'91 electrical problems
bovaloe
01-08-2007, 08:57 PM
Ok, here it is. I have a 1991 1.9L lx. It was having a problem off and on with the radio not coming on when I started it, but if I shut it off and started it up again the radio would come on, kind of annoying but I didn't worry about it too much. Also sometimes the memory wouldn't work and I would have to reset the clock and such. It has an aftermarket cd player in it.
Today I was driving around in the rain with the wipers on intermittent/interrupt and then all of a sudden when when the wipers would go the radio would shut off and turn back on, it did it a couple times then just shut off for good. I turned the car off while going down the road then tried to restart it, starter didn't engage, so I dropped it in gear and got it going again. I parked at my place then later (3-4 hrs) went out to start it up and nothing happened, I mean nothing, no idiot lights, nothing. I checked the battery with a test light, looked a little weak, so I tried turning on headlights and tried the horn. No dice. (2-3 hrs later)Ok so I just went back to my car and tried again to start it, its dark now and I can see the idiot lights now but they are very dim and there is a beeping sound that I have never heard before when the key is is the on position.
So I'm thinking that the ignition switch finally gave up and is draining the battery. What do you guys think?
Today I was driving around in the rain with the wipers on intermittent/interrupt and then all of a sudden when when the wipers would go the radio would shut off and turn back on, it did it a couple times then just shut off for good. I turned the car off while going down the road then tried to restart it, starter didn't engage, so I dropped it in gear and got it going again. I parked at my place then later (3-4 hrs) went out to start it up and nothing happened, I mean nothing, no idiot lights, nothing. I checked the battery with a test light, looked a little weak, so I tried turning on headlights and tried the horn. No dice. (2-3 hrs later)Ok so I just went back to my car and tried again to start it, its dark now and I can see the idiot lights now but they are very dim and there is a beeping sound that I have never heard before when the key is is the on position.
So I'm thinking that the ignition switch finally gave up and is draining the battery. What do you guys think?
Selectron
01-09-2007, 12:37 AM
It sounds like you have a short-circuit in the wiring somewhere - not a direct short to chassis because that would be causing fuses to blow, but rather a short from one circuit to an adjacent circuit - hence the radio switching off when the wipers switched on.
Unfortunately, I don't have an electrical diagram for your vehicle so I can't help directly with a diagnosis. If the dash lights are now dim, then something is probably draining the battery and if that's happening even when the vehicle is parked and switched off, then a faulty ignition switch might be a possibility.
Before leaving it parked overnight, I'd disconnect the battery negative connector otherwise you may have a flat battery in the morning. I'd also put the battery on charge overnight as a precaution.
Do you have a workshop manual, or at least a wiring diagram? Also, do you have a multimeter, or if not then a self-powered test lamp? If you have a schematic and a multimeter then the switch shouldn't be too difficult to test - it should just be a case of removing the connector and then testing for continuity through the different poles of the switch, as indicated by the schematic, moving the ignition key to different positions for each test, and then also testing for any short-circuit paths between poles which would normally be isolated from each other, as determined from the schematic.
Note that a regular 12V test lamp is no use for that particular test, because the switch would be dead because you would have removed the connector so therefore there would be no voltage to light a regular test lamp - that's why you would need a self-powered one, to use in place of a multimeter set to the continuity (ohms) range - you would just be testing for continuity through a dead switch.
Unfortunately, I don't have an electrical diagram for your vehicle so I can't help directly with a diagnosis. If the dash lights are now dim, then something is probably draining the battery and if that's happening even when the vehicle is parked and switched off, then a faulty ignition switch might be a possibility.
Before leaving it parked overnight, I'd disconnect the battery negative connector otherwise you may have a flat battery in the morning. I'd also put the battery on charge overnight as a precaution.
Do you have a workshop manual, or at least a wiring diagram? Also, do you have a multimeter, or if not then a self-powered test lamp? If you have a schematic and a multimeter then the switch shouldn't be too difficult to test - it should just be a case of removing the connector and then testing for continuity through the different poles of the switch, as indicated by the schematic, moving the ignition key to different positions for each test, and then also testing for any short-circuit paths between poles which would normally be isolated from each other, as determined from the schematic.
Note that a regular 12V test lamp is no use for that particular test, because the switch would be dead because you would have removed the connector so therefore there would be no voltage to light a regular test lamp - that's why you would need a self-powered one, to use in place of a multimeter set to the continuity (ohms) range - you would just be testing for continuity through a dead switch.
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