HELP!! electrical problems part 2 read and comment

[oscolivar1]

okie here is my original thread, it was locked
http://www.supramania.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30450

okie i found out today with the help of my uncle, there is no power going to the alternator and no power going to the some of the fuses in the fuse box in the engine bay; The one on the top right right(silver one) i think its the main relay, and the smaller 6 or 8 fuses next to it (15).
what should i be looking at? wasn't able to get to the starter so could that be it?

we checked all the other wires they were good starter relay, ground etc,...
i used this site to help me http://born2drv.com/TSRM/Service Manual/
page 32, 23, 22 and 6 i believe is what help me on the diagram
he suggested it might be the Intergration relay becuase that might be the reason i have no power in the cabin.

If i am understanding this right when i looked at the diagram, i turn the key power goes to the intergration relay and sends power to all the stuff in the cabin and then power goes to the engine bay right?
i know i forgot to type sum things in so ask plenty of Q's

has been almost 3 months now that i havent started my car and its pissing me off:icon_evil First thing that pops in your head post it
thx
oliver

 

[lewis87mk3]

First thing I would do is put new battery terminals on, cut any connectors off wires leading to battery terminal, strip it down to the copper wire, and clamp them directly down to the terminal bare wire exposed.

I had these cheap electrical washer type connectors like this ::::=(o) They looked perfectly fine, but infact had corroded and the connection from the connector to the wire was no longer good. Threw me off for a while.

Had a another similar problem once too, I forget the symptoms, but my main fuse was blown....
Check your main fuses under the hood, pop the caps off to look closer if the tops are foggy. Namely the large 100A one I think, was it blue? i forget.

 

[lewis87mk3]

Ah sorry I didnt read your first post till after I posted...
Anyway.. assuming you checked those, there are also a couple fusible links that can go.... a super pain in the ass.. I really suspected I had one go on me once, and it turned out to be a break in the wire just before it. The casing around the wire was still good, but the wires inside had become brittle and separated somehow.. Really odd.. That was on the wire to my starter though, fuckin drove me nuts.

 

[oscolivar1]

First thing I would do is put new battery terminals on, cut any connectors off wires leading to battery terminal, strip it down to the copper wire, and clamp them directly down to the terminal bare wire exposed.

I had these cheap electrical washer type connectors like this ::::=(o) They looked perfectly fine, but infact had corroded and the connection from the connector to the wire was no longer good. Threw me off for a while.

Had a another similar problem once too, I forget the symptoms, but my main fuse was blown....
Check your main fuses under the hood, pop the caps off to look closer if the tops are foggy. Namely the large 100A one I think, was it blue? i forget.

terminals are all new...
There is suppose to be 12 V running to the main relay where it sits right ( the silver fuse, top right of fuse box) well no power going thru there. so could it be the harness or whatever connects to it?

 

[lewis87mk3]

Ahh alright one more try after fully reading your last post...

If you have tried everything else...
I'd DEFINITELY try bypassing or putting in a new ignition
I've had one go bad.

That is.. obviously where you put your key in and turn.
It sounds to me like its worn out and thats why nothing goes on when you turn it.

If you have an older style steering column, pre 89 or have any switches or things broken on the steering column, I'd just suggest finding a good shape 1989 steering column with all working switches and a key and pop that on there. Thats what I did... makes my 87 look so much nicer too, its a nice upgrade.

Otherwise if you can figure out how to do it, maybe just put a hidden regular switch somewhere to control turning on/off the car.. like a pushbutton switch or something, I dont know..

It's one more thing to try, I'm trying to help you with ideas.

 

[oscolivar1]

Ahh alright one more try after fully reading your last post...

If you have tried everything else...
I'd DEFINITELY try bypassing or putting in a new ignition
I've had one go bad.

That is.. obviously where you put your key in and turn.
It sounds to me like its worn out and thats why nothing goes on when you turn it.

If you have an older style steering column, pre 89 or have any switches or things broken on the steering column, I'd just suggest finding a good shape 1989 steering column with all working switches and a key and pop that on there. Thats what I did... makes my 87 look so much nicer too, its a nice upgrade.

Otherwise if you can figure out how to do it, maybe just put a hidden regular switch somewhere to control turning on/off the car.. like a pushbutton switch or something, I dont know..

It's one more thing to try, I'm trying to help you with ideas.

thx for the quick replies, those are good ides/suggestion. my uncle did suggest the ignition or starter so i dunno... its really windy and cold outside, so i dont feel like figuring out what else i can do out there.

 

[lewis87mk3]

thx for the quick replies, those are good ides/suggestion. my uncle did suggest the ignition or starter so i dunno... its really windy and cold outside, so i dont feel like figuring out what else i can do out there.

It wont be the starter..
I mean, even with the starter completely unplugged and off the car, I believe incar lights and gauges would still go on if the car were turned to the on position. I'd work on trying to get all your electronics to light up as they should in the on position.

Then if the car doesnt start, worry about that.. because thats a whole nother nest of potential issues from security system to starter, to god knows what...

 

[oscolivar1]

i dunno he told me different he said i need to worry about why there is no power in the engine bay b4 i worrk about the power in the cabin...
but that was b4 we found out about the intergration relay wire so i dunno..

 

[lewis87mk3]

Well thats true, thats why you check the 100a fuse and battery terminals first IMO.. Now your using up options.

Since fusible links and other wiring crap is a pain in the ass, id try the ignition switch next.

One thing you know, is that if your ignition switch were malfunctioning, and not working.. leaving your car always in the off position.. you would have the same exact symptoms as you have, correct?
The circuit for the starter does not get power till that switch is in start position, which is a different circuit from the one that would allow for power to turn on inside the cabin.

Its hard to believe one can just go bad, but I mean our cars are getting old.. I've had some keys so worn out that I couldn't even get copies of them made.

How many miles does your car have? and has it been highway or short drives? A lot of these cars being sporty cars that they are, were just made for quick sunday drives with the topdown or very short trips out, so a lot more key/ignition use than what most cars see per mileage.

 

[oscolivar1]

Well thats true, thats why you check the 100a fuse and battery terminals first IMO.. Now your using up options.

Since fusible links and other wiring crap is a pain in the ass, id try the ignition switch next.

One thing you know, is that if your ignition switch were malfunctioning, and not working.. leaving your car always in the off position.. you would have the same exact symptoms as you have, correct?
The circuit for the starter does not get power till that switch is in start position, which is a different circuit from the one that would allow for power to turn on inside the cabin.

Its hard to believe one can just go bad, but I mean our cars are getting old.. I've had some keys so worn out that I couldn't even get copies of them made.

How many miles does your car have? and has it been highway or short drives? A lot of these cars being sporty cars that they are, were just made for quick sunday drives with the topdown or very short trips out, so a lot more key/ignition use than what most cars see per mileage.

has around 160,000 on the clock. my dad drove it for all those miles i prolly put down 2500? dad drove on highway a lot i guess and short drives it was his DD. well i doubt it is my ignition switch becuase i has my music on blast kinda and it just cut off slowly and cranked a few times then nothing at all 30 min later. so yea, i can only guess it a fuse or relay/wires or sumthing..

 

[lewis87mk3]

has around 160,000 on the clock. my dad drove it for all those miles i prolly put down 2500? dad drove on highway a lot i guess and short drives it was his DD. well i doubt it is my ignition switch becuase i has my music on blast kinda and it just cut off slowly and cranked a few times then nothing at all 30 min later. so yea, i can only guess it a fuse or relay/wires or sumthing..

good point.. did you have your radio with a separate power wire directly off the positive battery terminal and properly fused?
I've heard of people putting aftermarket headunits in their car, connecting them using the stock power wire, blowing the radio fuse over and over till they get fed up with it and replace it with a higher amp one than what should be.. then melting wires. Its more common than you would think, I hope that didn't happen to you?

My brother did it with his fuel pump fuse on his old truck... kept blowing so instead of fixing it right, put a bigger fuse in.. ran for about a week before melting the entire wiring harness down completely to a mesh of melted together wires.

 

[oscolivar1]

headunit is stock for the radio etc, i just have a small amp and subwoofer in the trunk