Jump to content

noticing power drain at stop signs


allen405
 Share

Recommended Posts

I've noticed that last week now when I am sitting at a light with my blinker on my volt gauge drops to 8 volts and my blinker stops blinking. Also I've always noticed when my blinker is on the volt needle really jumps around, I know some is expected because of the way its wired but even my friend Jesse noticed how bad it jumps. Any help is appreciated. Is this a clean the gounds thing, or is it something else?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Relpace the Flasher to an EL12 iirc, and clean up the contacts and grounds associated with the turn signals. Or clean up the grounds for everything. You'll be surprised what clean grounds will do.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Relpace the Flasher to an EL12 iirc, and clean up the contacts and grounds associated with the turn signals. Or clean up the grounds for everything. You'll be surprised what clean grounds will do.

I used the EL-12 and still had some issues with my blinker working correctly for long periods with my brake lights on, I switched to the LL-552 and haven't had the issues anymore at all.

 

I also took all the wiring at the fusible links apart and cleaned every connection with a nail file and added some die-electric grease. I then replaced all the links with new ones from dad for peace of mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haha... no, that's not normal.

 

Read this: http://www.starquestclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=92298&st=20

 

-Robert

 

Robert, Thanks :) for posting that reply of mine. However guys, be sure to read page 1 of the post too, where I describe what was going on electically, what readings I initially took and how I cleaned everything electrical in the engine house prior to moving on to page two of the post. ;)

 

I would also suggest that - if the voltage is jumping around, as you described on the dash meter, with the turning signals blinking - that you remove, clean and inspect the alternator, alternator wiring harness and it's pivot mounting (which is the factory alternator ground) as described in this link http://starquest.i-x.net/viewtopic.php?t=1180&sid=10ec5a39a617375b52bf08840a71ec7d

 

Also remove,clean & check the grounds IAW this link http://starquest.i-x.net/viewtopic.php?t=916 so the ENTIRE electrical circuit is squeeky clean.

 

Remember, with the exception of starting, and momentary current surges when you have a piece of large electrical equipment initially turn on such as the HVAC motor, it's the alternator which is powering your Starquest. Not the battery. ;)

 

For What It's Worth.

 

KEN

Edited by Starfighterpilot
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is some good stuff. My black 88 TSi has some serious charging issues, when sitting at stop lights, and even sometimes while driving. When I'm at a light, brake lights on, headlights on, blower motor on, my volt gauge reads in the neighborhood of 9 volts. Once I leave the light, it slowly creeps back up to 11-12. If I turn the blower motor off, it gets a LOT BETTER. If I turn it on, it gets a LOT WORSE. The blower motor appears to be pulling a lot of juice. Is this normal?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is some good stuff. My black 88 TSi has some serious charging issues, when sitting at stop lights, and even sometimes while driving. When I'm at a light, brake lights on, headlights on, blower motor on, my volt gauge reads in the neighborhood of 9 volts. Once I leave the light, it slowly creeps back up to 11-12. If I turn the blower motor off, it gets a LOT BETTER. If I turn it on, it gets a LOT WORSE. The blower motor appears to be pulling a lot of juice. Is this normal?

 

The HVAC blower motor in fast is one of the biggest electrical loads in the 'Quests. Consider cleaning the ignition switch if all of the engine house electrical metal connectors and the grounds ar clean. ;)

 

To see what voltage is coming out of the ignition switches IG1 and IG2 contacts do the following:

 

To actually see what the actual voltage is that's being supplied down stream of the ignition switch via the IG 2 circuit, get a multimeter and check the voltage to the radiator primary fan relay at the blue with black tracer power wire going into the electrical connector A-07. Ya gotta stick your positive probe from the multimeter into that wires connector slot so it's touching the metal terminal, and of course ground the multimeters' black wire.

 

If that voltage is more than one volt lower than battery voltage, with various other car electrical loads on, go back to connector A-33 or 34, depending on your Starquest's year, and probe it the same way to see what your voltage is at the outlet wires connectors' metal terminals of the connector and the inlet wire to the connector. This connector is located under the battery tray. Take the battery & it's tray out. hook up jumper cables to the battery terminals to get power to this connector cuz the battery has to be removed to get to it.

 

If ya got low voltage to or out of A-33/34, turn the car off, pull that connector apart and clean the metal terminals. Start the car and check your voltage again.

 

If ya still have low volts to A-33/34, then go back to 1 & 3 fusible links better yet - all of 'em- and test their voltage on either end of the fusible link metal terminals. If ya got good voltage in but bad voltage out turn the engine off - clean all of the fuse box connector's metal terminals. Pull the fusible links and check 'em for zero ohms. If ya ain't got zero replace 'em. See what you have for voltage now with the engine running.

 

To test the IG 1 circuit, check the voltage going to the ignition coil's positive pole.

 

If you have good voltage out of connector A-33/34 but greater than one volt less at the primary rad fan rely connector and/or to the coil than what battery voltage is, then it's time to pull the ignition switch and either replace it or tear it apart and clean & grease it.

 

I hope that this makes sense.

 

BTW - Ya should have your lady running when taking these various voltage readings, even with the jumpered battery, so you actually see "real world" what's going on where in the various electrical circuits when your Lady is running under various electrical loads. ;) And turn on things like the HVAC fan in fast, headlights, watch voltage as your rad fan motor cycles on and off, etc.

 

And as you are taking these readings with the multimeter keep an eye on the dash volt meter so you have a rule of thumb for how far out of calibration the dash voltmeter is.

 

For What It's Worth.

 

KEN

 

One more thing. Make sure that all of the fuses in the fuse block underneth the dash are clamped tightly in their connectors and that the connectors aren't corroded.

Edited by Starfighterpilot
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems like I've read other threads stating the voltmeter will bounce with the blinker on no matter the condition of the connections involved. People mentioning trying different gauges and supplying an extra ground to the voltmeter. Apparently that is wrong?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is an old post from mikec on the bouncing voltmeter and blinkers:

 

Dash voltmeter has long wires hooking it to the battery:

battery + post ---> IGN fusibile link ---> ignition key input ---> ignition key ON position ---> fuseblock --*-> fuse ----> dash voltmeter.

 

A whole slew of things tap into the circuit at the "*" in the diagram: lots of fuses actually. These include the turn signals, engine cooling fans, interior fan, etc. Lots of high-amperage items. And wires to the alternator that enable it to work... Any voltage loss (caused by poor wires, bad connections, etc.) between the battery post and the "*" will affect everything as a result. Turning on the turn signals causes a lot more current to flow, making the problem/voltage loss worse. Your problem is typical old wiring issues. Cleaning the IGN fusible link contacts and all connectors to/from the link box helps a bit but sometimes you just have to run new (beefy) wires in parallel with the original factory wires.

 

The turn signals quit flashing because StarQuests use a thermal style flasher unit: current through the turn signal bulbs heats up part of the flasher until it literally bends inside - this opens a switch cutting power. The lights go out, the flasher cools down, and the switch un-bends and the cycle starts over. If the voltage going into the system ("*" again) is too low, the flasher never heats up enough. Thus your blinkers don't blink.

 

mike c.

 

p.s. You'll notice the dash voltmeter doesn't bounce much when you run the HAZARD lights though... even though that's like running both sets of turn signals together - it ought to be twice the load, right? The hazards are powered through other fusible links and not through the ignition key so they don't affect this circuit. The entire IGN circuit is under-strength on most StarQuests.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...