New Prob:Electricity

[iamironman]

Does anyone know what would cause this symptom?:

Start engine... everything is fine, running smooth as silk... sitting still or driving, radio on, turn on head lights OR cruise control (not both at the same time, one or the other) and radio turns completely off for 1-2 seconds, at the same time radio is off all lights dim to almost off too, then turns back on, ... everything is fine. If I turn headlights off then back on or cruise off then back on it doesn't do it again... if I turn the headlights OR cruise off and leave them off for a couple minutes then turn either of them back on it does it again, radio off and all lights dim to almost off for 1-2 seconds. It also happens sometimes if a do a jackrabbit take-off, floor it from standstill, radio off and all lights dim to almost off for 1-2 seconds. This happens whether the headlights OR cruise is on or off... it's like a total power drain for a couple seconds then recovery. Any thoughts?

EDIT: I just tried it with the key in acc or prestart, (engine not running) and it does the same thing. 1-2 second power loss, then everything back to normal, and same as everything described above except of course no engine running.

_________

[Moncha]

You have an active short. Some of the circuits have breakers rather than fuses. What new electrical connections have you made. is this related to http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...threadid=16058 ?

[iamironman]

You have an active short. Some of the circuits have breakers rather than fuses. What new electrical connections have you made. is this related to http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...threadid=16058 ?

the only new connection is the oil pressure gauge... I plugged into the radio fuse (in fusebox), but that is such a low draw... I should have said in my first post this happened once in a great while months ago (before I ever hooked up the gauge)... I ignored it then because it was so infrequent. Now it happens all the time every time for the past few weeks...

[Moncha]

Are the pressure gauge lights on all the time or are they connected to the lights?

can you give a rough schematic as to how you have everything connected?

[iamironman]

Why, oh why does the wierd chit happen to me?

Ok... picture this... I'm in the engine fusebox... and I have a friend in the driver seat to turn the headlights on while I look at and listen to see if something clicks/trips in the fusebox... he's flipping the lights on and off every few seconds and the radio keeps turning off and on... I pull up on the fusebox housing just slightly, like not to intentionally move it but just like gripping it to lean down and listen... and it stops doing it... headlights on and off... and the radio steady and no flickering of inside lights... he tells me it stops the problem and I let go of fusebox and it starts doing it again... I lift up and it stops... I look all underneath the fusebox and no wires sticking out... it all looks fine... but just lifting up on it so slightly and this quirk stops happening.

So I put/wedge a piece of high temp closed cell foam, about 5" square, 1 1/2" thick, about the same footprint as the fusebox, underneath it to prop it up, and it works... no more problem! WTH??



I give up! Just by accident do I find this out... never in a million years would I have thought of doing this on purpose... why would lifting up on the fusebox change ANYTHING??? It's bolted to the side fender... it's plastic... it flexes up and down about and inch... Give me a break! It's 100+ degrees out... and I have to flip around and mess with this only to find out this wierd freeeking thing is fixed by unnatural forces... LOL!

Thanks for your input though Moncha...

I am tempted to take the fusebox off and take it apart to see if there's something more legitmate to fix... but I'm also scared that I may cause more problems that will need fixing in a wierder way... Should I leave well enough alone?

EDIT: I forgot to say... I did totally disconnect the oil gauge first (and I drew up an schematic I was going to post for you to see), before I found this flexible fusebox fix (The FFF), and it would still happen... so I reconnected the gauge before I did the FFF...

[Jay Dunford]

Look for a wire in one of the harnesses that has worn through (or come loose) and is touching metal. Moving the box may be enough to break contact and "fix" the short. There are numerous people that have had harness problems over the years, one of the drawbacks to a handmade harness.

[iamironman]

OK... I spoke too soon... didn't drive it... I took her for a spin and it was ok for a couple blocks i was testing the headlights while driving it, no problems... I went up a dirt road and started getting bumpy and it cut out again... without turning the headlights on/off and then when I DID turn them on/off it started doing it again...

So I unbolted the fusebox from the fender well and it stopped again... waited a few minutes and tried it again and it starts doing it AGAIN!! Turned it over and removed bottom plastic cover... really inspected and pulled on wires... see if any were loose/worn... nothing that I could see was amiss... moved the box around and tried the lights again, it stopped. My friend has since gone so I am having to go back and forth trying the lights and moving the box around... it does it a few times and then I jiggle/pull/move the fusbox around and it stops.... I let it sit a few minutes and don't touch a thing except the headlight switch and it starts doing it again... jiggle/move the fusebox and it stops... rinse and repeat and it keeps doing it/stops doing it after I let it sit/move the fusebox... Someone please stop the madness!!!

[Moncha]

You may have to carefully take the wireloom plastic off of the harness to see if there are multiple wires chaffed OR make sure to look downline from the box, it may be coincidental that moving the box makes it do it... Patience in this will pay off. Electrical can be very tricky.

[MSHardeman]

I would have to agree with Jay; there has to be a wire somewhere that is shorting out and when you move the fuse box around. I've had my fuse box off a couple of times and I can't really remember where the big wiring harness comes out of it, but it has to be grounding out on the fender well somewhere.

The only other thing that I could think of is that maybe one of the fuses (be it one of the individual ones or one of the big main ones) has something loose in it. It might not look blown, but maybe some of the contact are a little wonky making it lose continuity.

Those are my guesses.

[psychos2]

There is an issue on some of the vxs were the wiring harness rubs on something (on the drivers side I think )and wears through the wires.I do not remember who it happened to. shawn

[iamironman]

OK.. hope this is it... I replaced all of the fuses in the engine fusebox, except the big breaker mains because I would have to order those and I didn't change the relays either, and replaced ALL the fuses in the driver door fusebox. It didn't do it a couple times then it started doing it again... *sigh*.

So then I removed the washer fluid resevior, the main wire harness comes out of the fusebox and then up under and behind the resevior and goes into an even bigger main harness. I pulled that harness up over the resevior and to one side so not to block access to the resevior fill cap, and bolted/put everyting back together, because (to me), the only true test would be while driving on a bumpy road... and it didn't happen once... I was driving and hitting all the potholes on this dirt road subdivision I could drive over, turning **** on and off left and right up and down all over... I had every electrical thing on all at once and then kept flicking headlights on/off and it never happened again. Whew... If it starts again... I WILL make a new harness... nahhh just kidding... I'll go look for a new one in the junkyards...

Thanks guys, for all the input.

______________________

[Ldub]

There is an issue on some of the vxs were the wiring harness rubs on something (on the drivers side I think )and wears through the wires.I do not remember who it happened to. shawn

That happened to Anita, where the harness bundle comes through the bulkhead behind the headlight on the drivers side of the radiator.

Also, check all ground connections...

[pbkid]

my guess would be DOUBLE check ALL grounds and if you have to, sand off paint and make sure they are making a great connection...

i agree with the dub