No Charge

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boschbabe
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:35 am
What year is your cabby?: 1993
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes

Re: No Charge

Post by boschbabe »

I hooked up the cluster without doing much except removing the two connectors several times. I put the power to it and the fuel gauge and batt light worked. I got .8 volts at D+. I rocked the cluster and jiggled the connectors and the voltage held. I started it and it is charging. I might try it every hour or so see if it holds before reassembling. I'm sure it is something under the dash causing the issue. If it happens again I might try the exciter rig you describe as a backup. Thanks for your time and expertise.
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Briano1234
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Re: No Charge

Post by Briano1234 »

Try the plumping up of the mylar, only takes a couple of minutes. Pull the shroud off the main connector.

Image

Carefully lift the mylar off the tongue.
Image

Place a piece of electrical tape on the plastic tongue pad side.
Image
Replace the mylar and shroud.

Add a ground wire from Pin 2 (brown) with a Scotch lock, to the frame.
Image

Image

Trust me you will be glad you did.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
boschbabe
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:35 am
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Re: No Charge

Post by boschbabe »

Thanks, I might do dat. Which is the plastic tongue side? Also if this thing stops charging some distance away from home, could I jump the B+ and D+ terminals without disconnecting the blue wire? Seems like if it gets 12V while running putting 12V to it artificially won't hurt it.
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Briano1234
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Re: No Charge

Post by Briano1234 »

When you carefully lift the mylar you will see the tongue of which I speak. You will place the tape on the other side that is away from the picture of the mylar lifting off the tongue.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
boschbabe
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:35 am
What year is your cabby?: 1993
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Re: No Charge

Post by boschbabe »

Put it back together without the mods and it worked earlier today but now it's dead again. Here is the list of non-working stuff: Key off; no flasher indicator. Key on: No flasher indicator, BATT light, oil press, right air bag, lights on indicator, fuel gauge, temp gauge. Only light on is L air bag. Running: No charge or lights above. Reached through radio hole and jiggled main plug no diff. Is there a place on the cluster that I could hook the extra wire to avoid butchering the factory wiring? My son says those scotch plugs cut some strands. I will go in again tomorrow.
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Briano1234
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Re: No Charge

Post by Briano1234 »

boschbabe wrote:Put it back together without the mods and it worked earlier today but now it's dead again. Here is the list of non-working stuff: Key off; no flasher indicator. Key on: No flasher indicator, BATT light, oil press, right air bag, lights on indicator, fuel gauge, temp gauge. Only light on is L air bag. Running: No charge or lights above. Reached through radio hole and jiggled main plug no diff. Is there a place on the cluster that I could hook the extra wire to avoid butchering the factory wiring? My son says those scotch plugs cut some strands. I will go in again tomorrow.
Scotch connectors Can cut wires. You would be better serves in just running a new blue wire to the tamp straight off the Alternator, But I would use the tape under the connector, you will not believe how much tighter that makes it.

I would go back about 5 inches from the main connector and cut the wire and heatshrink on first, then solder the wire from the alternator. It is going to be a whole lot easier I reckon.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
boschbabe
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:35 am
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Re: No Charge

Post by boschbabe »

I don't think that the blue wire is the problem unless the blue wire powers all the above inoperative stuff. Tomorrow I might cut the brown ground wire, hook a good ground to it and see if the stuff works. Then unhook it and see if the same systems are affected. Then I will know it was the ground. What pin brings power from the ign switch?
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Briano1234
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Re: No Charge

Post by Briano1234 »

You don't have to cut the brown wire.
Use a Scotch Lok in-line splice. It is a ground, and you are adding ground, that is acceptable for the ground wire.
If it was a power wire, that is a whole different critter.

If none of your gauges are working or acting the ass do this.

On the 10V stabilizer measure for the following.
Furthest away from the speedo Pin 1 10V
Middle pin ground This is from pin 2
closest to the speedo 12.5-13.74V Battery This is from PIN 14
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
boschbabe
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:35 am
What year is your cabby?: 1993
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Re: No Charge

Post by boschbabe »

This morning I hooked up the main connector and everything was working like it always does when it is apart. I cut the brown ground wire to see if the ground is the problem. Everything (except the signals) still work! Where is it getting ground? I had already planned to cut the ground wire to put a butt splice with the extra ground wire on one side because I don't trust those scotch splices. Where does the ground for the cluster hook under the dash?
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Briano1234
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Re: No Charge

Post by Briano1234 »

boschbabe wrote:This morning I hooked up the main connector and everything was working like it always does when it is apart. I cut the brown ground wire to see if the ground is the problem. Everything (except the signals) still work! Where is it getting ground? I had already planned to cut the ground wire to put a butt splice with the extra ground wire on one side because I don't trust those scotch splices. Where does the ground for the cluster hook under the dash?
When you cut a ground, it floats... Electronics, voltage or current will seek a new path, it is probably back feeding off the Speedometer cable, I have seen that before. I have even seen where temperature senders, sensors, and light bulbs become the new"ground". It isn't a good thing to float a ground.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
boschbabe
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:35 am
What year is your cabby?: 1993
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes

Re: No Charge

Post by boschbabe »

The D+ circuit does not require a cluster ground I realized a day late and a dollar short. The ground is the alt. So the ground was never the problem. The problem is probably the power wire (pin 14) either at the cluster or it's source. The tape mod might fix it. If it doesn't, and I can't find the source, I will run a backup circuit 61.
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Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
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Location: Duluth, Ga
Contact:

Re: No Charge

Post by Briano1234 »

boschbabe wrote:The D+ circuit does not require a cluster ground I realized a day late and a dollar short. The ground is the alt. So the ground was never the problem. The problem is probably the power wire (pin 14) either at the cluster or it's source. The tape mod might fix it. If it doesn't, and I can't find the source, I will run a backup circuit 61.
I had the same issue, pin 14 was good but the mylar to the voltage stabilizer was bad. So I used a male/female insulated spad connector and sliped it in to the number 14 wire, then tack soldered it to the 10V stabilizer.... It powered the dash just dandy.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
boschbabe
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:35 am
What year is your cabby?: 1993
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes

Re: No Charge

Post by boschbabe »

I added the ground and shimmed the connector and it was working like it always does initially. It sprung a massive oil leak from the oil sender on the filter adapter. I installed it then got called to work. When I got home it was dead again (no batt light, fuel gauge etc and I assume no charge). I might have to do what you did above. I've never had to work so hard for one volt!
boschbabe
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:35 am
What year is your cabby?: 1993
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes

Re: No Charge

Post by boschbabe »

I'm not going to remove the cluster again without a schematic of it. I think I'm going to hook up a bypass tomorrow.
boschbabe
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:35 am
What year is your cabby?: 1993
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes

Re: No Charge

Post by boschbabe »

Regrettably this car joins my other rigmobiles. Until I can get another cluster or repair this one, I ran a alternate 61 circuit. I bought a panel light and stuck it in the hole under the fasten seat belt light. I wrapped the unit with masking tape so it fits tightly. It is old school: The light stays on until you blip the throttle and comes on momentarily after you turn the key off. The light is part of the circuit so if it burns out I will have to connect the two leads. But at least it's driveable and an essential circuit does not run through a gaggle of brittle foil!
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