86 gt 3800sc sII with front mount battery I lost all power last night on my way home from work all lights went out and engine shut off at a stop light the power came back on in a second. I restarted it and a few seconds later it did it again while driving everything went dead for a second then came back to life it did this 2 more times in my last mile home.
I thought for sure a battery cable was loose and causing the problem but not the case. What else could cause this problem? Maybe a fusible link I think once they go dead the car would not restart though. No codes car is running normally otherwise. Thoughts?
I connected the the negative cable to both the frame and the engine block. Actually i connected to a starter bolt. No i did not check both ends of the cables ( that seems obvious now) i will check the other ends in the morning. Thanks for helping me out i will report back what i find.
Finally got to check the cables today nothing was loose. Had the key on while wiggling wires and the power never went off. What can cause a complete loss of power if not the cables?
Not saying this is your problem, but could be. You have a dead short somewhere. When driving did the console get hot? If so maybe part of the problem. On mine series lll the console would get really hot, and blow hell wiring, relays and fuses. Open the console up and check everything electric
Not saying this is your problem, but could be. You have a dead short somewhere. When driving did the console get hot? If so maybe part of the problem. On mine series lll the console would get really hot, and blow hell wiring, relays and fuses. Open the console up and check everything electric
That would make sense, except CrashMyDaytona said nothing about blown fuses. So the short would have to be on something not going through the fuse box or out of the distribution post....which is pretty much the wires he checked. If there is a break in the insulation on the long battery cables, moisture might create a quick discharge to the frame.
Iffy battery cables? Most likely, Barking up the wrong tree.
Fuse link A runs most of car. Check for problems in engine bay... The Power Dist "Box," Link A, Alt and all Grounds. See my Cave, Wire Service
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
Theogre was right it was the power distribution block i checked that the nuts were tight earlier but did not pull on the wires. When i pulled on the wire for the fusible links the stud came out the surrounding plastic had melted.
Can I attach the fusible link wires to the large lug with the small wire from the battery and the large one from the harness? Or are they separate for a reason? Thanks for helping.
Originally posted by crashmydaytona: Theogre was right it was the power distribution block i checked that the nuts were tight earlier but did not pull on the wires. When i pulled on the wire for the fusible links the stud came out the surrounding plastic had melted.
Can I attach the fusible link wires to the large lug with the small wire from the battery and the large one from the harness? Or are they separate for a reason? Thanks for helping.
dist box studs are attach by OE Alt terminal. See my Cave, Fuse Links notes
Wire hot enough melt the dist box then Get another Box Find and fix the large amp draw trying to blow A or B. COULD be weather rotted the box and/or links but you need to make sure amp load. Aftermarket sound, fog and/or driving lights, high watt HL, bad blowers/fans are good at killing fuse links. Replace links A and B
[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 02-21-2015).]
I had a similar issue, it turned out to be the connection to the main power wire going into c500. I removed the bad crimp, soldered the two together, and it's been good since.
dist box studs are attach by OE Alt terminal. See my Cave, Fuse Links notes
Wire hot enough melt the dist box then Get another Box Find and fix the large amp draw trying to blow A or B. COULD be weather rotted the box and/or links but you need to make sure amp load. Aftermarket sound, fog and/or driving lights, high watt HL, bad blowers/fans are good at killing fuse links. Replace links A and B
I am certain the problem was I used a washer to connect the two studs since i no longer had the original end that connects both studs. I dont think it was making good contact and caused the melting.
What is the purpose of having two studs if they both get power from the same wire? Why not connect everything to one stud and not have to bridge the studs.
[This message has been edited by crashmydaytona (edited 02-22-2015).]
What is the purpose of having two studs if they both get power from the same wire? Why not connect everything to one stud and not have to bridge the studs.
You sort of answered your own question. To maintain good electrical contact with all the wires, the engineers at GM did not want a stack of wires on one terminal, so they made two, and put fewer wires on each one. Bad electrical contact at the power distribution block can cause lost electrical power while driving.
I have seen battery cables break at their connections. The broken wires only separate when the car is bouncing around while driving.
Also I had a spark plug wire short to the exhaust manifold, eventually it caused the ECM to fail. I had two different mechanics work on the car but neither saw it. So if your spark plug wires are a bit too long, they can bounce against the exhaust manifold and cause the car to stumble.