the 3 terminals inside the red rectangle (15 amp)

at the bottom is the spade terminal for the dash board light.

 

[Nitro]

I guess the only way to tell if it is fixed is either an install or a test at a sparky shop now

 

[Nitro]

I had no success at my buddy's shop on better info for that particular model,but I will keep trying

 

[Warwick C]

Well it is testing my patience with it.

 

[Nitro]

Well it is testing my patience with it.

just don't test it with a big hammer

I once had to change out a power window motor in a Camaro. We opted for a new one instead of a rebuilt one. It failed right out of the box. The guy at the parts house told me it could be a switch or the wiring that cause it to be inoperative. I spent a lot of my time checking all of that out before I ordered the motor. I commenced to taking a hammer to the motor and beat it into nearly a molecular level,then realized it was not able to be returned. I was so ticked off,I gathered all the parts up and placed them into the box and then beat it again with a huge hammer again. When the delivery driver came with a new motor,he asked where the bad one was for my return credit. I pointed to the rubble that was in a pile of cardboard dust.He gathered it all up, I got full credit for the part and never heard a word about it again

 

[Warwick C]

I was thinking of a hammer too at times, the question would be how big a hammer

 

[Nitro]

I was thinking of a hammer too at times, the question would be how big a hammer

Select your BFH for that job...the only way to do it proper

 

[Warwick C]

or rent a tank and drive over it.

 

[Nitro]

or rent a tank and drive over it.

if you intend to go all in,why not start by stealing a tank

 

[Warwick C]

Who said you had to return the tank