Grounds

anders1

New Member
I am beginnning to have electrical issues- radio goes on and off, voltage drops when I hit the brakes, cuts out sometimes when I go from high to low beam....want to check the main grounds first- where are they at?

Do have a slight burning smell in the cockpit at times too...might be time for the BRM, but want to check grounds first...

Thanks!

Chris
 
Off the top of my head

Most grounds are in mushrums:
One each in the H/L well
One under the dash left of the steering wheel
One at the rear, I think left, I think in the engine bay.
At least that's a start.
 
well....

Figured it out- the connector where the brown wire feeds the fuse box has "melted" where the wire connects.....

Dumb question- Can I get the connector for the brown wire? For an 86, and what is the best remedy for this?

Thanks

Chris
 
One solution...

Since the problem is that the connector is heavily loaded, can corrode and overheat...

Ideally, you would replace the connectors and the connector block, but it may simply be a reset button.

A previous owner used a wire nut to combine those wires on my car. My solution, while not ideal, was to solder them together. I haven't done the BWM, but do have relays on my lighting. Also rebuilt my ignition switch as described in Best Of.
 
My 2 cents worth...

1. Spend 5 bucks on a NEW 4GA ground/Terminal at the battery. (10")
2. Fix or replace the ground at the transmission (to chassis) Be sure to
use star washers under ALL ground lugs. (Battery to chassis too!)
3. REPLACE the Brown wire from the + Batt. cable connector to the
fuse block using an 8Ga Red wire. If you (likely) need the spade lug from
the fuse block, re-use it by soldering the new wire to it.
4. Fix ALL the ground trees mentioned in Herzel's post. (above)
5. Remove your headlight circuit from the equation by adding an
insertable headlight mod to your headlights. (shameless plug) This
will remove the major load from your X's electrical system.

Steps 1 thru 4 will cost you less than $10.00 USD

Step 5 might need to be mass-produced. :D
 
Inelegant Temporary Fix

Until you implement the famous Brown Brown Wire mod(s), highly suggested, three wires in a wire nut will get you back on the road. Wire nuts are not so good for stranded conductors, so don't just forget it. And a few wraps of black vinyl electrical tape around the base of the wire nut and wires is a good idea.

http://home.att.net/~oz/3WireNut.jpg
 
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