Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us
Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network
HomeAnnouncements
Discussion Groups
By Brand
BMWChevroletDodgeFordGMHondaLexusMercedes-BenzNissanPeugeotToyotaVolkswagenOther Brands
By Topic
4x4 CarsRVsDrivingMaintenance & RepairCar AudioCollectible Cars
Country Specific
Australian ForumsUK Forums
ArticlesAuto InsuranceBuyingCars & TechnologyMaintenanceMiscellaneousSafety
DMV Resources
Related Topics
MotorcyclesBoatsMore Topics ...

Car Forum / Chevrolet / Chevrolet Malibu / August 2006

Tip: Looking for answers? Try searching our database.

98 Chev Malibu - electrical/starting problem

Thread view: 
Enable EMail Alerts  Start New Thread
Thread rating: 
ironman_stittsville - 21 Jul 2006 09:24 GMT
I’ve had a few problems with this Malibu but it’s generally been good.

In the last month though, it’s misbehaved.

I noticed that starting was a little laboured, I figured it was a weak
battery so I bought a nice shiny Canadian Tire Eliminator and the
problem went away for about 2 weeks...

I have been driving the car daily for weeks after the new battery was
installed with no issues. I let it sit for 2 days and when I went to
start it it didn’t even make a ’click’ sound. The battery seemed to be
completely drained.

I charged the battery and installed again. I now get a single ’click’
when I turn the key. The starter doesn’t turn. Nothing.

A host of weird electrical gremlins seem to run about when I tried to
start it after the recharge including:
- a ticking sound from passenger dash ( think it’s the fan )
- dash idiot lights come on and off
- tacho rises to 5 k and sits there
- dome light comes on and then off

These gremlins persisted even when the key is in the ’off’ position.
Very strange indeed. I suspect that all of this weird activity is
killing the battery but I’m not sure why it won’t turn over when the
battery has been freshly charged.

I will be checking the fuses tonight but I wonder if anyone has seen
this before?

Many thanks for any advice,
RH.
Larry - 17 Aug 2006 22:54 GMT
ironman_stittsville <none@000.com> wrote in news:836039_
87f63491119fd76f9b766be7d12a0375@0000.com:

> These gremlins persisted even when the key is in the 'off' position.
> Very strange indeed. I suspect that all of this weird activity is
> killing the battery but I'm not sure why it won't turn over when the
> battery has been freshly charged.

I have a little 12V light bulb with wires to two small ring terminals
whos rings have been cut to little pins that will stick into the blade
fuse slots on the fuse block.  If anything is pulling current through the
fuse, the bulb either glows, low current, or comes on full bright, high
current or short to ground which blows the fuse.

The wires are long enough so I can put the light up on the dash and see
it from anywhere in the car...trunk, hood, interior.  I can hang it from
the fuse block under the car if I have to.

Plugged into an errant circuit, like the DAMNABLE POWER WINDOWS of my '96
Caprice Cop Classic Cruiser my father left me when he died in January, I
can push and pull and unplug things while watching the light to see where
the current's going that blows the fuse, pops the circuit breakers or
kills the battery....works great, cost near nothing.

Remove the fuses with the battery charged, engine off, interior light OFF
by pushing in the switch or closing the doors.  Plug in the little light
and see which one of them is draining your battery.  BE prepared to
notice the damned computer runs all the time and draws current that will
light the little light on its fuse.  If you find, for instance, the light
lights on the heater fan fuse position, when, obviously no current should
be going that way, you can go unplug the fan or the switch or whatever to
find out why.  The little light gives you an indication what's drawing
current, not just where the 12V appears to be.

It's how I found the chafed plastic wires, covered in cheap plastic tape
shorted to the sharp RUSTED, UNPROTECTED steel inside the right front
door, blowing the 30A breaker in the DAMNED CAPRICE, today.....

Damn GM.....cheapskates!

Signature

There's amazing intelligence in the Universe.
You can tell because none of them ever called Earth.

ironman_stittsville - 18 Aug 2006 19:24 GMT
Hi Larry,

Thanks for the response, good idea. I was wondering how to go about
finding bad wires.

I’ve got to get to work on this thing, it’s been sitting in my laneway
dead for about 3 weeks now. I wanna check the ignition switch first
and failing that I’m going to go hunting for shorts.

RH.

> ironman_stittsville <none@000.com> wrote in news:836039_
> 87f63491119fd76f9b766be7d12a0375@0000.com:
[quoted text clipped - 59 lines]
>
> Damn GM.....cheapskates!

Signature

Posted at author's request, using http://www.AutoBoardz.com interface
Articles individually verified to usenet standards. Visit URL to contact author/report abuse
Thread archive: http://www.AutoBoardz.com/98-Chev-electrical-starting-problem-ftopict175876.html

 
Sign In
Join
My Latest Posts
My Monitored Threads
My Blog
My Photo Gallery
My Profile
My Homepage

Start New Thread
Enable EMail Alerts
Rate this Thread



©2008 Advenet LLC   Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.