OK, I'm confused!

[plkelley]

OK, the black ground wire that runs from the main relay over to the ECU and then through the firewall...is it supposed to get power with the ignition on...if not...what could cause this.

[EF_LSVtec]

You're confusing us too with this (1) post...:flash:

[plkelley]

Hmm...not good..I dont know...all i know is that when the ignition is off the ground is good on the black wire, but when I turn the ignition on, it gets power to it, no longer a ground.

[Killa_CRX]

Originally posted by plkelley
all i know is that when the ignition is off the ground is good on the black wire, but when I turn the ignition on, it gets power to it, no longer a ground.

A ground wire, or grounded wire is any wire that is directly or indirectly in contact with the body of the car... when the ignition is turned off, most of the power in the car is also... when the ignition is turned on, most of the cars power is also turned on.... there by running power through the ground in order to make a complete circuit... I.E. a ground wire should have power running through it if ignition is on, because that signifies that it is grounded properly.

Did that make sense?

[plkelley]

yeah, that makes sense. so there should be power there...damn...back to the drawing board...thought i was on to something

[ci5ic]

I'm pretty confused about this post, but if what I think your saying is right, something is messed up.

If it IS in fact a ground wire, there should be NO voltage on that wire no matter what. Yes, there would be current flowing through the wire to complete the circuit, but if it's connected directly to ground, that would be the same as if it were connected directly to the negative terminal of the battery. Therefore, if you are measuring voltage properly (from ground), there should be NO voltage.

From looking at the Helms manual for a CRX, that black wire from the main relay SHOULD be connected to ground, so if you are actually measuring a voltage on that wire, you should check to make sure it is grounded properly. If it is not, that would explain the voltage reading.

I can't tell from the manual exactly where the ground location is for this wire, but it's at grounding location G151...

[plkelley]

ok, this is getting really confusing. So, if it should not get power, and its not grounded right, then would it still show no resistence to ground with the power off. And why would it get power, wheres the power coming from. shouldnt be connected to any power source should it

[kris]

[plkelley]

i know...this is so damn confusing. figuring out electrical problems is like finding a needle in a haystack

[ci5ic]

Okay, I'll try and make it simple hehehe...

The solid black wire should be connected to ground. Therefore, you should NOT measure a voltage on that wire for any reason (unless you are measuring the voltage improperly).

Take your volt-meter, and connect the black test-lead to ground, and probe the black wire from the main relay with the red (+) test lead. There should be no voltage measured, because essentially, you would be probing at ground, and there shouldn't be a difference of potential.

If you DO register a voltage at that wire, then I would have to guess that it is NOT properly grounded.

[plkelley]

ok, now that makes sense, thanx. i am measuring voltage on that wire when the ignition is on