electrical problems

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

sambones - 23 Sep 2007 18:05 GMT

49 jeepster with 57 ford v8 very simple electrics car has new ign. switch
new solenoid new starter. usually starts and runs great! for about a year
sometimes when i go to start it i turn the key and tha voltage meter reads
12v+- then when i turn it to engage the starter the volts drop to 0 and
there is a thump sound[unlike a solenoid click] and absolutely no
electricity to any part of car. battery reads 12v even to solenoid but
nowhere else. if i disconnect the neg. on battery and then reattach it the
car reverts back and will start, until it happens again! any ideas guys

--
Message posted using http://www.talkaboutautos.com/group/rec.autos.tech/
More information at http://www.talkaboutautos.com/faq.html

Reply to this Message

clifto - 23 Sep 2007 18:21 GMT

> 49 jeepster with 57 ford v8 very simple electrics car has new ign. switch
> new solenoid new starter. usually starts and runs great! for about a year
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> nowhere else. if i disconnect the neg. on battery and then reattach it the
> car reverts back and will start, until it happens again! any ideas guys

Bad battery terminal connection to the battery.

Clean the terminal. Repair it so that the hole is round; often people
tighten the things enough to make the hole oblong or oval. Get shiny
metal to shiny metal and tighten it just enough so that you can't rotate
the terminal on the battery post by hand.

Signature

If you really believe carbon dioxide causes global warming,
you should stop exhaling.

Reply to this Message

Mike Romain - 23 Sep 2007 18:50 GMT

> 49 jeepster with 57 ford v8 very simple electrics car has new ign. switch
> new solenoid new starter. usually starts and runs great! for about a year
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> Message posted using http://www.talkaboutautos.com/group/rec.autos.tech/
> More information at http://www.talkaboutautos.com/faq.html

You are describing a main battery cable end gone bad or loose. Jeeps
are sneaky about the ground going bad where it bolts to the engine and
where the main cables connect to the solenoid.

Sometimes if you try it a few times when it goes bad, the bad cable end
will heat up so a careful feel of the wire ends can sometimes find it.

You can also track it with a multimeter looking for voltage drops. If
you get it running and turn on everything like lights, wipers, heater
you can 'walk' a meter looking for a volt drop.

You start with the meter on volts and put the probes on the battery
posts. You then run one, say the negative first, to the clamp, then to
the loop on the other end of the cable, then the bolt, then the block.
You then do the opposite using the positive probe to 'walk' while
leaving the negative on the post. Go to the cable loop at the solenoid,
then the nut, then the post. If the volts drop more than a couple
hundredths anywhere, you have found a bad connection.

When my Jeep does that, I just figure 'all' the main battery cable ends
need cleaning so I go for it and just take them off for a clean.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Reply to this Message

Mike Romain - 23 Sep 2007 23:17 GMT

>> 49 jeepster with 57 ford v8 very simple electrics car has new ign. switch
>> new solenoid new starter. usually starts and runs great! for about a year
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>> the
>> car reverts back and will start, until it happens again! any ideas guys

I forgot to mention the body should be checked with the meter walking
along in volts also because they lose grounds easy too. The solenoid
needs to be grounded to turn the starter so nothing would work if the
ground strap or cable connection arcs bad.

> You are describing a main battery cable end gone bad or loose. Jeeps
> are sneaky about the ground going bad where it bolts to the engine and
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590
> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Reply to this Message