[Eddie 70]

We are working on Mikes 1970 vette and have problem that we cannot seem to fix. The car has a 950mA draw and it is killing the battery. Everything is all new. You can make the draw go away if you remove the two wire plug on the alternator. We came up with another new alternator and this still did not cure the draw. The draw also goes away if you remove the clock, lighter, courtsey light fuse. We have pulled the plug on each gauge except temperature and still have the draw.

Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[rjent]

We are working on Mikes 1970 vette and have problem that we cannot seem to fix. The car has a 950mA draw and it is killing the battery. Everything is all new. You can make the draw go away if you remove the two wire plug on the alternator. We came up with another new alternator and this still did not cure the draw. The draw also goes away if you remove the clock, lighter, courtsey light fuse. We have pulled the plug on each gauge except temperature and still have the draw.

Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.

Ok, I am going to state the obvious, I think. Since you know the draw is coming from the clock, lighter, courtsey, start tracing those circuits. The clock is supposed to be an intermittent draw to "wind" the clock, it may have malfunctioned. Have you pulled the clock circuit, lighter, and courtsey seperately? I know many of these cars are having door switch problems, but you would see the lights on and that draw would be a lot more than 950ma. Personally it sounds like the clock to me.

Hope it helps! :thumbsup:

 

[TwinTurbo]

Let me guess, he has an analog spark box? MSD6A(L) perhaps??

 

[Eddie 70]

Let me guess, he has an analog spark box? MSD6A(L) perhaps??

You are correct sir. It is a MSD6AL. But we isolated it from everything.

 

[2th farmer]

Eddie :excited: :buhbye:

 

[TwinTurbo]

Those things always draw amps, try disconnecting it completely (both the power and the stuff to the distributor module)

 

[Eddie 70]

Okay, just to add to the information, we found that we had 12 volts on both terminals of the alternator plug. With the key off, we should have only 12 volts on terminal 1 if we are reading the Service Manual correct. We talked with Lectric Limited and they seem to think that maybe the bulkhead connector may have a bent pin that is allowing the 12 volts on terminals 1 and 2. So, the bulkhead connector is coming apart to check here to.

 

[Eddie 70]

Those things always draw amps, try disconnecting it completely (both the power and the stuff to the distributor module)

Watching us today would probably have made you laugh. We unplugged everything that we have added to the car. The MSD, the spals, the killer headlights. Nothing made a difference until the alternator was unplugged. We then thought we'd run through the fuses just for kicks. This is when we found that the courtesy, clock and lighter fuse would also clear the load. This is when we started unplugging the connectors on the gauge console to no effect. Now we are reaching out for the experts to help out.

 

[rjent]

Okay, just to add to the information, we found that we had 12 volts on both terminals of the alternator plug. With the key off, we should have only 12 volts on terminal 1 if we are reading the Service Manual correct. We talked with Lectric Limited and they seem to think that maybe the bulkhead connector may have a bent pin that is allowing the 12 volts on terminals 1 and 2. So, the bulkhead connector is coming apart to check here to.

With that info, you could have a bad ignition switch.

Just a thought ....

 

[Eddie 70]

With that info, you could have a bad ignition switch.

Just a thought ....

I just talked with Mike, TNBUSA, and he said that the bulkhead connectors looked perfect. IIRC, we had the connectors completely out of the ignition switch today and still had the 12 volts on both terminals on the alternator connector. :toilet

 

[mrvette]

ELEMENT ary trouble shooting 101, you got the wires to the regulator on the alt wired backwards....somewhere, some how....

ask me how I know all about this, I can write a freekng encyclopedia....


bet me...

???

 

[Eddie 70]

ELEMENT ary trouble shooting 101, you got the wires to the regulator on the alt wired backwards....somewhere, some how....

ask me how I know all about this, I can write a freekng encyclopedia....


bet me...

???

Gene, any help you can offer is greatly appreciated. It is a reproduction harness from Lectric Limited. Hopefully they did everything like it should have been. If you have any idea where something may be incorrect, I can go check it tomorrow and get it fixed. Running the battery down every night is not the way a vette should rest. Plus it sux to have to charge the battery every time you want to drive it.

 

[big2bird]

I will check after dinner. I seem to recall the gauge fuse feeds the sensor wire on the alternator. Therefore, either removing the drain. Anyone else have that year schematic? Later

 

[VetteVolts]

Terminal #2 is the red wire and should have 12 volts all the time. Terminal #1 is brown and should only have 12 volts with the "engine running" plugged in.So you have 12 volts on both terminals unplugged from the alternator and the key off?

 

[Eddie 70]

Terminal #2 is the red wire and should have 12 volts all the time. Terminal #1 is brown and should only have 12 volts with the "engine running" plugged in.So you have 12 volts on both terminals unplugged from the alternator and the key off?

Correct. We have 12 volts on both terminals unplugged from the alternator and key off.

 

[VetteVolts]

Correct. We have 12 volts on both terminals unplugged from the alternator and key off.

You said the draw was removed when the plug was removed and when you removed the courtesy fuse.Was that one or the other or both-do you have to have both removed to eliminate the draw or will one or the other do it?

 

[VetteVolts]

I think we already established the brown should not be hot with the key off.Under the column around the ign. switch is a brown wire that is supposed to be plugged into a capacitor that is attached to the column.Did that somehow get plugged into something hot-like maybe the capacitor on the hot side of the brake light switch?Has this brown wire been used as an add on hot soarce for some other accessory or tied in with the courtesy light circuit for some reason?I have a feeling you have 2 problems but on the courtesy light fuse draw-Is the alarm system key on?

 

[Eddie 70]

I think we already established the brown should not be hot with the key off.Under the column around the ign. switch is a brown wire that is supposed to be plugged into a capacitor that is attached to the column.Did that somehow get plugged into something hot-like maybe the capacitor on the hot side of the brake light switch?Has this brown wire been used as an add on hot source for some other accessory or tied in with the courtesy light circuit for some reason?I have a feeling you have 2 problems but on the courtesy light fuse draw-Is the alarm system key on?

I am pretty sure the car does not have an alarm system on it. I will check on the capacitor tomorrow. Good ideas. Keep them coming .

On the fuse block we pulled one fuse at a time and then put it back if there was no change in current draw. One fuse, labeled with CLK, LTR and CTSY was the one fuse that made the draw go to 0mA. So, we assumed it must be on this circuit. The cigarette lighter is not in the circuit at all. The orange wire to the bottom of the lighter is disconnected. The clock works correctly, it is a quartz conversion. The interior lights work correctly too. I am baffled.

 

[VetteVolts]

I am pretty sure the car does not have an alarm system on it. I will check on the capacitor tomorrow. Good ideas. Keep them coming .

On the fuse block we pulled one fuse at a time and then put it back if there was no change in current draw. One fuse, labeled with CLK, LTR and CTSY was the one fuse that made the draw go to 0mA. So, we assumed it must be on this circuit. The cigarette lighter is not in the circuit at all. The orange wire to the bottom of the lighter is disconnected. The clock works correctly, it is a quartz conversion. The interior lights work correctly too. I am baffled.

While you were removing and replacing fuses was the alternator plug in or out?

 

[big2bird]

Gene, any help you can offer is greatly appreciated. It is a reproduction harness from Lectric Limited. Hopefully they did everything like it should have been. If you have any idea where something may be incorrect, I can go check it tomorrow and get it fixed. Running the battery down every night is not the way a vette should rest. Plus it sux to have to charge the battery every time you want to drive it.

Missed this part. Did the trouble start after changing the harness?